Anisha Bharati
Applied Gerontology
Short essay
“The Gray Lobby has a stranglehold on aging policy in the United States”
The gray lobby is the collection of aging interest groups nationally along with parallel organization in state level. It advocates for the welfare of the older adults (Moody, 8th Ed.) The population ageing process all over the world is a well-acknowledged fact. America has not been the exception from this widespread phenomenon. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics life expectancy in the USA rose in 2012 to 78.8 years. That was an increase of 0.1 year from 2011 when it was 78.7 years. According to United State Census Bureau, people who aged 65 and above account for 14.1% of the total population, which is about 44.7 million.
The increase in older numbers has increases the political and social influence in the hands of older adults like never before. Now-a-days people are living 30 to 40 years longer than they did a century ago. Todays’ older adults are more educated,
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There is a risk of Medicare and Medicaid program failing in coming future. In coming few decades there is fear of that the fund of this social security will dry up. There are many changes taking place to help Medicare and Medicaid program to sustain longer. In 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act to support Medicaid and Medicare. This policy was supported by the grab lobby as it provides affordability, access and quality for older Americans. The law’s new protections include strengthening Medicare, offering a range of preventive services at no cost, and giving discounts on drugs when in the coverage gap in prescription drug coverage (HHS.gov, 2015). It also includes private health insurance which will help to decrease the out-of pocket payment and decrease the Medicate and Medicare
It keeps insurance companies honest by setting clear rules that rein in the worst insurance industry abuses. And it bans insurance companies from denying insurance coverage because of a person’s pre-existing medical conditions while giving consumers new power to appeal insurance company decisions that deny doctor ordered treatments covered by insurance.” (www.hhs.gov,
Takamura, J.C. (1999). Getting ready for the 21st Century: The aging of America and the older
Jacobsen, L. A., Kent, M., Lee, M., & Mather, M. (2001). America's aging population. Population Bulletin, 66(1).
Medicare is a social policy many of our seniors look to for their stability when they reach 65
An aging population is indeed a problem for the society and will possibly cause many social and economic difficulties in the future. According to David Foot (2003), professor of Economics at University of Toronto, an effective birth rate of 2.2% against current 1.75% will be necessary to replace the current work force in the near future and the government’s policy of bringing in more immigrants will eventually fail (Foot, 2003, 2). However some people predict that the increased size of an aging population will drive growth in the home, health care, and many other industries resulting in job creation and economic growth (Marketwire, 2013, 1). Majority of the people are of the opinion that the issue will be mainly in the health care and economic activity. As humans age, they start to develop health problems, leading to more visits to a medical clinic putting extra burden on health care system.
Hiller, S. M., & Barrow, G. M. (2011). Aging, the individual, and society. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Hooyman, N., & Kiyak, H. A. (2011). Social gerontology: A multidisciplinary perspective (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (Original work published 2005)
In today’s society, what was once said to be true and taken as fact regarding older people is no longer the whole story. As Laslett states, “At all times before the middle of the twentieth century and all over the globe the greater part of human life potential has been wasted, by people dying before their allotted time was up.” (1989a), and to a great extent a lot
“Medicare and the New Health Care Law — What it Means for You.” (2010). Medicare Publications, http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11467.pdf
Coming of Age in Aging America Reflection Here in the United States we are having a huge change in our society; this is looking to be a permanent shift that will transform the landscape of our society. Our generations are becoming increasingly older with a decreasing younger population. Over the course of time our age populations are changing from the younger groups being the largest to the older groups are growing larger. The American society has been faced with some challenges caused by the demographic changes that have arose due to the population growing older.
Nowadays, people are living longer and more fruitful lives. In today’s day-and-age, living to ripe old age of eighty and beyond is no longer a wishful thought. However, as positive as longevity may sound, it does raise some issues regarding Social Security and Medicare.
As American society has evolved in the past 100 years and technology has increased and improved, so has the life expectancy for individuals. Currently, females can expect to live for 81 years on average, while males can expect to live for 75 years, giving an average life expectancy of 78.3 years (Santrock, 2013, p.536). According to Santrock (2013), “since 1900, improvements in medicine, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle have increased our life expectancy an average of 30 additional years,” but another important factor is the decreasing infant mortality, allowing a larger population of people, including older adults (p.536). Making good choices in diet, regular exercise, avoiding drugs and alcohol, along with getting enough sleep and maintaining a low and healthy stress level can all increase life expectancy. Relationships, emotional well-being, and having purpose all also play an important role in determining how long an individual will live. As people are living longer, more ...
It is clear that baby boom generation is getting older and older, and with the arrival of this situation, American population is trying to re-conceptualize the idea of aging and old age. With this new emphasis on aging, programs have been promoting activities such as social involvement, group membership, and community involvement. Their goals are to encourage older adults to think positively and to promote civic awareness and civic responsibility. And, of course, this optimism may introduce many other problems.
...care in 2050. While it has been suggested that Medicare funding will run out by 2030, if projected reductions in spending hold true and continue, this system may remain solvent in 2050 (Peralta, 2014).
Technology in terms of medicine has also increased the life expectancy of the average person. With new technological advancements in surgeries, medicines and treatments the average life expectancy is still on the increase. A recent study shows that the average life span for 2004 of a United States Citizen is 77.4 years old. This has increased significantly from 1900 where the average lifespan for a male was 48.2 and for the female 51.5. Thanks to technology we can now live longer.