The House of Representatives last week approved a bill that would ban the use of “quality-adjusted life years,” or QALYs, as well as other measures for determining the purported value of a medical intervention, in all federal health programs. Now the Senate will consider the measure.
QALYs should have no place in federal decision-making about whether to cover a drug or medical procedure. Their primary purpose is to give the government cover for denying access to treatment — especially for seniors and disabled people.
Researchers use QALYs to estimate the number of years a treatment could add to a patient’s life, while also taking the assumed “quality” of those years into account. Quality is typically based on a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities without mental disturbance or pain.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.
Congress needs to cut QALYs
Sally C. Pipes
The House of Representatives last week approved a bill that would ban the use of “quality-adjusted life years,” or QALYs, as well as other measures for determining the purported value of a medical intervention, in all federal health programs. Now the Senate will consider the measure.
QALYs should have no place in federal decision-making about whether to cover a drug or medical procedure. Their primary purpose is to give the government cover for denying access to treatment — especially for seniors and disabled people.
Researchers use QALYs to estimate the number of years a treatment could add to a patient’s life, while also taking the assumed “quality” of those years into account. Quality is typically based on a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities without mental disturbance or pain.
Click to read the full article in the Washington Examiner.
Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.