Aging Population Can the U.S
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Res earc her Published by CQ Press, a Division of SAGE CQ www.cqresearcher.com Aging Population Can the U.S. support its growing ranks of elderly? he oldest of the 78 million Americans born during the post-World War II baby boom generation are turning 65 this year, while the share of the popula - T tion older than 85 is growing even faster. The flood of elderly Americans is putting severe financial stress on programs that benefit older citizens. The number of people covered under Medicare will increase by more than 30 million over the next 20 years. So far, congressional proposals for constraining Medicare spending have encountered stiff resistance. But economists say the country’s deficits will become unmanageable if entitlement programs A hospice patient in Lakewood, Colo., releases a dove as part of an animal therapy program designed to aren’t scaled back. The United States is not aging as rapidly as increase happiness for terminally ill residents. The growing number of aging and elderly Americans is other developed countries and will continue to have a growing putting programs for the elderly under financial stress. population of working-age people. But as longevity and spending I on health care increase, many seniors will outlive their retirement N THIS REPORT savings. S THE ISSUES ....................579 I BACKGROUND ................586 D CHRONOLOGY ................587 E CURRENT SITUATION ........591 CQ Researcher • July 15, 2011 • www.cqresearcher.com AT ISSUE ........................593 Volume 21, Number 25 • Pages 577-600 OUTLOOK ......................594 RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY ................597 EXCELLENCE N AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD THE NEXT STEP ..............598 AGING POPULATION CQ Re search er July 15, 2011 THE ISSUES SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS Volume 21, Number 25 • Should Americans work More Americans Expect to MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas J. Billitteri [email protected] 579 longer? 580 Delay Retirement • Will health care for the One-fifth of workers expect to ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR: Kathy Koch elderly bankrupt the U.S.? retire later than planned. [email protected] • Will the young and old CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Thomas J. Colin fight over resources? 581 Workers Gloomy About [email protected] Retirement Prospects ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kenneth Jost BACKGROUND One-fourth lack confidence in a secure retirement. STAFF WRITERS: Marcia Clemmitt, Peter Katel Living Longer CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sarah Glazer, 586 One-fourth of Americans 582 Cities Struggle to Meet Alan Greenblatt, Barbara Mantel, Tom Price, may be over 65 by 2030. Growing Needs of Elderly Jennifer Weeks Lack of jobs is biggest DESIGN /P RODUCTION EDITOR: Olu B. Davis obstacle. ‘Fertility Splurge’ ASSISTANT EDITOR: Darrell Dela Rosa 586 About 78 million children U.S. Population Growing FACT CHECKER: Michelle Harris were born from 1946-1964. 584 Grayer A record 40 million Americans INTERNS : Daniel Bauer, Benjamin Woody The Baby Bust are age 65 or older. 589 Americans had fewer chil - dren after the baby boom. Elderly a Growing Share 585 of Electorate ‘Sandwich’ Generation The proportion of the elec - 590 Ten million adults over 50 torate 65 and older may top care for their parents. 30 percent by 2050. A Division of SAGE Chronology PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: CURRENT SITUATION 587 Key events since 1946. John A. Jenkins DIRECTOR, REFERENCE SOLUTIONS: Financial Insecurity 588 Minority Youths Are Rising Todd Baldwin 591 Most people will rely on Demographic Force Social Security. Some fear disconnect between young blacks, Hispanics and Copyright © 2011 CQ Press, a Division of SAGE. older whites. SAGE reserves all copyright and other rights herein, 591 Automatic Enrollment unless pre vi ous ly spec i fied in writing. No part of this The administration favors At Issue publication may be reproduced electronically or auto matic savings plans. 593 Should the retirement age be otherwise, without prior written permission. Un - raised? au tho rized re pro duc tion or trans mis sion of SAGE copy - Government Cutbacks right ed material is a violation of federal law car ry ing 591 A dozen states have altered civil fines of up to $100,000. workers’ pension plans. FOR FURTHER RESEARCH CQ Press is a registered trademark of Congressional Quarterly Inc. Math and Politics For More Information 592 596 Organizations to contact. CQ Researcher (ISSN 1056-2036) is printed on acid- Union leaders blame legis - free paper. Pub lished weekly, except: (May wk. 4) latures for not adequately Bibliography (July wks. 1, 2) (Aug. wks. 2, 3) (Nov. wk. 4) and funding retirement plans. 