Cost-effective Medical Treatment: Putting an Updated Dollar Value on Human Life - Knowledge@Wharton

A thorny question lies at the heart of meaningful health care reform. How much is human life worth?

Research from Wharton and Stanford based on Medicare kidney dialysis data shows that the average figure -- $129,090 per additional year of quality life -- is higher than prior studies have shown. Perhaps more important, the study also puts a value on the cost-effectiveness of treatment across percentiles of the entire dialysis population in an attempt to develop a benchmark for health care coverage decisions.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1949