Aging Population And Epidemiology

Life expectancy has increased over the last century. With this greater survival rate, there needs to be an increase in the rate of spending for Medicare. Despite what one does to improve their health behavior, the need for medical care cultivates as one ages. This need will continue to increase significantly as medicine continues to modernize.

Therefore, there is a direct correlation between healthcare costs and age. The older the person is, the more likely that they will need medical care. The elderly are more susceptible in suffering chronic conditions that require treatment for years, accidents are more common, and often requiring complicated treatment. As a consequence of the high healthcare costs for older Americans, private insurers prior to 1965 either did not offer health insurance to the elderly, or charged such high premiums that insurance was not affordable. Medicare was created to solve a human welfare crisis that threatened to untangle the social and economic fabric of the nation. Older Americans have benefited by the reduction of risk for large out-of-pocket medical expenditures and these costs have been reduced about 40% for the elderly, who had previously spent the most. The value of peace of mind for elderly Americans is immeasurable.

Medicare has changed the healthcare industry considerably and is one of the largest health programs in the world. With its spending of $260 billion a year, it only accounts for 17% of health expenditures. Even though Medicare has led to better care there is also the need for continuous re-evaluation. Since its introduction in July 1965, and with a ten-year study, the impact on elderly mortality was tremendous. When first signed into law, it only included hospital care and doctor services. Even though our elderly were finally getting the insurance they needed, they still had to pay for their medications in full which contradicted with the care they required.

More and more people with medical insurance are relying on the health care system as new technologies and treatments become available. This leads to a grater number of claims for payment by insurance companies, the costs of which are passed back to health care consumers. The baby-boom generation is entering its peak health-care using period. Over eighty million Americans will turn 50 in the next 10 years. The cost of providing heath care for these individuals will be staggering

Yet of perhaps greatest importance to the American healthcare system and industry is the demographical information of this older population in terms of its particular characteristics and disposition. More specifically, healthcare professionals and policy analysts must understand the aging populations’ economic and living situations, and their overall health status (Jacobsen, Kent, Lee & Mather, 2011). Economic factors are key as they directly pertain to the likelihood of reliance on publically-funded healthcare programs, while “the marital status and living arrangements of the elderly are closely tied to levels of social support, economic well-being, and the availability of caregivers” (Jacobsen et al., 2011, p. 4). The importance of this population’s general health status is, of course, self-explanatory.

The cost of medical care continues to increase, and for retired individuals on limited budgets the cost of medical care, especially prescription cost, can be staggering. I interviewed my hospital’s case manager, Nelda Peacock, to discuss the issues and concerns with this population, specifically in regards to medication costs. In addition, we explored resources and assistance available to the elderly.

I was intrigued by the amount of pill bottles that one patient had in his kitchen cupboard which made me reflect on the cost of health care produced by the older adult. I began to research the cost of living longer and found that as of 2011, 24 percent of the Medicare population were over the age of 80. I also found that Medicare spending for those above the age of 85 averages around $14,745 (Neuman, Cubanski, Huaung, & Damico, 2015). So I ended up learning that the older

The efforts to improve quality of health care and outcome while bending the curve of health care must be a top national priority. Despite of progressing in reforming the health care market, still not very promising for America’s older adults or population as whole. While more than 90% population is currently insured, cost of Medicare and Medicaid will exhaust large shares of the US economy and federal budget in the next years ahead. Analyses of the employment market and the non-group market has confirmed the rising of premiums and deductibles. With that in mind, it is likely that the America population will encounter with higher rates of illness, disability and early mortality.

Life expectancy has increased dramatically in the last century due primarily to the control of infectious diseases, especially in the younger cohorts and the improvement of medical care and nutrition. This has, however, resulted in a large percentage of the older population suffering chronic diseases.

Statistically, the majority of older adults require continual health care for at least one chronic condition, half of this group for multiple chronic conditions, and more than half are managing multiple prescription medications. In older adult groups without chronic illness, there is still a high demand for health care access for “acute conditions as well as for extensive preventative care services recommended by evidence-based guidelines, such as medical screenings and vaccinations” (Thorpe et al., 2011, p. 2). Education from research is necessary to address the efficacy of health care delivery within the communities nationwide, and to mitigate the disparities within a flawed system. “As this vulnerable population is expected to double by the year 2030, efforts to identify and eliminate disparities in access for older adults are among the most pressing health care issues for the 21st century” (Thorpe et al., 2011, p. 2). Ultimately, through exploration of predictive risk factors in the older adult population, along with implementation of various approaches for intervention and policy, health care accessibility for this vulnerable population can be greatly improved.

There have been trends relating to the aging population that is affecting our healthcare system. With new advances in medical technology and treatment, people are living longer with what once used to be a terminal illness, now today these illnesses are treatable as chronic conditions (American Hospital Association, May 2007). As a result, as the baby boomers age, there will be more demand for healthcare services due to them living longer with chronic treatable conditions (American Hospital Association, May 2007). To meet the aging population demand for healthcare services, more medical professionals will be needed to be hired to provide medical care for them. Also, the aging population is becoming more ethnically diverse, there will require

The population trends of aging citizens and income levels are the most important aspects to consider in the planning, financing and delivery of healthcare. The United States is experiencing a shift in the population break up, as the number of individuals over the age of 65 increases (Garza, 2016). This population group can affect many components of the U.S. healthcare system. Income will be another population trend that will aid in the direction of healthcare (Leonard, 2015). In order to adequately plan for the future of the U.S. healthcare system, the trends of the aging population and lower income levels must be considered.

In 2016 it was 46 million people over the age of 65 but it will soon be 98 million people. People of age to retire are still working in there every day lives. In 2014 23% of men and 15% of women are over the age of 65 and still working. Today’s middle class elders especially work because if they don't they can’t afford there house payment and medical bills. Working might just make them even more sick, but they have to work. Medicaid is an option to when people can’t afford there medical bills. This is an option that a lot of Americans take advantage of. There is multiple ways that a person can get medical help at this age, but the fact is that can you afford it and how much can your insurance

As the population ages, many diseases including, viral, autoimmune and even cancer will become more prevalent. It is expected that, there will be a surge in older diseased patients, which will challenge both healthcare institutions and healthcare professionals. Moreover, many conditions that affect the elderly will occur in combination, thereby complicating care for any specific condition (Falsey et al. 2005, Galloway et al. 2011, Berger et al.

One’s socioeconomic and educational level is an important factor in the longevity of this aging population’s existence. Greene County is a relatively poor community with only 11.3% of individuals holding a B.A. or higher degree of education (Stats, 2014). The ability for self-pay or likelihood of one in this age group having private health insurance is decreased. Therefore, the financial burden for this age group falls back on government agencies in the form of Medicare for qualifying older adult or the older adult fails to seek medical attention due to the lack of funding. People 65 and older make nearly twice as many physician office visits per year than adults 45 to 65. However, an estimated two-thirds of older people are unable to understand the information given to them about their prescription medications. (AMA, 2014) According to the CDC, “by 2030, 71.5 million adults aged 65 years of age or older will be living in the United States”. This shift in demographic data stresses how important it is to improve the access of healthcare and health communication in order to improve the health of the older adults (CDC, 2014).