OBJECTIVES: The conventional ICER (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio), which quantifies how many dollars are spent per QALY (quality-adjusted life year) gained from a specific health technology, has been criticized as unfair to the aged and/or physically challenged.  METHODS: By taking the position that every life is equally important and every citizen is entitled to access health care services for the entire duration of his/her life expectancy, we replace the denominator of the conventional ICER, with the proportion of life, which is the quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) gained from the specific health technology divided by the QALE of the corresponding age- and gender-matched general population. The numerator is converted to the additional monetary cost spent over a lifetime after adjustment for annual discount rate. The new indicator quantifies how many dollars are spent to save the life of a person with a specific illness, and how much can be saved by preventing the occurrence of that illness.RESULTS: We have applied the estimation method to compare patients with liver cancer; breast cancer, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, maintenance hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, and prolonged mechanical ventilation.  CONCLUSIONS: Because the proposed indicator accounts for a fair opportunity for the aged and disabled more than the conventional ICER does, we recommend that this indicator be applied in future deliberations of health care resource allocation.