Fucking cost-benefit analysis, how does it work?
By 
Take Jonathan Turley, I’m begging you:
If you assume Jonathan Turley did a cost-benefit analysis the economic return of higher vaccine rates including forgone health spending then you don’t know who Jonathan Turley is pic.twitter.com/CYvg2u5u1E— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) May 28, 2021
To state the obvious, if a vaxx lottery moves the needle at all it’s money incredibly well spent. Every additional 1% of the population that gets vaccinated produces exponential effects in terms of reducing cases. If the lotteries have the effects they appear to be having in Ohio, they very likely save money in tangible terms by reducing medical expenses EVEN BEFORE we start putting a value on saving people from severe illness and death. It’s an incredibly efficient expenditure.
Incidentally, the reflexive Eeyore position on the Ohio lottery was that the increase in vaccinations post-lottery was just the result of Pfizer expanding eligibility to young adolescents. In fact, vaccination rates increased substantially among populations who were eligible ex ante, despite slowing vaccination rates nationwide:
An Associated Press analysis found that the number of Ohio residents ages 16 and up who got their first COVID shot spiked 33% in the week after DeWine announced the state would be giving away $1 million prizes and in-state public college scholarships as incentives to get more residents inoculated.
It’s a great policy and more states should do it.