I don't think we should keep the elderly alive as long as we do It just doesn't make sense. An individual who is past the average life expectancy most likely has a lower quality of life, requires more money for more medical treatments, and ends up just sucking resources dry for a *long* time. If an individual can keep kicking until 90 and live a full, vibrant life without leaving a giant financial footprint, than more power to 'em... but it pains me to see miserable, barely functional 80-year-old folk in nursing homes who are being kept alive just for the sake of not dying. How many kids or adults could be helped with the money used for end-of-life "maintenance"?