Social and economic consequences of chronic diseases

This chapter details how economic perspectives can enlighten us on how best to respond to chronic diseases. It shows that such economic tools are powerful, but they have ethical, policy, and technical limitations. The chapter begins by setting out the meaning of ‘economic perspective’ and addressing its important drawbacks. It then discusses four key questions: What are the social and economic costs of chronic disease? Who carries the burden of these costs? How do we measure them? Can these social harms caused by chronic diseases be avoided at low cost? In considering the final question, it assesses whether in a ‘no-change’ scenario the harm caused by chronic diseases can be expected to ‘take care of itself’ through market forces, evaluating the economic case for government support of broader public health interventions.