This calculation is obviously much simpler than the very sophisticated modeling used by the many government and academic institutions that struggle mightily to develop coherent and fair policy. Additionally, these numbers are offered in hindsight and are only rough estimates. Still, the result, that the US suffers an economic cost of $90 million per life saved, is quite sobering and merits reflection. It is important to note that policy makers enacted social distancing and lockdowns not only to save lives but also to save America’s fragile healthcare delivery system. The pause in many operations gave hospital systems time to prepare, create, often from thin air, testing systems, and enact critical policy that dictates how COVID‐19 patients are managed while also ensuring patient and healthcare worker safety. Lockdowns also allowed time to research treatment protocols, with some hopeful treatments proving ineffective and even dangerous while ramping up the supply for emerging treatments. Although this lockdown may have helped to save the healthcare system, it is clear that a second lockdown of the economy at a high cost to save a few lives is not a viable option.