According to UnitedHealth Group’s 2017 America’s Health Rankings Senior Report, the seniors of America are enjoying better healthcare, but there are economic blockades which could put their health at risk. The rising costs and health savings shortfalls are some of the barriers to better health of the American seniors in the future.
Healthy Seniors: Here Are Key Improvements In Clinical Care measures
According to the America’s Health Rankings Senior Report, notable improvements have been seen in care quality and outcomes since 2013. It includes:
- Preventable hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries 65 and older have fallen by 25%
- Hospital readmissions are down by 7%.
- The report also shows declines in hospital deaths (30%)
- Reduced visits to the ICU in the last six months of life (9%).
- Healthy Seniors With Inadequate Savings
Despite the stats that give a healthier picture of the seniors, 62% of retired seniors age over 65 and nearly three-fourths of working adults age 50 to 64 are financially weak to meet their future needs. This section of people has not built up adequate health savings for their future.
Size Of Retirement Savings Can Predict Future Health
The new survey data shows that the current and future seniors with retirement savings of $20,000 or less are more likely to be in poor health and have chronic disease. Those with higher rates of retirement savings would be healthier.
The study also shows that half of retired seniors and around 36% of those in the younger age group do not know how much money they pay for expected and unexpected healthcare costs.
According to report by the Congressional Budget Office, the number of Americans age 65+ has more than doubled over the past 50 years. Until 2018, Medicare outlays are expected to remain at about 3% of the GDP, this would further increase on an annual basis through 2026. Due to spending on healthcare and retirement programs, the result will be an uptick in the annual federal budget shortfall of $1.2 trillion in 2026.
Minnesota ranked at the 1st position as the healthiest place for seniors, which was followed by Utah, Hawaii, Colorado and New Hampshire. South Dakota and California moved from 15th to 28th and 25th to 15th place respectively, showing potential for more improvements. The report also shows a reduction in obesity, smoking and physical inactivity for the golden state’s uptick.
The Lowest-ranked states were Mississippi, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and West Virginia.
Rhonda Randall, senior adviser to United Health Foundation and chief medical officer and executive vice president of UnitedHealthcare Retiree Solutions, said in a statement – “Though clinical care for our nation’s seniors is improving, new data in this report show that seniors are facing higher social and economic barriers that are putting their overall health at risk,”. He added, “Rising rates of obesity and food insecurity, especially when paired with the potential shortfalls in health care savings of many current and future seniors, underscores the need for action to help seniors live healthier lives.”
Date: May 12, 2017