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Answer By Dr Zakir Naik,"75 Professors of US They Say, They Believe That 9/11 Was an Inside Job.
Obama: 'Same Sex Marriage Should be Legal
Barack Obama says preventive care 'saves money'
But while there’s little doubt that preventive care saves lives, the money is a different story. In general, academic studies do not support the idea that paying for preventive care ultimately saves money. We first published that conclusion in 2009, when we rated True a claim by New York Times columnist David Brooks that preventive care does not save the government money. When President Barack Obama claimed it did save money in a September 2009 speech to Congress, we rated it False. On Feb. 10, 2012, Obama revived this line of argument. His comments came during a media briefing to announce a partial reversal of a policy that would require church-affiliated organizations such as hospitals to provide a package of free preventive coverage, including contraception. Catholic groups criticized the policy -- which was set in motion by Obama’s health care law in 2010 -- on the grounds that it conflicted with churches’ religious beliefs. In announcing a partial shift of policy, Obama said, "As part of the health care reform law that I signed last year, all insurance plans are required to cover preventive care at no cost. That means free check-ups, free mammograms, immunizations and other basic services. We fought for this because it saves lives and it saves money –- for families, for businesses, for government, for everybody. That’s because it’s a lot cheaper to prevent an illness than to treat one." However, as we wrote in 2009, it’s not true that preventive care generally "saves money." Brooks' critique relied on estimates by the Congressional Budget Office. "The evidence suggests that for most preventive services, expanded utilization leads to higher, not lower, medical spending overall," CBO director Douglas Elmendorf wrote in an Aug. 7, 2009, letter to Rep. Nathan Deal, the top Republican on a congressional subcommittee involved in the debate. Elmendorf explained that while the cost of a simple test might be cheap for each individual, the cumulative cost of many tests adds up: "But when analyzing the effects of preventive care on total spending for health care, it is important to recognize that doctors do not know beforehand which patients are going to develop costly illnesses. To avert one case of acute illness, it is usually necessary to provide preventive care to many patients, most of whom would not have suffered that illness anyway. ... Preventive care can have the largest benefits relative to costs when it is targeted at people who are most likely to suffer from a particular medical problem; however, such targeting can be difficult because preventive services are generally provided to patients who have the potential to contract a given disease but have not yet shown symptoms of having it." In fact, a government policy to encourage prevention could end up paying for services that people are already receiving, including breast and colon cancer screenings and vaccines, Elmendorf said. Other studies backed up the CBO's analysis, including a Feb. 14, 2008, article in the New England Journal of Medicine that was written in response to campaign promises for more preventive care. "Sweeping statements about the cost-saving potential of prevention ... are overreaching," according to the paper. "Studies have concluded that preventing illness can in some cases save money but in other cases can add to health care costs." They write that "the vast majority" of preventive health measures that were "reviewed in the health economics literature do not" save money. "Some preventive measures save money, while others do not, although they may still be worthwhile because they confer substantial health benefits relative to their cost," the authors write. "In contrast, some preventive measures are expensive given the health benefits they confer. In general, whether a particular preventive measure represents good value or poor value depends on factors such as the population targeted, with measures targeting higher-risk populations typically being the most efficient." Meanwhile, a separate study conducted by researchers from the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society concluded that, while interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease would prevent many strokes and deaths, "as they are currently delivered, most of the prevention activities will substantially increase costs." To make sure that the data hadn’t changed dramatically since we last looked at this issue, we contacted Peter J. Neumann, director of the Center for the Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health at the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center. He was one of the three co-authors of the New England Journal of Medicine article. He said the patterns his group found in 2008 have not shifted dramatically since then. "Sometimes preventive measures save money, sometimes not," Neumann said. "The general message is that it depends." Milton C. Weinstein, one of Neumann's co-authors, agreed. "In general, the comparative effectiveness literature supports the general proposition that preventive care does not save money," said Weinstein, a professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health. Our ruling As a general notion, the idea that "preventive care … saves money, for families, for businesses, for government, for everybody" is no more true today than it was in 2009. Yes, preventive measures often save lives and keep patients healthier. Certain preventive measures may save money as well. But the findings of CBO and physicians who have studied the medical literature indicate that Obama’s sweeping generalization that preventive services save money is not accurate. We rate the statement False.
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Michele Bachmann I Have No Regrets
Her withdrawal from the field leaves six other contenders in the presidential race.
They are vying to become the Republican nominee to challenge President Barack Obama for the White House in November.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won Iowa's caucuses by a wafer-thin margin over former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.
It was widely believed that Texas Governor Rick Perry, who finished fifth, would also drop out, but he tweeted on Wednesday: "Here we come South Carolina!!!"
After cancelling her own campaign trip to South Carolina, Mrs Bachmann, 55, told a news conference on Wednesday: "Last night the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice and so I have decided to stand aside."
