30 June 2026

Prevention works, so why don’t we pay for it?

Health Care Systems
Header banner with purple background, bold title 'Prevention works, so why don't we pay for it?', lime arrow graphic on the left, and two circular headshots with names and titles (Gundo Weiler and Graham Cookson) below, plus the 'A DOSE OF ECONOMICS' logo in the bottom right; conveys an article/podcast introduction about prevention economics and the speakers.

Prevention is often great value for money. And yet, countries all around the world are failing to properly invest in it, and their healthcare systems are paying the price.  

Grace Hampson is joined by Gundo Weiler, Director of Prevention and Health Promotion at the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, and Graham Cookson, Chief Executive of the Office of Health Economics, to discuss why we continue to fail to properly fund prevention, and what we might be able to do about it. 

They’ll discuss

  • The evidence base for prevention, and why despite it, prevention continues to be underfunded  
  • The political economy underlying prevention underfunding, including misaligned incentives, annual budgets and short-term electoral cycles  
  • Who should pay for prevention, and where the responsibility lies 
  • What a comprehensive approach to prevention financing could look like, and what’s standing in the way of achieving it 

Speakers

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