When the Boomers GO BYE BYE....

[kristop]

I had a interesting conversation with some friends over some BEER the other night....

WNY's population is aging......

What happens when all the boomers hit retirement?

I donut have the stats but they comprise the largest segment of our population....I believe 13 to 20% of our young leave town...

What happens to our economy in WNY when the number of seniors in this town is close to equal that of the rest of the population? Then start dying off....

The boomers also have the most money........

[RagingBuffalo]

You are already seeing what happens. The costs of Medicaid/Medicare have steadily skyrocketed particularly in the past 5 years and will continue to do so. Most of the elderly in the city are poverty-level therefore qualify for both programs to oversee their health care costs. Those programs and costs range from transportation to MD appointments to in-home personal and nursing care or residential health care facilities. The link below privides a breakdown of age groups from the US Census 2000. As you can see this problem will only get worse, so we will have to change the way we do business. Unfortunately the idea of ill elderly people remaining at home for as long as possible was not the solution once thought. The services needed and the people to provide services to a widespread such as Erie County has become too heavy a burden for our depleted tax base.



Erie County Stats US Census 2000

[Riven37]

Originally posted by kristop
I had a interesting conversation with some friends over some BEER the other night....

WNY's population is aging......

What happens when all the boomers hit retirement?

I donut have the stats but they comprise the largest segment of our population....I believe 13 to 20% of our young leave town...

What happens to our economy in WNY when the number of seniors in this town is close to equal that of the rest of the population? Then start dying off....

The boomers also have the most money........

lol When, I'm already in my retierment lol

[Linda_D]

Originally posted by RagingBuffalo
You are already seeing what happens. The costs of Medicaid/Medicare have steadily skyrocketed particularly in the past 5 years and will continue to do so. Most of the elderly in the city are poverty-level therefore qualify for both programs to oversee their health care costs. Those programs and costs range from transportation to MD appointments to in-home personal and nursing care or residential health care facilities. The link below privides a breakdown of age groups from the US Census 2000. As you can see this problem will only get worse, so we will have to change the way we do business. Unfortunately the idea of ill elderly people remaining at home for as long as possible was not the solution once thought. The services needed and the people to provide services to a widespread such as Erie County has become too heavy a burden for our depleted tax base.

Erie County Stats US Census 2000

All seniors eligible for Social Security are also eligible for Medicare, which is NOT a burden on local taxpayers the way Medicaid is because Medicare is a federal program paid for exclusively with federal tax dollars and premiums paid by all seniors. Medicare pays for the same medical services whether a senior lives in Buffalo, Tampa Bay or Phoenix.

Medicaid is also a federal program but it provides medical care for anyone who meets income guidelines whatever his or her age. The states have latitude in deciding what services they provide, how much they will reimburse providers, and how they will pay for the state costs. NYS decided that it would pick up only half of its costs and charge the counties for the other half (this is one of the famous "unfunded mandates" that many politicians rail about at election time).

Medicaid costs have soared in the last four or five years because of increased welfare rolls and increased number of uninsured working "poor". The increase in elderly on Medicaid is a direct result of the quite dramatic increase in life span in the last twenty or so years which has resulted in many more elderly being in nursing homes, particularly those 75 and older. It has nothing to do with the boomer generation, the eldest of whom still have another five or six years before they reach 65 and are eligible for Medicare. The segment of boomers who are currently on Medicaid are among the poor and the working poor.

[RagingBuffalo]

All seniors eligible for Social Security are also eligible for Medicare, which is NOT a burden on local taxpayers the way Medicaid is because Medicare is a federal program paid for exclusively with federal tax dollars and premiums paid by all seniors.

It IS a burden on local taxpayers because we pay into that too! Both (M&M) really come from the same till but regardless, taxpayers still pay for it.

Aside from where the actual $ come from, the flight of the boomers has everything to do with where that tax base is to pay for the many services, be it for elderly, working poor, mentally ill, whomever. The services in Erie County are unheard of throughout the rest of the country. In NY state EC is one of the easier counties to get say, in home personal care aide services-- help with with meal preparation, bathing, housecleaning, etc.-- not all of the people obtaining these services are in need of them ( in fact very few are) and that is just a fact as anyone who has worked within the DSS can tell you. The folks you see who really do need the help for some strange reason are most often those who will not accept it let alone ever seek it out.

[gubmentcheez]

Originally posted by kristop
What happens when all the boomers hit retirement?

I donut have the stats but they comprise the largest segment of our population....I believe 13 to 20% of our young leave town...

What happens to our economy in WNY when the number of seniors in this town is close to equal that of the rest of the population? Then start dying off....

I'll tell you what will happen....us generation "X-er's" have decided, over a beer, that all of the boomers will "retire to Kaisertown. You'll be rounded up, have your cars taken away, and you will all live in comfort at the Ritz on Cable Street. Don't worry about your money.

You will pay your garbage user fees, and like it. You will put away your dyed shirts once an for all....Janis Joplin and Cass Elliott will be banned, and you will have a choice of either Gilligans Island, Green Acres, or Leave it to Beaver to watch on TV.

And best of all, once a week a group of our volunteers will take 100 or so of you way out into the country and leave you there.

Us kids will take good care of you.

[NoCtUrNaL]

Why don't the counties take the state to court and fight unfunded mandates?

If I was the CE I'd tell Albany they'll get 4% of the sales tax from this county when take over medicaid.

[Riven37]

I do not use Medicare being a war vet however, that will be changing as the federal Gov't keeps cutting veterans benefits and the VA hospital keeps pushing us (vets) out the door into the private sector then, I will use my Medicare/Medicaid system. One more number to add to the ever growing riasing cost to our state. Thank you George !!