Dollar Value of a Life

3,527 Views | 42 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by commando2004
Post removed:
by user
94chem
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I think both objectives require the same thing, and your premise is wrong. IOW, we will fare WAY better economically if we do what we're told right now. Shocking that so many educated people can't see this.
Post removed:
by user
swimmerbabe11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
I literally got in an argument about this with my mom where I said that if all this keeps my parents from dying for something they don't need to, then I'm cool with how poor I'm going to be for the next however long its going to take because I'm affected by this too.

And she immediately respond "Well I'm not! It's not worth my life if tons of people are bankrupted!"

So I didn't know how to respond.
Zobel
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Median weekly income is $865 in the US. What's the net present value of a ~60 year $865 weekly income stream?
94chem
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Simulations

Please look at these simulations. If people will obey the civil authorities, not only can the spread be slowed, but the total number of infections can be reduced. This means a sooner return to regular business, less economic strain, and perhaps a vaccine. Strong measures right now are actually the best thing for the long term economy, but the public has to participate.

Fixed - sorry about the Rick Roll
Post removed:
by user
swimmerbabe11
How long do you want to ignore this user?
wierdest rick roll ever
Woody2006
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Present value of future expected income is how insurance companies do it.
Post removed:
by user
ramblin_ag02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Epidemiologists and public health usually use "quality adjusted life years" as an indicator. Each one counts as a year of good health and is typically valued 50-150k
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
Zobel
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
You're a doc aren't you? I even though maybe ER? How are things? You doing ok?
Duncan Idaho
How long do you want to ignore this user?
If you are being honest we all do a fairly complex internal algorithm to calculate what we think a live is worth.

Depends on who is dying, how they are dying and who/why they are dying

For most people, a person I don't know of a different religion and culture, dying from heart disease probably wouldn't be worth a cent to most people.

Someone you love dying from heart desease would probably be worth a lot.

Someone that looks and sounds like you having a chance of dying because someone that doesn't look like you might do something.....the wealth of nations
Post removed:
by user
ramblin_ag02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Rural family medicine so a little bit of everything, but I don't work ER as much as I used to. No cases in our county or the surrounding counties yet. We're all just waiting for the next shoe to drop
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
ramblin_ag02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I'm sure there have been, but I can't think of any specific papers I've read recently. Here's a few I found

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/14/2/07-0478-t1

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3047534/

The first talks about costs per QALY in a flu pandemic. The second estimates 28,000 QALY lost due to H1N1 a decade ago. That works out to 1.4 to 4.2 billion dollars
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
94chem
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Fixed the link above. No clue what happened.
Zobel
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Stay safe my friend. Prayers assured.
ramblin_ag02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Not turning them down, but small town Texas skews old, smoking, and diabetic. So if you're going to pray for anyone they need it more than me
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
Ol_Ag_02
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
I think where it gets murky is when we destroy the economy how many people lose jobs, end up on the streets, have nothing to eat, etc....

Unfortunately it's not so simple as saying locking everything down is worth saving a few lives. You have to look at the back end damage too.

Regardless, there are no easy answers to this.
Zobel
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf

Read this. I think it's clear this is what we're doing.

At this time it appears we're doing a mix of what's in there, but since Pres trump said back to normal by August that to me says mitigation. That's the middle way.
Ulrich
How long do you want to ignore this user?
It's not as simple as death on one side and nice clean dollars on the other.


Suicide, drug use/overdose, homelessness, disease, and poverty in America increase when the economy does worse. A significant number of the dead would have died from other infections or underlying conditions relatively soon, and that has considerations when this is reduced to a math problem.

From a human/philosophical standpoint (as opposed to an American policymakers standpoint), reduced economic activity in the US means increased poverty in parts of the world where poverty means starvation (death but also lifelong health problems and reduced IQ in affected children), susceptibility to tropical disease, and increased violence and war.
Aggrad08
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
We put a price on human life and well being every day and risk it accordingly. Whether it's going to war, or putting your kid in the back seat of a car. Do you have the safest car money can buy? Or do you avoid roads altogether? You just put a cost value on your life and safety.



Zobel
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
Yup, I love the video when Milton Friedman talks about that with regard to the pinto. People who bought a pinto knew it wasn't the safest car. Freedom let's us put our own price on our own life.
cavscout96
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
yet we still have seat belt and helmet laws....
cavscout96
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
And some places have laws about how much Coke (cola) one can buy in a single serving.
Post removed:
by user
Post removed:
by user
Post removed:
by user
Zobel
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
People want to unring the bell and think the do-nothing option looks like December economically. I don't know what the final death toll will be and I hope it's low. But a Bergamo situation in NYC would absolutely cause a panic here.
TexasAggie81
How long do you want to ignore this user?
The value of a life in America. $350-$950. That's the cost of an abortion in America. Sad face.
PigInABlanket
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
What's the value of lives lost in an economic depression due to suicide, overdoses, abuse, poverty, homelessness, etc.?
PacifistAg
How long do you want to ignore this user?
AG
PigInABlanket said:

What's the value of lives lost in an economic depression due to suicide, overdoses, abuse, poverty, homelessness, etc.?

Do you use the same rationale for poor women who choose abortion due to extreme financial hardships? Sure it's not a perfect analogy, but many of the same arguments are used by the pro-choice side.
Page 1 of 2
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.