Skip Navigation

Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College
Columbia University
The Campaign for Educational Equity
The Campaign for Educational Equity
Fall 2005 Symposium on the “Social Costs of Inadequate Education”
Fall 2005 Symposium on the “Social Costs of Inadequate Education”

For more information call:
1-866-92-EQUAL

October 24th and 25th at  Alfred Lerner Hall, Columbia University

Health Returns to Education Interventions

Presenter:

Summary:

By increasing educational attainment, our society would also obtain dramatic individual health gains and government savings.

  • Those who graduate from high school live over 9 years longer than high school dropouts – due to factors that include improvement in cognitive ability and decision-making, income, occupational safety and access to health insurance.
    • The total lifetime health-related losses for the 600,000 dropouts in 2004 add up to at least $57.9 billion, or nearly $100,000 per student.
    • The health of 18-year-old high school dropouts is similar to that of more educated persons over two decades older.
  • Education interventions matter.
    • America would save $41.8 billion in health care costs if all 600,000 dropouts in 2004 were to advance 1 year in educational attainment.
    • 17% of those with less than a12 th grade education would be enrolled in some sort of public insurance. After promoting those students to a high school diploma, the predicted enrollment in public plans falls to 13%, for a savings of $8,000 per individual.

“The gains in health alone achieved via class size reductions and preschool programs may exceed the cost of such educational interventions.”

Presentation Papers