597 Selected sources used. (Dec. wks. 4, 5), by CQ Press, a division of SAGE. Annual full-service subscriptions start at $803. For pric - The Next Step ing, call 1-800-834-9020. To purchase a CQ Researcher OUTLOOK 598 Additional articles . report in print or electronic format (PDF), visit www. cqpress.com or call 866-427-7737. Single reports start Political Prospects Citing CQ Researcher at $15. Bulk purchase discounts and electronic-rights 594 “The two parties are kind 599 Sample bibliography formats. licensing are also available. Pe ri od i cals post age paid of locked in cement.” at Wash ing ton, D.C., and ad di tion al mailing of fic es. POST MAST ER: Send ad dress chang es to CQ Re search - er , 2300 N St., N.W., Suite 800, Wash ing ton, DC 20037. Cover: Getty Images/John Moore 578 CQ Researcher Aging Population BY ALAN GREENBLATT niors — which will be much THE ISSUES higher than population growth among young and working- ames Kempthorne is run - age Americans — will lead to ning out of money. “He changes across society, in - J saved, or thought he was cluding pressures on the work - saving, for retirement,” force and federal budget. 4 says his son, Dirk, a former That’s despite the fact that Republican governor of the United States is aging less Idaho. “He thought he rapidly than other developed would be okay, even if he nations, such as Germany, lived to be 90.” Italy, Spain and Japan. By But on the 4th of July, the 2015, the population of senior Kempthorne turned 96. working-age people — typi - “His savings are gone, and cally defined as those be - his only source of income is tween ages 15 and 64 — will Social Security — Social Se - begin to decline throughout curity and a couple of sons,” the developed world, with the Dirk Kempthorne says. United States as the sole major As the proud patriarch of a exception. successful family, James “The demographics are Kempthorne isn’t happy about obviously more favorable having to rely on his children than just about anywhere else g for help. But he’s not alone. n in the rich world,” says o Nearly 10 million adult children W Richard Jackson, who directs x over age 50 in the United States e the Global Aging Initiative at l A provide care or financial help / the Center for Strategic and s 1 e to their aging parents. g International Studies, a think a m Such numbers are only I tank in Washington. “We have y t going to grow. The oldest t an aging population, but at e members of the baby boom G the end of the day, when generation — 78 million Activists on Capitol Hill urge lawmakers on April 15 not the last of the boomers have Americans born between to cut Medicare, the federal government’s health passed on to that great Wood - insurance program for the elderly and disabled. The same 1946 and 1964 — are turn - day, however, the majority-Republican House approved a stock in the sky, we’ll be ing 65 this year. The sheer budget plan that would rein in Medicare costs. Democrats about as old as Japan and number of them means that oppose the plan and intend to use it as a campaign issue Italy are today. And we’ll one will turn 65 every 8 sec - in 2012. Economists say entitlement programs must be have a growing population onds until 2030. 2 scaled back to control the country’s deficit. and not a stagnant or a de - But the population of the clining one.” “old old” — those over age 85 — is “I assume that most people would But the United States has a major growing, proportionately, faster. Ameri - like to live a long, full life, and that’s problem those other countries don’t ca has the largest number of centenar - increasingly possible,” says John Rother, have. Spending on health care is far ians in the world, at 72,000 — a total policy director at AARP, the major ad - greater here than in other developed that has doubled over the past 20 years vocacy group for seniors, formerly countries and will only rise with the and will at least double again by 2020, known as the American Association of aging of the population. 5 according to the Census Bureau. 3 Retired Persons. “Advances in health care “We look as though our problem That’s the result of good news: in - make that more likely for people.” is very affordable, relative to other creased life expectancy that stems Still, Rother acknowledges that a good countries,” says Neil Howe, president from improved medicine and nutrition deal of concern exists about the chal - of LifeCourse Associates, a demo - and a drastic decline over recent lenges posed by the aging population. graphics consulting firm in Great Falls, decades in infant mortality. The rapid growth in the number of se - Va., and author of several books about www.cqresearcher.com July 15, 2011 579 AGING POPULATION trist think tank in Washington, Amer - More Americans Expect to Delay Retirement icans are healthier than 30 years ago. One-fifth of American workers say they expect to retire later than But there’s been an increase since the planned — a lower percentage than in 2009 and 2010, but higher late 1990s in the number of Ameri - cans in their late 40s or 50s who are than when the economy was stronger in 2002.