Hmmm...what does it cost to live another year longer? What it's value to me?

BOSTON - Despite exploding costs, most Americans got sizable life-extending bang for their medical bucks over recent decades, says one of the most sweeping studies ever of health-care value. That might come as a surprise to anyone who has ever shuddered over a medical bill, and the report itself raises doubts over how quickly costs have escalated.However, the study calculated that Americans of all ages spent an average of $19,900 on medical care for each extra year of life expectancy gained over the last four decades of the 20th century. And that cost is worth it, the study authors say."On average, the return is very high," concludes study leader David Cutler, a Harvard University health economist. "But it's getting worse for ... in particular, the elderly."... (more)

Americans may get medical money's worth - Yahoo! News