Increasing the number of high school graduates could reap big economic benefits for the United States, a policy brief by the Alliance for Excellent Education says.
The nation could save $17.1 billion in lifetime health costs if every student in the class of 2006 graduated from high school, according to the brief. Health-care costs are highest for those with the least education, so the brief calculated savings by looking at lifetime Medicaid costs and health expenditures for those without insurance and the number of students who drop out of high school.
“Healthier and Wealthier: Decreasing Health Care Costs by Increasing Educational Attainment” is available from the Alliance for Excellent Education.
