Is Living Longer Worth the Cost?

Everyone wants to live longer, but can everyone afford to? Is living longer worth higher medical costs? Increased medical spending has resulted in increased life expectancy, according to a recent study reported by Lee Bowman for the Scripps Howard News Service.

Life expectancy in the U.S. has increased nearly 7 years since 1960 to 76.8 years in 2000. That was the starting point for a study by David Cutler, a professor of applied economics at Harvard University, and Dr. Sandeep Vijan of the University of Michigan Health System. "After adjusting for nonmedical factors in longevity such as reduced smoking rates and declines in the homicide rate, the researchers estimated that 50% of the increase in life expectancy can be attributed to medical care," Bowman reports. Improved treatment for heart attacks and cardiovascular disease and better medical care for newborns accounted for most of the health care gains.

"Plotting those added years against the rates of health spending during the same period, the researchers found that each extra year of life has cost about $19,900," writes Bowman. As defined by insurance companies, a year of life is valued at $50,000 to $200,000.

The trade-off has not been that favorable for those over 65, the study found. Longevity for older Americans has increased only 3.5 years since 1980 at a cost per year of $121,000 (1980-1990) to $145,000 (1990-2000), well beyond the means of most Americans. However, the researchers believe the increased medical costs have resulted in a better quality of life for the elderly.

Unfortunately not everyone can afford to extend their life at such extravagant cost. Much of the increased cost of conventional medicine comes from expensive tests, many unnecessary, exorbitant lab bills, and costly medicines. Skyrocketing medical costs are of daily concern to the elderly, many of whom must subsist on fixed incomes.

Alternative medicine offers many other, less costly choices, according to Dr. Burton Goldberg, a long-standing authority in the field. Dr. Goldberg, often referred to as the Voice of Alternative Medicine, has authored 18 widely-acclaimed books on alternative treatments for today's most serious medical challenges. In his books he has tackled cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, weight loss, AIDS, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis, headaches, sleep disorders, allergies and longevity. Thorough explanations of causes, symptoms, current research, interviews with national experts, and discussion of cutting edge treatments in both alternative and conventional medicine define each of his books and his two ground-breaking video documentaries, Cancer Conquest and Curing Depression (click the link for a free preview).

Visit Dr. Goldberg's website today for more information on alternative medical treatments that can make a difference in your life. Everyone wants to live longer. With the help of alternative medicine, everyone can afford to.