New Seniors

Starting next year, baby boomers will be turning 65 at the rate of one every ten seconds. This means an average of 4 million New Seniors a year through 2030. They will join the 30 million existing New Seniors community who are already settled into this phase of life. One question being asked is what happens to Medicare now that the health care reform bill is beginning to kick in?

Polling conducted in mid-July and six weeks later, prior to Labor Day, shows the hot summer has not cooled down the growing opposition to the health care reform legislation signed into law earlier this year. This suggests the controversial bill will not only be an important part of the decision-making process in the upcoming elections, it will be the primary issue for some voters – particularly New Seniors who are expected to cast upwards of 30 % of the ballots in November.

A year ago the Tea Party was protesting against the various health care bills being floated around Washington. Town Hall meetings were getting started and the politicians soon realized their constituents had concerns and voiced them. Most of us were trying to understand what the various options meant and how they might affect the wellbeing of our individual families. The details of the approved legislation have moved out of the backrooms and slowly surfaced for us to see.

If you are one of the millions of boomers turning 65, better brace yourself for changes in medical care thanks to the new health care legislation. About half the dollars to insure the 32 million new people to be covered under the new law will be generated by reducing fees paid to hospitals and health care providers participating in the Medicare program. This cost is pegged at $500 billion and will have long-term and far-reaching affects on how New Seniors receive medical services.

The subject of health care reform has been a big issue in Washington and the news media for the past year.  Citizens jumped into the fray, for the most part uninvited, when it became apparent that our elected representatives were botching the process.  Town hall meetings, rallies and protest marches sent a message to legislators that they were out of step, if not out of touch with mainstream Americans.  Recent election results from Massachusetts indicates the will of the people is something politicians shouldn’t ignore.

A recent study conducted on behalf of The Independent Women’s Forum disclosed that health care was one of many economic concerns for American women. Only 16 percent said it was the top issue facing Congress and just over half the respondents placed health care among the leading three. Yet the people in Washington have placed this issue ahead of everyday living expenses, energy costs, unemployment and other financial problems.