Question

According to your text, approximately how much does pain cost the United States each year?

A) $100 million
B) $1 billion
C) $500 million
D) $100 billion
E) $50 billion

Answer 1

Pain costs the United States around $100 billion annually, accounting for both direct medical costs and indirect expenses like lost productivity. Health policies such as price ceilings can affect drug supply and affordability.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the text provided, pain costs the United States approximately $100 billion each year. This substantial sum reflects not only the direct expenses associated with medical treatments and drugs, such as those for back pain, but also indirect costs like lost productivity and disability payments. Economic impacts of this magnitude underscore the importance of health policy decisions, such as the imposition of a price ceiling to make treatments more affordable, which can alter market dynamics but also potentially limit supply, as illustrated in the case of the new drug for back pain where production decreased when the price ceiling was introduced.