Supertrend: The Longevity of Americans - Term Paper Example

The longevity of Americans Just as a society’s collective education level, income, and employment rates can influence policy, so can a society’s collective level of health. A major issue discussed throughout the various authors’ works has been the problem of an aging population. An again population occurs when less people die at earlier ages from diseases and other infections, combined with lower levels of fertility; both in terms of the population as a whole. This becomes a major issue in terms of disease and longevity because, as with any aspect of a society, if it is to succeed it must be well planned. Planning, in terms of a society, is achieved and addressed through public policy. And just as the needs of a population change, as it ages, the policies must as well. The greatest issues pressing for reform in United States health care are diseases, mental health, an aging population and/or the need for more managed and well-planned care as a population. Until insurance companies started to pay for patients care, the idea of what constituted a disease was not something that was discussed as much in the public and political realm. But decisions about what should be covered by insurance, and exactly what kind of coverage citizens should receive has now become a major political debate. Largely this is due to the fact that there is inconsistency in the care that all citizens receive. As the aging population grows, however, there is more concern for healthcare both due to the high number of people in such a population (especially given the large number of “baby boomers”), and their greater susceptibility to disease (Cassel, 2005). More logical reforms at health policy then aim towards addressing broader threats to health and healthcare as a society, rather than on an individual level (Mechanic, 2006). Additionally, efforts towards preventative care could help reform health policy, as both of these changes in the United State’s view on healthcare would be much more progressive. The major challenge that affects reform appears to be long-held ideas and feelings towards the way that healthcare has been managed in the past, and the inability of citizen’s and policy makers to stray from such thoughts. Mental health is probably the most misunderstood aspect of health care, mostly because it too is bogged down by a history of misconceptions and improper solutions to mental health issues. This is largely due to people’s perceptions of mental health, and also insurance companies lack of eagerness to provide payment for mental health treatments. It should be noted, as well, that a large portion of the mentally ill end up unnoticed for most of their life, and end up homeless or in correctional facilities. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) holds hundreds of classifications of mental illnesses. Because classification can be difficult, it is also difficult to classify such disorders for insurance purposes. Greater parity (equal payment for mental as well as health) in terms of insurance is also needed as a whole (Mechanic, 2006). In general, mental health still remains largely overlooked in terms of health care in the United States. Medicare was an early attempt to reform much of the problems in health care for United States citizens. In the mid-1900’s, as the system and views of healthcare changed, mainly as costs grew out of control, more and more Americans were unable to pay for health care; mainly the poor and the elderly. Medicare was the created to provide health insurance for this at-risk population. However, as pointed out, one of the major problems that America is facing is a lack of care and planning for an aging population. This problem has not been alleviated by Medicare, mainly due to the fact that it overly simplified the elderly population at its inception, and did not allow for much variation within such a population (Oberlander, 2006). Furthermore, the costs of many of the medical services and devices needed by the elderly were not covered by Medicare due to caps on annual costs and other such requirements. Another problem that Medicare did not solve, but attempted to, was the greater role of Medicare, namely the push to adopt some form of universal healthcare (Oberlander, 2006). If the United States hopes to manage healthcare in the future, I believe more government intervention is needed, at first to manage the effects that corporate America has had on the rising costs of healthcare, and secondly to create a system of universal healthcare. Currently, there has been no evidence that the maximum life expectancy of an individual is greater than 122 years. But it does not mean that it impossible. There are many factors that cause a person to die. A persons living environment contributes to ones life expectancy. Life expectancy increasing by advancements in medicine and attaching illnesses better. Just about 60 years ago, the United States did not have a plan to help individuals with healthcare. With the additions of Medicare and Medicaid, the healthcare system of the United States significantly increased and more people were able to receive medicine and medical treatment. The effectiveness of the program is still in question, but there is no doubt that it increased aid to citizens of the United States. Because more people were able to get aid, the life expectancy since then has increased. In addition, medical breakthroughs are consistently taking place. In the 1930s the first artificial pacemaker was invented. In 1948, plastic contacts were invented. In 1963, the first laser treatment to prevent blindness took place. In 1972, CT scans were introduced. In 1982, MRIs were introduced. Starting with 1990, the Human Genome Project started. (Keitz 2006) All of these advancements cause life expectancy to increase, but is there a limit to how old a person can get? The U.S. population has increased by 78% since 1950. Growing at 3,000,000 per year, U.S. Population will approach about half a billion people within next 50 years. A number of factors are responsible to drive this growth. At the most crucial level, it is because of the fact that far more number of people are take birth each year than the number of people dieing. Advancement in health care and nutrition have augmented survival rates of people and longevity for much of the world, and disturbed the equilibrium involving births and deaths.