4 ms·

The real problems start not when "end of life" becomes very expensive (which it has) but when technology advances to the point where it is possible to keep some

The real problems start not when "end of life" becomes very expensive (which it has) but when technology advances to the point where it is possible to keep someone alive indefinitely but at geometrically increasing costs. We've set it up so that everyone will feel entitled to that one extra week, no matter what the cost.

houseabsolute 17y ago
I doubt that costs can increase geometrically for any significant period of time. The technological ramp would have to be enormous. Unless your belief is that current technologies will remain at their current prices and new technologies will be built at exclusively higher prices.
- noonespecial 17y ago
  Its not about any particular technology, per se. It was cheap to die in 1600 no matter what killed you simply because there was very little that could be done. Each year we add more and more expensive interventions from ECMO machines to artificial hearts. Put this together with the "if it can be done, it should be done, damn the cost" attitude we've trained ourselves to expect and we could find ourselves in for a severe reality check. Medical technology seems strangely resistant to Moore's law (witness the price of a CT scan over time), but even if it weren't, the improvements in individual areas might not be enough to offset the growth of intervention technology in general.
pw0ncakes 17y ago
That's unlikely to happen. If nanotech and anti-aging succeed, they'll push back the costs. If they don't, there's going to be a lot of scaling back on things that don't work or aren't proven.
- orangecat 17y ago
  If nanotech and anti-aging succeed, they'll push back the costs. Yes, anti-aging is the best possible research we could be funding. Unfortunately most people shut down when it's brought up, because thinking about your own decline and death isn't pleasant. If they don't, there's going to be a lot of scaling back on things that don't work or aren't proven. How will the "scaling back" be accomplished? Governments can and should stop paying large amounts for treatments that don't do much, but unless private services are banned, lots people will spend whatever they have to try to keep themselves or their loved ones alive.

houseabsolute 17y ago

I doubt that costs can increase geometrically for any significant period of time. The technological ramp would have to be enormous. Unless your belief is that current technologies will remain at their current prices and new technologies will be built at exclusively higher prices.

noonespecial 17y ago
Its not about any particular technology, per se. It was cheap to die in 1600 no matter what killed you simply because there was very little that could be done. Each year we add more and more expensive interventions from ECMO machines to artificial hearts. Put this together with the "if it can be done, it should be done, damn the cost" attitude we've trained ourselves to expect and we could find ourselves in for a severe reality check. Medical technology seems strangely resistant to Moore's law (witness the price of a CT scan over time), but even if it weren't, the improvements in individual areas might not be enough to offset the growth of intervention technology in general.

pw0ncakes 17y ago

That's unlikely to happen. If nanotech and anti-aging succeed, they'll push back the costs. If they don't, there's going to be a lot of scaling back on things that don't work or aren't proven.

orangecat 17y ago
If nanotech and anti-aging succeed, they'll push back the costs. Yes, anti-aging is the best possible research we could be funding. Unfortunately most people shut down when it's brought up, because thinking about your own decline and death isn't pleasant. If they don't, there's going to be a lot of scaling back on things that don't work or aren't proven. How will the "scaling back" be accomplished? Governments can and should stop paying large amounts for treatments that don't do much, but unless private services are banned, lots people will spend whatever they have to try to keep themselves or their loved ones alive.