THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF LIFESAVING INTERVENTIONS IN SWEDEN

In this article, we discuss under what conditions an estimated cost pe r statistical life saved can be interpreted as an implied lifevalue. F urthermore, we state optimality conditions with respect to variation i n implied lifevalues. The cost-effectiveness, together with references , are presented for 165 lifesaving interventions in Sweden. The cost-e ffectiveness of interventions has been found in publicly available ana lyses, or in some cases been calculated by us. Several of these interv entions produce net savings for society. The most expensive interventi ons cost several hundred million SEK, or more, per life saved. To impr ove the comparability of the interventions, certain criteria have been used to standardize the estimates. Still, dissimilarities in the calc ulation of implied life values remain and the quality of the original data is in some cases uncertain. Despite this and the fact that the in terventions are not a representative sample, it is nevertheless possib le to conclude that implied life values vary greatly both within and b etween different sectors of the Swedish society, much in the same mann er as in current U.S. analyses.