[Aurornis]

I disagree. This is a rare case where “trickle down” actually would work: If the ultra rich want to pay their way to discovering longevity improvements, it won’t be long before companies everywhere are competing to bring those same discoveries to the masses at ever-lower prices.

If ultra rich want to fund longevity research with their money then bring it on. Their personal spending on research doesn’t subtract from other issues like healthcare policy.

There was a time when things like refrigeration, televisions, and mobile phones were only for the extremely wealthy, too. Imagine if we had halted research on those because we didn’t think it was fair for only rich people to have those things.

[topaz0]

Have you looked at the current healthcare market, where even the cheapest and most proven drugs are exorbitantly expensive? This is a laughable pipe dream in this society (read, the society that protects the profits of the ultrarich over the health of average citizens).

[Aurornis]

> where even the cheapest and most proven drugs are exorbitantly expensive?

New, on-patent drugs are expensive.

Most proven, older drugs are actually pretty cheap.

The most commonly prescribed drugs in America like atorvastatin, lisinopril, and levothyroxine are all less than $10 without insurance at your local Walmart or Walgreens.

A lot of people are shocked to learn that most SSRIs and common (unscheduled) psych meds can be had for as little as $4/month cash pay at Walmart. Even insulin (excluding newest patented analogs) is $25/vial cash pay at Walmart. They’re starting to introduce cheap analogs, too, as patents run out.

And that’s my point: All of these medications were once extremely expensive, and now they’re cheap. Being expensive at launch doesn’t mean expensive forever.

[orangecat]

Ok, let's assume we are and always will be in a capitalist hellscape where the only thing that matters is what rich people want. Even in that case, if effective longevity treatments are discovered, they'll still be made widely available because it would be hugely profitable. Obviously the sellers of the treatments would make a fortune, also insurance companies would benefit from reduced medical expenses and corporations would benefit from employees getting chronic diseases less often.