Life Expectancy
This article is part of our three part Life Expectancy series:
Questions of mortality
Questions of mortality have a considerable impact on valuations over time. When there is a question as to how long a person will live or how long they would have lived, damage experts need a source to consult. This is generally done in two ways. First, there are expert witness who are specialists in fields that allow them to make an opinion on a particular individuals life expectancy. This kind of opinion is usually reserved for physicians or health care practitioners. We’ll cover these experts in more depth in a future article.
The second method utilized is life expectancy tables. When an expert in life expectancy is not necessary or not available, life expectancy tables are consulted. The term “life expectancy” is used to define the average number of years a person who has attained a given age is expected to live. In the United States, the National Center for Health Statistics summarizes and publishes data from the National Vital Statistics System. The mortality component obtains information on deaths from the registration offices of each of the 50 states, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands.
Death Certificate
Death registration is a state function based in state law, while federal law mandates the collection and publication of statistics based on these death records. State death certificates are modeled on a U.S. Standard Certificate that is revised periodically. Death certificates are completed by physicians, coroners, medical examiners and funeral directors and are filed with state vital statistics offices. Demographic information is provided by the funeral director from statements of friends and family. Medical certification of the cause of death is provided by the physician, medical examiner, or coroner. States process and compile statistical files that are transmitted electronically to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,* National Center for Health Statistics* (CDC, NCHS). Software is used to automate coding of medical information on the death certificate, following *World Health Organization *rules specified in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
National Vital Statistics
Vital statistics mortality data is a fundamental source of demographic, geographic, and cause-of-death information. It provides comparable health-related data for small geographic areas over an extended time period. This information is used to present characteristics of those dying in the United States and to determine life expectancy.
ICD-10
There are around 3 million deaths registered in the United States annually. More than 99% of deaths occurring in the country are believed to be registered. Although deaths are coded under the ICD system, it is revised periodically. Accordingly, comparisons by ICD codes should only be performed within the same revision. The Tenth Revision of the ICD (ICD-10) has been used since 1999. Revisions to the Standard Certificate of Death may also create discontinuities in classification and/or availability of selected data items.
Now that we know the background on how life expectancy tables are created, we’ll take a look at how lawyers apply life tables in practice in our next article.
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