So the figure shows the net additional cost and net additional benefit of adding a mammogram to a regular physical exam. That's why the plan provided regular mammograms for women in their 50s, but not for women in their 40s, and why the plan provided for pap smear tests every three years rather than every year. There is no right answer to that question. But if we accept that standard and we decide to apply it to the health and safety regulations of major government agencies, then most of what government does in these areas fails the test. The Most Expensive Regulations.
Some regulations impose astronomical costs relative to the benefits they produce.
The chart shows five of the worst examples. Bear in mind that the dollar figures shown are the estimated costs for each year of life added to an exposed individual's life span. What is really going on in these cases is that these particular regulations are dealing with such tiny risks that there is very little reason to believe that any lives will be saved. That is why the cost estimates appear so outrageous. Policies and Subjective Values.