Pros and Cons of Advanced Medical Treatment - Essay Example

'Pros and Cons of Advanced Medical Treatment' is an exceptional example of a paper on the health system. 
Cutler’s and McClellan’s study deals with the pros and cons of advanced medical treatments and their cost-effectiveness or its lack. The research raises questions about the advantages and disadvantages of benefiting from expensive medical treatments, their results and the economic burden that is faced by an individual. However, the research proves that with the exception of a few treatments over all the new treatments that are being introduced periodically are a blessing for the humankind. The cost of medical treatments as well as hospital expenditures is increasing day by day and the article also questions the reason for such a high paced increase which is causing major problems for the common man.

Good health is one of the biggest blessing s for human beings consequently since evolution, man has been struggling and progressing in inventing new methods of treatments and medicines in order to better facilitate mankind. As a result of such advancement, it is impossible to ignore the economic factors affecting this progress. David M. Cutler and Mark McClellan in their article “Is Technological Change

In Medicine worth It?” presents the readers with similar research stating the pros and cons of the medical progress as well as the rising financial budgets and expenditures of advance medical treatments.

The writers make use of five common diseases for the case study and hence enlighten the readers about the ratio of expenditures for a particular disease and the success rate of the treatment. These diseases include heart attacks, low-birth weight babies, depression, cataracts, and breast cancer. Research shows that although medical expenditures are increasing rapidly yet it has also led to saving many lives. The article states that in 1984 small percentage required heart surgeries while the rest were treated with the use of medicine. However, by 1998, catheterization had become the norm along with other vast intensive care expenditures and the methods, which used to be cheaper in comparison to catheterization as well as angioplasty, do not have the same percentage of medical practice. Yet the writers believe that in the years since 1984 the number of patients has not increased but the cost increase is not very feasible as such treatment only stalls death for a few years. Similarly, breast cancer is a very common disease amongst women which has a very tough and expensive treatment and yet cure is at times not guaranteed so in such a situation the writers question whether such drastic measures require large sums of money which involves risk should be taken or not. On the other hand, the cure for depression is long-lasting so the high cost of treatments can be considered as a good investment for a better future of an individual.

Medicine is a field where expenses for treatments are increasing more rapidly as compared to the rest of the sectors of the economy. This can be because of the new complex and ultra-sensitive machines that are being used. However, the rate at which this increase is taking place is very surprising. However overall since human beings are benefiting from these new discoveries so the cost does not exactly seem to be a very crucial part of the whole scenario.