The Economic Value of Prevention: Investing in Health and Society

What is the economic value of investing in prevention?

At our 2nd SRN-HN Forum, Dr. Ana Cecilia Quiroga Gutierréz and Dr. Maryna Ivets explored a question that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore:

What does it cost us when we underinvest in prevention?

Healthcare expenditure in Switzerland continues to rise, reaching approximately CHF 97 billion in 2024. At the same time, the costs of health and disease extend far beyond healthcare spending itself, including productivity losses, reduced quality of life, and broader societal costs.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) place a substantial burden on the healthcare system, many of them linked to modifiable risk factors such as smoking, diet, physical inactivity, and alcohol use.

And yet, only around 1.5% of total healthcare expenditure in Switzerland is devoted to prevention and health promotion.

The presentation highlighted evidence that prevention can generate substantial economic returns, particularly through policies that:

🔹 improve information and health literacy

🔹 make healthier choices easier and more accessible

🔹 change the relative costs of healthy and unhealthy choices

🔹 regulate the promotion of unhealthy products, particularly to children.

Importantly, the benefits of prevention extend well beyond the health sector. They may include fewer premature deaths, lower healthcare costs, improved productivity, and wider social and economic gains.

So, can we really afford NOT to invest in prevention?