Should the government subsidize research for extremely rare diseases?

[Crafter_Man]

Yes. But only by a state government - not the federal government.

[John_Mace]

@Ravenman

But how the heck is one supposed to know these things, like how many people will be saved by the research on disease X vs. Y? I imagine only crackpot scientists could promise that approving their grant request will save a calculable number of lives. It’s like saying, if I had $1 to spend, I’d rather spend it on a winning lottery ticket than a king-size Snickers bar. How am I to know whether the lottery ticket is a winner unless I buy it? While I don’t disagree with your idea, I just don’t see how it sheds any light on the subject.

With rare genetic diseases we have a pretty good estimate of how many people are affected. The problem is not so much about knowing X or Y but knowing how much you need to spend to eliminate X or Y. You might spend $2B trying to eliminate X and not get anywhere.