Explain the relationship between healthcare costs and prevention strategies in Australia's health system. (4 marks)
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- Healthcare costs and prevention strategies have an inverse relationship because prevention costs are much lower than treating diseases after they develop.
- The reason for this is lifestyle factors cause most premature deaths, yet the majority of healthcare spending focuses on treatment rather than prevention.
- This leads to significant cost savings when prevention programs like QUIT and screening programs are implemented early.
- Consequently, increased prevention funding results in lower long-term healthcare costs by avoiding expensive treatments for conditions like heart disease and stroke.
- This demonstrates why government investment in prevention represents better value than treatment approaches for Australia’s health system.
- As a result, prevention strategies enable better health outcomes while managing the trend of rising healthcare expenditure more sustainably.
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- Healthcare costs and prevention strategies have an inverse relationship because prevention costs are much lower than treating diseases after they develop.
- The reason for this is lifestyle factors cause most premature deaths, yet the majority of healthcare spending focuses on treatment rather than prevention.
- This leads to significant cost savings when prevention programs like QUIT and screening programs are implemented early.
- Consequently, increased prevention funding results in lower long-term healthcare costs by avoiding expensive treatments for conditions like heart disease and stroke.
- This demonstrates why government investment in prevention represents better value than treatment approaches for Australia’s health system.
- As a result, prevention strategies enable better health outcomes while managing the trend of rising healthcare expenditure more sustainably.