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Article: Life-Expectancy Formulas Overestimate Longevity, Researchers Find.
- Article from:
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Article date:
- September 16, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Michael Woods
Sep. 16--Apparently, we don't live as long as we've thought.
The 150-year-old formulas used to calculate human life expectancy are flawed and overestimate longevity by almost two years, researchers reported yesterday.
The findings, although preliminary, could have broad implications for various financial instruments and government programs, including retirement and pension plans, life insurance, Social Security and Medicare.
Pension payouts and insurance premiums, for instance, are linked to "life tables" that predict the probability that a certain person will still be alive at a given age. Similar calculations ...