Estimation of the Health and Economic Effects of Innovations in Health Care at a Societal Level

OBJECTIVES: To inform public decision-makers, this study proposes a method to quantify the health and economic effects of various innovations (organizational, therapeutic, digital, public policies) in health care at a societal level.

METHODS: Six innovations were selected to represent the diversity of health advancements: the HPV vaccination campaign, lung cancer screening, early administration of highly effective therapies against multiple sclerosis, continuous glucose monitors, low emission zones, and the "Vivons en Forme" program. The health effects are estimated in terms of cases and deaths avoided. A counterfactual scenario is constructed in which these innovations had been deployed early enough to reach their full potential in 2021. The economic impact is evaluated based on the cost of deploying the health action and an estimation of the tangible costs avoided: healthcare expenses, production losses, and public disability costs.

RESULTS: These innovations would have allowed France in 2021 to avoid up to 130,000 cases of severe or chronic illnesses and save 12,000 lives, representing 2% of the cases attributable to the considered pathologies and 2% of all deaths. The net cost-benefit is positive to the tune of €800 million per year. On average, €1 spent by Health Insurance would generate €6.7 in tangible monetary gains for society. For each life saved, the health expenditure is €11,000, and for each pathology or aggravation avoided, it is €570. These amounts are significantly lower than the monetary equivalents used for the socioeconomic estimation of health effects of public investments, which in France are over €3 million per life and €130,000 per DALY.

CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to compare the prospective and tangible health and economic effects of various innovations. The tangible impact thus complements the decision-making process by providing an alternative to the monetization of intangible variables.