Cutler on Health Spending

My Harvard colleague David Cutler gets some attention in today's Washington Post:

Study Finds Health Care Good Value Despite Costs

The dramatic increase in health-care spending in the United States since 1960 is a major reason that Americans are living longer, making the world's most expensive health-care system a good value despite its high costs, according to an academic study being released today.

The study notes that a baby born in 2000 can expect to live for 76.9 years, compared with 69.9 years for a newborn in 1960. While some of the gain is because of declines in rates of smoking and fatal accidents, it is reasonable to attribute at least half of it to more and better health care, said Harvard University economist David M. Cutler, the study's lead author.

By the way, David will once again give a lecture on health economics this fall in ec 10.