Because the population is growing, do you worry about people living too long in more pain and increasing their health

Question: Because the population is growing, do you worry about people living too long in more pain and increasing their health care costs and need for new drugs?
- Keywords:
  age,
  health,
  lifespan,
  opinion,
  pain,
  population,
  society
Asked by Eleanor Avon to Sarah, David on 15 Nov 2014.
- David Foley answered on 15 Nov 2014:
  
  Yes it is a concern but what can we do about it. Short of draconian measures on birth control or lifespan (like in Logan’s Run) all we can do is to continue to develop new and improved drugs.
- Sarah Ashwood answered on 20 Nov 2014:
  
  It is a concern. Especially if prolonging life is prolonging pain. One think we aren’t going to develop a cut for is agony – we can minimise the signs of it but our body’s do have an “expiry date” and we will eventually all get old and pass away. The best situation would be minimise the pain of the ageing process – and that is achieved through preventing disease and illness.
  In terms of the increased cost of healthcare – there isn’t much we can do about that. It is in our nature to prolong life for as long as possible and we are going to keep striving for advances to do this.

Question: Because the population is growing, do you worry about people living too long in more pain and increasing their health care costs and need for new drugs?