Government forecasts may have underestimated life expectancy by inadvertently leaving out the effect of advances in biomedical techology that delay the onset of disease or slow the aging process. Results from the study indicate that in 2050, the rise in life expectancy at birth for men and women combined may be closer to 7.9 years, not 3.1 as currently forecasted by the U.S. Social Security Administration and U.S. Census Bureau.