Despite predictions by economists, policy makers and strategists that Baby Boomers will overwhelm the health care system, a few optimistic voices say Boomers can and will seize the opportunity to refigure, reframe and refocus health care. Healthwise, a Boise-based health information technology not-for-profit, says that the sky may not be falling for this generation, even though the numbers undeniably point toward a crisis.
• By 2030, every fifth person will be 65+. And of the 78 million Boomers, 72 million will survive to see their 65th birthday. They’ll be creaky with arthritis, overweight, one in four will have diabetes, and 6 out of 10 will have more than one chronic healthcare condition.
• At the moment, U.S. health care costs soak up over 16% of the GDP. An aging population will add further strain – today, older adults incur three to five times the medical costs of someone under 65.
• As people live longer, their need for assisted living, skilled nursing, Alzheimer’s care, hospice and palliative care will grow. But we are in trouble: current shortages of primary care doctors and nurses will get worse. Fewer people are entering the healthcare professions and when demand exceeds supply, a concomitant crisis in quality can be expected.
The future we’re told to expect seems inevitable, and while the sheer volume of aging Boomers will transform healthcare, it does not have to be a negative transformation. Consider that America’s Baby Boomers have enormous influence. They have defined, continue to define, American culture in many ways: from popular culture to civil rights to religion and politics. Now they are transforming what it means to grow older.
• As the wealthiest consumer group in the US, they can afford to drive innovations in health care.
• As the best educated generation in history (57% have been to college), they have higher reading levels, higher-skill employment, and a better sense of how to find and use information to make decisions.
• They have computer experience. In 2004, 76% of Americans age 50-58 were using a computer at work, school, home or somewhere else. They may not be as tech savvy as their children, but they are experienced in using online information to make purchasing decisions, and that includes medical decision making.
• And in coping with the late-life frailties and deaths of their parents, Boomers are getting a hands-on education about the shortcomings of the current U.S. health care system: its uncoordinated, episodic care; its tendencies toward error; its calcified record-keeping; and its incomplete and contradictory messages about what course of treatment to pursue. Boomers are saying, “I do not want this for Mom – or for me.”
How does Healthwise say the Boomers can prepare themselves? Find out in part two of this series to run shortly.
Lauren Letellier
Comments (1)
I definitely think boomers are determined enough to keep their youthful persona by focusing on health alternatives. They may not have the most effective coping skills, but they have the desire to change their lives. As a licensed mental health counselor, I see baby boomers all the time seeking answers to how they can improve and enhance their lives. Getting old is not an option. More information can be found at www.bummedoutboomer.com
Posted by Amy Sherman | May 21, 2008 11:20 AM
Posted on May 21, 2008 11:20