Editing Cost–utility analysis (section)

=== Advantages and disadvantages ===

On the plus side, CUA allows comparison across different health programs and policies by using a common unit of measure (money/QALYs gained). CUA provides a more complete analysis of total benefits than simple [[cost–benefit analysis]] does. This is because CUA takes into account the quality of life that an individual has, while CBA does not.

However, in CUA, societal benefits and costs are often not taken into account. Furthermore, some economists believe that measuring QALYs is more difficult than measuring the monetary value of life through health improvements, as is done with cost–benefit analysis. This is because in CUA you need to measure the health improvement effects for every remaining year of life after the program is initiated. While for [[cost–benefit analysis]] (CBA) we have an approximate [[value of life]] ($2 million is one of the estimates), we do not have a QALY estimate for nearly every medical treatment or disease.

In addition, some people believe that life is priceless and there are ethical problems with placing a value on human life.

Also, the weighting of QALYs through [[time-trade-off]], standard gamble, or [[visual analogue scale]] is highly subjective.