What's New with HCFO - 07/20/2005  (Plain Text Version)

Return to Graphical Version

In this issue:
 Hot Topic--Long-Term Care Housing and Service Evolution Addresses “Longevity Revolution”
 Grantee Spotlight--Stephen T. Parente, Ph.D.
 HCFO Issue Brief--Health Savings Accounts as a Tool for Market Change
 HCFO Policy Brief--State Pharmacy Assistance Programs at a Crossroads: How Will They Respond to the Medicare Drug Benefit?
 Focus on Grantee Publication
 Health Policy Orientation: Behind the Scenes of Decision-Making in Washington

Hot Topic--Long-Term Care Housing and Service Evolution Addresses “Longevity Revolution”

There are currently 35 million Americans age 65 or older and 78 million baby boomers will turn 65 in six years. As a result, the over-85 segment of the population—nearly half of whom are nursing home residents—is projected to triple by 2050.[i] The increased elderly population does not simply reflect overall population growth; this segment is also becoming a larger proportion of the population. In 2000, one-in-eight U.S. residents was 65 or older, but Census projections anticipate one-in-five residents in that age group by 2030.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called this age shift a “longevity revolution.”[ii] These demographic trends are amplified by concerns about the mounting costs of traditional long-term care delivery, with the estimated cost for a private room in a nursing home now averaging more than $70,000 a year.[iii]

More...