article_snippet.sent: Some might argue that this freedom to test is the path to a healthier society.
article_snippet.sent: But the primary effect won't be more health, but rather more medical care.  
article_snippet.sent: Decades of research have shown that there are real side-effects to testing the well: more anxiety (that can't be good for your health), more procedures (which often involve needles, pain and can even lead to complications like collapsed lungs) and more treatment for "disease" not destined to cause problems (as in over a million additional American men treated for prostate cancer, ditto women for breast cancer).  
article_snippet.sent: I can tell you one thing for sure, the freedom to test won't save money.  
article_snippet.sent: Sure, a competitive market will drive down prices for individual tests.   
article_snippet.sent: This will cost people real money -- either in terms of higher insurance premiums or higher out-of-pocket costs.
article_snippet.sent: But if you feel well, don't think that testing will make you feel better.
article_snippet.sent: Should we outlaw an individual's freedom to test?  
article_snippet.sent: The public needs to know that while medical data can be very useful, that doesn't mean medical data are routinely useful.  
article_snippet.sent: It is easier to collect data than it is to know what the data mean -- much less what to do about the results.
article_snippet.sent: Just as carrying a gun doesn't necessarily make you any safer, testing yourself doesn't necessarily make you any healthier.
highlights_snippet.sent: Giving people more tests will increase health spending, but more tests won't make us healthier.