The Spreadsheet of Life and Death - Cautionary Tales

Cautionary Tales, by Tim Harford, is another fantastic podcast from Malcolm Gladwell’s Pushkin Studios. The episode, The Spreadsheet of Life and Death, covers the historical background of placing an economic value on human life. Although some may find the concept distasteful, these types of calculations are critical in determining how and where limited resources (such as in a national health service) are spent.

The episode covers such topics as micromorts, QALYs (Quality Adjusted Life Years), and WALYs/WELBYs (Well-Being Adjusted Life Years).

Listening to this podcast is a great way to gain insight into payment decisions in a single-payer healthcare system (e.g., the National Health Service of the UK).