Over the last few decades, the U.S. health care system has been the beneficiary of tremendous growth in the power and sheer quantity of useful medical technology. As a consequence, our society has, for some time, had to make cost-benefit tradeoffs in health care. The alternative—funding all health care interventions that would produce some health benefit for some patient—is not feasible, because it would effectively consume all of our resources.
Economic Boundaries of Health Policy: Factors Influencing 1993–1994 Reform Proposals