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The Mortality Cost Of Expenditures

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  • James Broughel
  • W. Kip Viscusi

Abstract

This paper updates the mortality cost of expenditures, which has relevance to a broad range of policies, including regulations, wars, and COVID‐19 restrictions. Because changes in income lead to changes in mortality risk, health investments costing more per life saved than a threshold cost‐per‐life‐saved cutoff level are expected to increase mortality risk. This article discusses the mechanisms driving this relationship and provides recent empirical support. The 2019 cost‐per‐life‐saved cutoff level at which expenditures increase mortality risk has a lower bound of $83.1 million and an upper bound of $133.8 million, with a midpoint of $108.5 million. (JEL D61, I18, J17, K32)

Suggested Citation

  • James Broughel & W. Kip Viscusi, 2021. "The Mortality Cost Of Expenditures," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 39(1), pages 156-167, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:coecpo:v:39:y:2021:i:1:p:156-167
    DOI: 10.1111/coep.12483
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas J. Kniesner & W. Kip Viscusi, 2023. "Compensating Differentials for Occupational Health and Safety Risks: Implications of Recent Evidence," Research in Labor Economics, in: 50th Celebratory Volume, volume 50, pages 83-116, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    2. James Broughel & Michael Kotrous, 2021. "The benefits of coronavirus suppression: A cost-benefit analysis of the response to the first wave of COVID-19 in the United States," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(6), pages 1-20, June.
    3. Aditi Kharb & Sandesh Bhandari & Maria Moitinho de Almeida & Rafael Castro Delgado & Pedro Arcos González & Sandy Tubeuf, 2022. "Valuing Human Impact of Natural Disasters: A Review of Methods," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-11, September.
    4. W. Kip Viscusi, 2021. "Economic lessons for COVID‐19 pandemic policies," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 87(4), pages 1064-1089, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J17 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Value of Life; Foregone Income
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law

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