Lifespan Research Institute: Rejuvenation as an Economic Necessity

Lifespan Research Institute Editor-in-Chief Steve Hill called for early planning to ensure broad access to future rejuvenation therapies

On August 5, Hill published an essay based on a 2021 economic model. The model estimates the monetary value that a healthier and longer life could provide to society if aging were slowed.

In an article by Andrew Scott, Martin Ellison, and David Sinclair, people in the model choose how much to consume, work, and rest based on their expected health and lifespan. The authors use these choices to estimate willingness to pay for better health and longer life, which represents the monetary value of these improvements. They then combine the estimates for people of different ages and for future generations. The model uses the age structure and fertility rate of the US population in 2017.

When aging is slowed in the model, health and life expectancy improve at the same time. In a scenario where this slowing adds one year to life expectancy, the total willingness to pay among current and future generations was $37.6 trillion.

The authors state the condition underlying this estimate directly:

“The scale of the potential value calculated by our models points to one conclusion: realizing the full value of these social benefits requires broad access.”

In a June report by the World Economic Forum, the authors assess measures that are already available: fall prevention in homes, physical activity, and hearing aids. Across 21 countries, these three measures could save healthcare systems more than $5.8 trillion by 2040 and generate a further $645 billion in productivity gains.

In his essay, Hill argues that the price, production, and distribution of future rejuvenation therapies should be considered alongside their development. The number of people who gain healthier and longer lives, which the model treats as a source of social value, depends on how widely these therapies are available.