( Thorpe, 2005) The demands of longevity amplify demands for natural resources, Water and clean air, and also admission to wilderness areas. In the future, if there will be not enough resources to go around, people will face major scarcity, and a backlash of poverty. A number of problems occur following scarcity and poverty. At last, people’s own numbers, and the lifestyles many of them choose to live, drive all the critical issues they confront. Left unchecked, the combination of longevity and expenditure- along with increasing disproportion between rich and deprived individuals and nations-will intimidate not just the well-being, but also lives of majority of people on the planet. When longevity exists, we then see both reduction in the resource bases, spoil the environment that is responsible to supply all the resources. These trends strengthen each other - damaged environment provide fewer resources, and shortage of resources will lead to further damage of the environment. World energy needs are anticipated to get double in next few decades, but no reliable geologists foresee the doubling of oil production, which is expected to reach its peak within next few decades. Many `growth experts will disagree that the natural creativity of people will overcome any problems that longevity creates. Experts of `sustainability quarrel that longevity and consumption are already causing enormous harm to the planet and that extinction of species, soil erosion pollution of water and air deforestation are indicators of increasing carrying capacity. Deforestation is determined by an extensive series of social and economic forces, but behind them all is the longevity and the increasing requirement for the land and forest products such type of growth creates. Due to overpopulation, and hence over-exploitation, the worlds oceans are being pushed beyond their breaking point. Eleven of the fifteen most important oceanic fisheries and seventy percent of the major fish species are now fully or over-exploited, according to experts It is not possible for people to survive without water, food or forests. Yet the worlds supply of these necessities is gravely in danger by longevity. Another matter relating to longevity is employment. Some growth experts argue that their economy will suffer as the citizens age if populations do not continue to grow. Some industrialized nations with steady populations already experience shortage of young workers. The experts emphasize that not only might there not be sufficient workers to maintain or improve production, they recommend that there may not be sufficient workers to pay into retirement fund and health plans to support elderly citizens. As far as economy concerns, there exists no shortage of workers, rather there is shortage of work for people, as approximately one billion people are unemployed or underemployed. Working staff shortage in industrialized countries could be improved by bringing people from developing regions, and also by keeping old workers who usually wish to stay in the job market. So there is no requirement for a large population. With the longevity at some time there will no longer be sufficient resources to go around. At the current rate of usage, gas and oil supplies will last for about forty years. Though there is sufficient coal to be used for about four hundred years that is destructive to the environment. Because of this we will see major poverty and scarcity. Behind this there are number of problems. Among them exists age discrimination. When resources are limited then people in power usually decide who will not get a fair share, and can discriminate against age, other races, gender, religions, and economic classes. Inadequate resources due to longevity will cause people to be in motion in search of more resources. There are millions of migrant people in the world, seeking water, food, land and employment. Insufficiency makes legal and illegal immigrants move into Canada and other mechanized nations as people make effort to survive and also support their families. And when scarcity is acute, people may possibly struggle over resources. As longevity is increasing, ecological impacts multiply, and limitations of resources worsen. As more people struggle for the same resources, ethnic, social and political tensions rise. This combination makes political instability, worsen social health, and increase migration. The longevity, consumption, and insufficiency have fuelled more than 150 wars after World War II, and drove millions of people from their houses as refugees or economic migrants.( Rice, 2003) A lot of state and federal laws restrict employers from discriminating employees and applicants on basis of age. The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) is the main law that stops employers from discrimination among applicants and employees at least 40 years or more in age. The ADEA is effective in private industries with 20 or more employees. The matters of the employment relationship that ADEA controls include help hiring ads, interviews, hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, demotion, job evaluations, training, job related assignments, and also termination. The federal Older Workers Benefit Protection Act declares illegal for employers to use employees age as an element for discrimination in retirement and different benefits, they also include only citizens 40 or more in age. According to this law, employers cannot cut down health or life insurance benefits for old employees, nor they can stop older employees pensions if they continue to work after their normal age of retirement. Furthermore, this act discourages businesses from targeting older workers when cutting down staff. This act prohibits employers from forcing employees to take an early retirement. It is mainly longevity risks which are borne by retirement funds, annuity and long-term health care products. The requirement for these products has been rising rapidly, and thus causing growing concerns regarding how prolonged existence risks should be managed properly. Problems in making long-term predictions for life expectancies, shortsightedness, adverse selection and moral hazard difficulties impede the sound evaluation and pricing of these risks and the growth of appropriate reinsurance markets. It is suggested that government could lend significant support to the insurance industry by increasing markets for indexed life-time bonds. (Michael Frenkel, 2005) Works Cited Cassel, Christine K. Medicare matters. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 2005. Keitz, M. (2006). " Health Technologies Timeline." Retrieved November 8, 2006, from http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3824. Mechanic, David. The truth about healthcare: Why reform is not working in America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Press. 2006. Michael Frenkel, Markus Rudolf and Ulrich Hommel, 2005, Risk Management, The Challenge of Managing Longevity Risk, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pg 25 – 40 Oberlander, Jonathon. The Political Life of Medicare. IL: University of Chicago. 2006. Christopher C. (1998). Life transitions and health insurance coverage of the near elderly: Medical Care, 36(2): 110-125 Connolly, J. (2008). Longer lives means more opportunity for reinsurers: Aging baby boomers will want Long Term Care. National Underwriter Life, 112.8, p.S-4. Fuchs, V. (1999). Health care for the elderly: how much? Who will pay for it? Health Affairs, 18(1): 11-21. Goldman, D. (2003). High out of pocket health care spending by the elderly: Health Affairs. 22. Number 3. 194-202. Jensen, G. (1992). The dynamics of health insurance among the near elderly: Medical Care. Vol: 30. Number 7. pp. 598-614 reference over ten years(10) Kane, R., Feldmand, P. (2003). Strenghting research to improve the practice and Management of long term care: Milbank Quarterly: Vol: 81. Number 2. pp. 179-220(42). Manton, K. G., Lowrimore, G. R., Ullian, A. D., Gu, X., Tolley, H. D. (2007). Labor force participation and human capital increases in an aging population and implications for U.S. research investment: Proc. National Academy Science Manton, K. G., Lamb, V. L., XiLiang Gu, (2007). Medicare Cost Effects of Recent U.S. Disability Trends in the Elderly: Future Implications. J Aging Health 19: 359-381. Nadash, P. (2004). Two Models of Managed Long-Term Care: Comparing PACE With a Medicaid-Only Plan: Gerontologist 44: 644-654. Rice, D. (2003). Economic Implications of increased longevity in the united states: Annual Review of Public Health. 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