Final answer:
The cost of healthcare regulation in the United States in 2004 was estimated to be close to $50 million per life saved.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cost of healthcare regulation in the United States in 2004 was estimated to be close to $50 million per life saved. According to a study by W. Kip Viscusi of Vanderbilt University, when a regulation costs $50 million, it diverts enough spending from health care and safety expenditures that it actually costs a life instead of saving one. Therefore, any regulation that costs more than $50 million per life saved would cost lives rather than saving them.