What affects health care cost in the elderly

Healthcare in the Elderly

The number and proportion of older persons in the United States is rapidly increasing. Significant deficiencies are projected in the country’s capacity to deliver the medical, public health, and support services needed for the future frail and ill older population, and the nation is not investing sufficiently in keeping people healthy late in life. Valuable advances are needed in 4 vital directions central to the health and well-being of older persons, especially those at greatest risk owing to medical conditions or social disadvantage (Rowe, Fulmer, and Fried, 2016).

Decline in physical function is associated with older age. Healthcare utilization and expenditures related to physical functioning declines will likely increase as the proportion of the population of older adults rises.

Older adults are the main users of healthcare services and account for the majority of the healthcare costs. (Rockwood & Hubbard, 2004) As people age, they generally tend to develop more health problems, such as chronic diseases, physical and cognitive functional declines, and disabilities, and therefore, require various healthcare resources. In the US, Medicare spending per capita by age steadily increased from 65 years old (mean 5,562 USD) and almost tripled by the age of 96 (mean 15,732 USD). (The Rising Cost of Living Longer, 2015)

Reading assignments:

Examining Healthcare Utilization Patterns of Elderly Middle-Aged Adults in the United States

Cilia E. Zayas,1 Zhe He,2 Jiawei Yuan,3 Mildred Maldonado-Molina,1 William Hogan,1 François Modave,1 Yi Guo,1 and Jiang Bian1

Increased healthcare costs associated with frailty among community-dwelling older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Discussion Questions:

What effects health care cost in the elderly?

Where do the elderly get their health care?

What is frailty and describe a symptom of frailty.