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Statistics
Americans are living longer. In the 1980s, 40 percent of people in their
late fifties had a living parent, as compared to 25 percent in the 1970s.
(US Congress, 1987)
Between 1980 and 1990, the segment of the American population over 85 grew
37.5 percent.
("Reforming the Health Care System: State Profiles 1993, " American
Association of Retired Persons, Public Policy Institute, 1993 )
- The number of older people needing long-term care is expected to increase
by 70 percent over the next 50 years.
("Aging America: Trends and Projections, " American Association
of Retired Persons, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Federal Council
on the Aging, and the U.S. Administration on Aging, 1991)
- Newly half of the 2.2 million people who turned 65 in 1990 are expected to
enter a nursing home at least once before they die.
(New England Journal of Medicine,
February 28, 1991)
- The average length of stay in a nursing home is 2.5 years.
("Aging America, "
1991)
- The annual cost of nursing home care in California can range from $3 1,000
to $38,000.
(California Office of Statewide
Health Planning and Development, 1993)
- By 2020, when the first baby boomers reach retirement age, the cost of
long-term health care is expected to triple.
(Brookings Institution Study,
May 1993)
- Standard health care policies currently pay for less than 1% of long-term
health care costs.
(U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, 1988)
Less than 5% of American seniors currently have long-term health care
insurance. (Health Insurance Association of America,
Research Bulletin, January 1991)
The median net worth of households with the head of household over 65 is
$73,471. (Aging America"1991)
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