Demographic Shifts and Healthcare, Term Paper Example

The South-Western region of Florida and Charlotte County is undergoing a massive demographic change as the average age increases and the share of the population that are seniors continues to grow. This is happening for a few reasons all related to national demographics. For one, the large Baby Boomer generation is reaching that age group, meaning that nearly all areas of the country are experiencing similar increases. However, the situation is compounded in this specific region because of relocation. The South-West in Florida is full of retirement communities and therefore is a popular place for seniors to move. So, not only is the current population of this county becoming older, but that is being supplemented by new seniors moving into the area. On top of these factors, the average lifespan is expected to grow, meaning even more senior citizens. Any demographic shift like this is bound to change the needs of medical care in the region where it occurs, and this shift will prove to be no different.

Even without the shifts in demographics, Charlotte County is already a county with a very old population. In the 2010 census, over thirty four percent of the county was over the age of sixty-five, twice the average of Florida and almost three times that of the national average (Census Bureau). While this has remained largely unchanged since the past censi, in absolute terms instead of percentage terms, the rise in seniors in the county has been extremely dramatic. In 1980, there were nineteen thousand senior citizens in the county; today almost fifty-five thousand call the county home. The 2010 census also reported a median age for the county of almost fifty-six years old, the highest in the nation for a county of over one hundred-thousand residents (Census Bureau). While these numbers are large now, ten thousand baby boomers are set to reach this milestone daily for the next two decades (Newmax). Some of them reside in Charlotte County right now, while others will surely move there at the onset of their retirements.

This shift on top of the already advanced age of the county’s population at the moment will put stress on the resources of the healthcare system in the region. Healthcare costs for this group are higher in the United States than anywhere else in the world, and on average their healthcare expense are more than three times higher per capita than the general population (Center for Disease Control). Seniors require significant financial support to pay for their medical cost, either through public help or family members, but that money will be harder to come by as the ratio of non working seniors to members of the working population increases.

One of the largest expense areas is nursing homes and other assisted living situations. These cost over one hundred billion annually in the United States, with a twenty percent increase in cost due in the next decade (Center for Disease Control). Another area where costs will likely increase significantly is in the prescription drug market. Costs have been rising on a per capita basis, from five hundred-fifty dollars in 1992 to almost three thousand dollars recently. Coupled with the significant increase in the aged population, the total spent on prescription drugs in the area is sure to increase significantly in the near future.

One of the major concerns with this must be financing. Due to its expensive nature healthcare is already difficult for many seniors to pay for. This will get worse as demand for the healthcare services and products increases, driving up prices. On top of this there is a natural trend for healthcare to cot more as the technology behind it increases. Many seniors will be unable to handle the extra payments on their own, meaning they will require support from elsewhere. Usually this would come from one of two sources: their family members, specifically the younger ones who are still working, and public programs such as Medicare. In this economic climate it is unclear if the family members will be able to support the extra costs and the increasing ratio of seniors means they may not be able to afford it in better economic times. Medicare will likely pick up some of the extra cost, but any sort of cut to the program will lead to significant problems in paying for medical services.

Due to the financial constraints that the demographic shift is likely to undergo, perhaps the best method would be to find a way to slow the rise in costs somehow. Disabilities end up contributing largely to the massive costs associate with medical care for seniors. The most common of these disabilities is arthritis. This can be prevented through a healthy diet, exercise, and other healthy lifestyle choices (Arthritis Foundation). Encouraging activities like that can contribute to lowering costs significantly. On top of that, preventive care and early diagnoses can lower costs as well. While this is probably done most effectively from a federal standpoint, a public awareness campaign in Charlotte County could effectively contribute to this effort.

However, despite all of these efforts it is likely that the medical care system will have to provide more services for less money per capita than it currently does. For this reason, the capacity of the system will somehow have to increase to accommodate the expanding demand while operating with fewer funds than it ideally would. The price signaling mechanism will be one avenue that helps with this problem. This mechanism means that as prices increase, more research and development funds will be put into medical studies, perhaps lowering costs through cost saving technology. The increased demand will also signal to people that there are jobs available in the field leading more people to undergo the training. In short, the increased demand for these services will somewhat naturally be met due to market forces.

Yet, this is not a cure all for the issue due to the financial limitations discussed earlier. If the per capita spending is lower as it looks to be, then expenditures by the medical community will have to be lower. For example, while there may be a ten percent increase in demand, there may only be five percent more resources available for medical care. There may be a growing number of resources for healthcare, but growth in demand is always likely to outpace it. That means less money spent on staff and less on research per each patient they must treat. There are two ways this can be rectified, either with a lower quality of care for each patient or more cost efficient care. Obviously for medical professionals the increased efficiency is the option that must be pursued. A more skilled workforce or more cost effective medicines and technology could be a great benefit, but this is out of the hands of Charlotte County alone. The state of Florida and the federal government are more capable than any local government when it comes to the education of the population and quality research undertaken in the field. There could be some benefit by getting a local community college to offer low costs programs to become qualified medically.

Ultimately the rapidly aging population of Charlotte County and the entire Florida region is a significant challenge for their healthcare system. Healthcare seniors will need more care, but it is likely that funds for the care will not grow as quickly.  This develops a situation where the care must become more cost efficient, especially in the long term. The best ways to accomplish this are with more preventive care and a cheaper healthcare process through more education and research. These may be difficult to undertake, but not acting at all would be even more damaging.

Works Cited

United States. Department of Commerce. Census Bureau. Profile of General Demographic  Characteristics: Charlotte County, FL. Web. 1 Mar. 2012.

“10,000 Boomers to Retire Each Day for 19 Years.” Newsmax. 27 Dec. 2010. Web. 01 Mar.  2012. <http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/RetirementCrisis/2010/12/27/id/381191>.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 13 Feb. 2003. Web. 01 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5206a2.htm>.

“Preventing Arthritis.” Arthritis Foundation. 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2012.  <http://www.arthritis.org/preventing-arthritis.php>.