Using Economic Evaluation to Hasten Health Equity

Abstract

Achieving health equity has proven elusive for two reasons. First, most research has focused on changing the behavior of individuals; however, policies that address socioeconomic factors or change the context to facilitate healthy decisions tend to be more effective. Second, health disparity science and evidence are not consistently used to guide policy makers, even those seeking health equity. In this perspective, we discuss economic evaluation tools that researchers can use to assist decision-makers in conducting research or evaluating policy: selfreported health-related quality of life surveys and cost-benefit analysis evaluations informed with willingness to pay research and analyses.

What to Expect in 2024: Important Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) Trends

“… 18 Other papers have suggested to adopt an approach where cost-benefit analysis (CBA) informed by the willingness-to-pay (WTP) from diverse backgrounds and supplemented by health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) from within and between populations will provide better-informed decision-making. 19 …”

“…18 Other papers have suggested to adopt an approach where cost-benefit analysis (CBA) informed by the willingness-to-pay (WTP) from diverse backgrounds and supplemented by health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) from within and between populations will provide better-informed decision-making. 19 Looking ahead, the research community should consider if an extension of CEA, CUA and CBA should be made a requirement for achieving equity in their research.…”

The Effects of Residential Segregation on Black and White Mortality in the United States

“…If RI and RIP help explain black-white disparities in mortality, subsequent researchers can use these indices to identify locations where structural interventions are needed to reduce disparities in mortality. Case studies can be used to understand context, identify specific causes, and design and deploy appropriate interventions (Breen et al, 2019; Roldos & Breen, 2021).…”

Can Real-World Evidence Help Restore Decades of Health Inequalities by Informing Health Care Decision-Making? Certainly, and Here is How

“…Contextual considerations such as social and environmental factors are already part of decision-making when assessing the value of new treatments although not always considered in a structured way and uncertain how their weight influence the final decisions 3 . The problem so far is that health inequality evidence is not consistently used to guide policy makers ( Roldós and Breen, 2021 ). Expanding traditional cost effectiveness models (such as distributional cost-effectiveness analysis) can facilitate the ways to quantify health equality impacts and trade-offs in decision-making beyond the average health gain and losses of new technologies ( Love- Koh et al, 2019 ).…”