POLITICIANS ARE NOT ADDRESSING LOOMING PROBLEMS

The population in the U.S. is getting increasingly older.  There are known issues associated with this that lawmakers do not have on their radars.

In the next couple of decades, the U.S. will undergo a dramatic shift in demographics.

As the Baby Boomer generation continues to reach the age of retirement and longevity for seniors continues to rise, the population of the U.S. will be much older on average than it ever has been.

Problems that come with this shift will need to be addressed, but most politicians are not doing anything about them, as Politico reports in "Aging: 5 icebergs Washington is ignoring."

Issues being ignored include:

• The country is likely to have a shortage of people of working age. This will make it difficult for businesses to find employees. It could also be damaging to the overall economy and make it difficult to raise enough revenue for government services.

• The U.S. does not have an adequate long-term care system in place to meet expected needs. There is a severe lack of home health care aides and funding to pay for nursing homes.

• Social Security, state pensions and many private pension plans all face looming shortages. They will not be able to make promised payments unless something is done.  Most people do not have enough saved for retirement to make up for any loss or reduced pension payments.

• Older people are more expensive to cover in the health care system. An even greater percentage of GDP will be needed to pay for seniors' care in the future.

• Age discrimination remains a big issue for many. When there are more seniors, there will be even more discrimination.

Reference: Politico (Sep. 27, 2017) "Aging: 5 icebergs Washington is ignoring."