AGE AS A BASIS FOR HEALTH-CARE RATIONING - ARGUMENTS AGAINST AGISM

Age alone is a poor marker of disability. Decision making in medicine should be based on potential benefit to the individual. Most healthcar e expenditure on the elderly is for routine care, which few could argu e should be denied because of age. Healthcare reforms that encourage f unctional independence and community based care of the elderly are mor e likely to lead to cost savings than simple rationing according to ag e. Treatment options previously thought futile in the elderly, particu larly surgical interventions and drug therapy for cardiovascular disea se, have been shown to be effective in terms of improved health and co st benefit. Thus, discrimination on the basis of age (agism) is not on ly ethically unacceptable in a society embracing principles of justice and equity, but also unsupportable on scientific and/or economic anal ysis.