The quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) is a health metric some people love to hate. Concerns include that QALYs are not patient focused,1 may be used as rationing tools by health insurers, and may be perceived as dehumanizing. The Affordable Care Act prohibits the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute from using cost-per-QALY benchmarks. The use of QALYs by policy makers to inform coverage and reimbursement decisions is controversial.