She said she had "no regrets".
Mrs Bachmann did not endorse another candidate, but said: "I believe that we must rally around the person that our country and our party and our people select to be that standard bearer."
She spoke at length about her reasons for entering the race, denouncing President Obama's healthcare reforms as "left-wing social engineering", which "endangered the very future" of the US.
Mrs Bachmann, who wooed the evangelical Christian vote, was briefly the front-runner of the race in August. But two senior backers left her cash-strapped Iowa campaign a week ago, amid dire opinion-poll ratings.
Before he squeaked to victory by just eight votes, Mr Romney announced another high-profile endorsement, this time from Arizona Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee.
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Barack Obama To White House In November 2012
Opponents of the presidential candidates barack obama 2012
Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Sanatorium lead polling, but the race is volatile.
Tuesday evening's caucuses will involve about 120,000 Iowans gathering in homes, schools and public buildings.
Spread across some 1,700 meetings in all of Iowa's 99 counties, the meetings see Iowans elect 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention, to be held in Florida in August.
That convention will choose the final presidential candidate to run in the 6 November presidential election.
Spreading the message
As the vote neared, candidates spent Monday in a last-minute flurry of campaign events at coffee shops, pizza restaurants and hotel lobbies in an effort to to win over undecided voters.
Rick Sanatorium, a former Pennsylvania senator who has surged in Iowa polls in recent days, spoke in front of a packed house at a breakfast cafe in Polk City.
Despite concentrating almost exclusively on Iowa, Mr Santorum, a social conservative who appeals to Iowa's evangelical Christian voters, said his new-found popularity was helping his prospects for the long primary season to come.
I would just say this - we've raised more money in the last few days than we've raised in the last few months," he said.
He has campaigned hard in every one of Iowa's 99 counties, impressing social conservatives with his message of rejecting gay marriage and abortion, even in cases of rape.
The beneficiary of a pre Christmas poll surge, Texas Congressman Ron Paul restated his libertarian-tinged policies at campaign stops in Des Moines, Mason City and a series of other towns.
Mr Paul - the oldest candidate in the race, at 76 - returned to Iowa after spending the holiday weekend in Texas.
He has faced scrutiny over racially charged newsletters published in his name during the 1980s and 1990s.
Mr Paul - who wants an end to US military intervention overseas, and calls for the abolition of the Federal Reserve - said he had faith in his nationwide organization, but conceded he needed a good result in Iowa.
A poor show in Iowa would be a "real challenge" for the campaign, he told the Associated Press. "We've invested a lot of time and money in doing well here."
Front-runner
In the city of Marion, front-runner Mitt Romney - whose 2008 campaign came unstuck in Iowa - exuded confidence.
We're going to win this thing with all of our passion and strength," he said, before reprising his criticism of President Barack Obama
I want to see America united. I watch a president who's become a great divider, the great complainer, the great excuse-giver, the great blamer," Mr Romney said.
Mr Romney, a wealthy former businessman and governor of Massachusetts, has remained at or near the head of the pack throughout a long build-up to the primary campaign.
Persistent doubts about his conservative credentials have allowed others to remain in the hunt, though. Mr Santorum criticised Mr Romney on Monday, saying the nation needed a true commander-in-chief, not simply "executive experience".
Nevertheless, the former Massachusetts governor will win, analysts say, if the evangelical Christian vote is fragmented across competing conservative candidates - including Mr Santorum, Texas Governor Rick Perry and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich - whose own poll numbers surged spectacularly in November and early December - admitted on Monday that a barrage of attack advertisements had seriously eroded his support in Iowa.
At least $12.5m (£8.1m) has been spent on largely negative political advertising in Iowa in recent weeks.
I don't think I'm going to win," he said, adding: "Whatever I do tomorrow night will be a victory because I am still standing."
Long campaign
Iowa experts say the state's weather could be a determining factor in voter turnout on Tuesday, with Mr Paul's dedicated supporters the most likely to brave poor conditions.
The forecast for Iowa on Tuesday is partly cloudy, BBC Weather says, with temperatures likely to hover just above freezing during the day.
A respected opinion poll published on Sunday by the Des Moines Register newspaper suggested Mr Romney remained the most popular candidate, with 25% support. Mr Paul was at 22%, while Mr Santorum scored 15%.
However, Mr Santorum's support is thought to have risen in recent days.
After Iowa, the state of New Hampshire holds its primary election on 10 January. Mitt Romney has a big lead there.
Over the next six months, each US state will vote on the presidential contenders before a final nominee is selected.
The eventual Republican nominee will be anointed at the party convention in August before running in the 6 November general election against Democratic President Obama, who is seeking a second term.
Voters remain concerned by the slow pace of economic recovery from the recession that started during the end of the presidency of George W Bush and officially ended in 2009.
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