Willingness to pay for mass screening for prostate cancer: A contingent valuation survey

Abstract

Abstract:We recently reported on the willingness to pay (WTP) for prostate cancer screening with prostate specific antigen (PSA) using the contingent valuation method (CVM). This study, a continuation of the work outlined in the previous report, comprises a more precise and detailed survey. In an Internet questionnaire survey, 400 men aged 50-59 in Japan were randomly split into two groups: the ill-informed group (n = 207), which was provided with information about the detection rate, and the well-informed group (n = 193), which was given additional information about false positive/negative results, latent cancer, and the yet-to-be-demonstrated mortality-reducing effect of the test. The mean WTP was ¥1670 ($15.2). Giving sufficient information would not decrease WTP for PSA screening. Men place a high value on 'peace of mind' through the ascertaining of no sign of cancer at the present rather than on the future-oriented life-saving effects that may be gained through such screening.

Perception of the economic value of primary care services: A willingness to pay study

“…The existence of chronic illnesses, as in other studies [5,9,10], is related to higher WTP. However, no association with the number of visits to the physician in the last year is revealed.…”

“…The difference does not appear too great taking into account that the second figure refers to the price and the first to the value attributed and considering the complete lack of experience of users with respect to the real cost of the service, given that co-payment for the care of the family physician does not exist in the Spanish Health System. The WTP declared in this paper is in the range of the WTP for dependency insurance in our country (about D 18/month of 1999, was an acceptable price for 40% of those who accepted paying for the concept) [25]; or the WTP for a prostate cancer screening test, about $15 of 2006 [9]; or the WTP for all the care required by a common illness like a cold, D 29 of 2005 [5]. It is important to note that this study is conducted in a context of high consumption of this health resource, as in 2005 almost 63% of the population census in the Community of Madrid utilized primary care services [2].…”

“…CV has also been used to study the "need" for certain services in prevalent illnesses [7], or preferences for preventive programs [8,9]. In the primary care setting, CV has been used to estimate the willingness to defray the costs of improvements in health care in systems in development [10], to evaluate health promotion programs [11], mental health care [12], the acceptability of payment for the continuation of care by the family physician [13], or the extension of certain kinds of health coverage [14].…”

The influence of information and private versus public provision on preferences for screening for prostate cancer: A willingness-to-pay study

“…Several studies have looked at the impact of information on preferences for cancer screening, and the impact of information on WTP for screening for cancer using positron emission tomography (PET) scan and screening for prostate cancer using PSA-tests has been investigated [23][24][25]. In all three studies, respondents were divided into two groups where one group received information on detection rates while the other group received additional information on failure to demonstrate a mortality-reducing effect [23], together with information on false positives and false negatives [24] and additional information on latent cancer [25].…”

Editorial Comment

“…1 This paper described willingness to pay (WTP) for prostate cancer screening, and is the second report to confirm results of the first paper by Yasunaga et al 2 Several limitations exist in these two papers as mentioned by the authors. However, the following point should be evaluated in these papers: two reports showed that the mean WTP of the ill-informed group was not significantly different from that of the well-informed group.…”