Careful spending on public health lowers preventable mortality

In the current economic climate, government programs for health care are being scrutinized. Is there a return on investment in public health? According to press information introducing a new study, public health spending varies widely across the United States. For example, per capita state public health spending ranged from a low of less than US $4 in Nevada to a high of more than $171 in Hawaii. Local public health spending varied even more significantly—ranging from less than $1 per capita to more than $200 per capita, with the median spent around $36 per person.