What does cost unit analysis measure?

• A. Cost per life year gained
• B. Total program cost
• C. Cost per case averted
• D. Cost per quality-adjusted life year

Answer: (D)

Cost unit analysis focuses on the amount of money needed to achieve one unit of health benefit. In public health, the standard unit is the quality-adjusted life year, or QALY, because it combines both how long you live and how healthy you are during that time. One QALY means one year lived in perfect health; if health isn’t perfect, that year counts as less than one QALY. This lets different interventions be compared on a common scale, even if they affect mortality and quality of life in different ways. So the measure is cost per quality-adjusted life year.

Other options describe different cost units, but they don’t capture both lifespan and quality of life in the same way. Cost per life year gained focuses only on duration, not quality. Cost per case averted is about preventing disease, which is a specific outcome and not a general health benefit unit. Total program cost is just the overall expenditure with no health outcome measure.