An author predicts that we will all live to be 100.
I know, it sounds like a weird futuristic prediction, but author Sonia Arrison says that with help from the healthcare industry, we can all live to be 100 years old or more. To some, it might sound too good to be true, although I think that it could be exhausting.
In her new book, 100 Plus, she says that technology and healthcare will be working together to help people live longer lives. She theorizes that since scientists have mapped the human genome, they can reverse engineer it to allow medical professionals to repair damage and replace diseased or ageing organs.
It's an incredible idea, but I can't help but wonder what the impact of that type of longevity will be. Will we be forced to cope with an even larger population boom? Right now, as new people are born, older people die. It's the circle of life and increased life-spans will certainly delay the process. Already, our planet is struggling with overpopulation and some countries have even placed strict limits on reproduction. Will that become commonplace?
Another issue, at least to my mind, is healthcare costs. If it becomes possible for medical professionals to just grow a new heart using stem cells and replace a diseased one, what will the cost be? Will the life saving and life span extending procedures become something that only the rich will be able to afford? Will there be a black market for organs? Even worse, will there be greedy corporations who will offer financing for these organs?
If we had the potential to live over a century, what effect would that have on health insurance? Would we be able to have open-ended coverage? It seems to me that providing insurance that would cover all of these types of transplants and repairs would be expensive, not to mention the effects that so many surgeries would have on our bodies.
Although the idea of living past 100, with the help of science and technology is still a little far-fetched, it raises many concerns that we all should think about. Even though these futuristic medical treatments might be able to fight disease and aging, they won't be able to prevent accidental deaths.
It's interesting to think about the possibilities, but I don't think that this sort of technology is something we are likely to see in our lifetimes.
What do you think about this futuristic notion? Do you think it's possible? Let me know in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog and Beyond.com.. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment