<I think it’s clear that the majority of the nation’s health care costs come in the last few years of life - much of it flutily spent >
“futilely” or “fruitlessly” 
(they’re not playing the flute LOL)
Spending in the last year of life accounted for 27.4 percent of all Medicare outlays for the elderly, similar to the 26.9–30.6 percent range in earlier decades.
Medicare starts at age 65. The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 79 years.
If they die anyway, the spending is futile.
Wendy