Medical Care Costs Pay Off With Longer Life
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that medical expenditures provide reasonable value as measured by increased life expectancy. The study was funded by the National Insitute on Aging. Between 1960 and 2000, life expectancy increased by seven years.
“The growing numbers of older Americans is a story that we can be proud of, and medical expenditures have played an increasingly important role in this success,” says Richard M. Suzman, Ph.D., Director of the Behavioral and Social Research Program at the NIA. Further, Suzman points out, “If the study had been able to factor in the improved functioning and quality of life of older people, the value of such medical spending would have looked even better, especially for the older population.”
