Health Care And Baby Boomers

Will Baby Boomers bring down Medicare? A cottage industry runs on blaming Boomers for everything (Boom Bust & Echo: Profiting from the Demographic Shift in the 21st Century).

The logic for blaming Boomers goes like this: Boomers make a population bulge.  Boomers are aging.  Old people get sick.  Ergo, old Baby Boomers will overwhelm Medicare.

Despite everything they’re blamed for, old people do not guarantee system failure (and Baby Boomers are not old!…yet).  Age might be one factor.  But many old, sick people access the system less than the young worried well. Of course, most healthcare spending occurs in the last 6 months of life.  An aging population will drive change, but there might be an even bigger factor.
Baby Boomer Attitude
Demographers believe Baby Boomers have attitude.  Not just ‘an’ attitude but attitude.  They know what they want.  They change things they don’t like.

They won’t put up with waits.
They won’t put up with no choice.
They won’t put up with hordes of patients jammed into hallways and EDs because no beds are available.
They will demand efficiency.
They will demand great patient service.
They will want medical experts leading healthcare, not inexperienced bureaucrats and allied health providers.

Boomers expect to stay active, healthy and productive for as long as possible.  They want control.  If early retirement doesn’t impress them, they want to stay fit and working long past 65.  They accept the responsibility of choice and ownership.

Here’s what other’s are saying:

• “If something hurts, they are not going to grimace and bear it.” (Huffington Post)
• Boomers embody involvement, assertiveness, technology, freedom, independence.  (American Medical Association)
• Changes in radiology from Boomers – engagement, mobile access, choice. (Medical Imaging Talk Blog)
• Book: Baby Boomers: Can My Eighties Be Like My Fifties? 
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• Baby Boomers in 10 Years: 
• When we look back, people might ask, “Hey, weren’t you involved back then?  What did YOU do to improve things?” 
• We can advocate for change now. 
• Fly patients to the USA when wait times exceed a limit….say, 4 weeks?
• Reward hospitals only when they see patients, instead of before they see patients (block funding), or only when they follow recipe care (QBPs)?
• Ask patients what Canadian healthcare could learn from other industries, other countries?
• Ask patients whether they think healthcare should be as good as pet care or prisoner care? What do you think?  Baby Boomers have reshaped everything they’ve ever come up against.  How will they reshape healthcare?

Keanu Reeves - Life Is Worth Living (True Story)

Keanu Reeves writes.. "My friend's mom has eaten healthy all her life. Never ever consumed alcohol or any "bad" food, exercised every day, very limber, very active, took all supplements suggested by her doctor, never went in the sun without sunscreen and when she did it was for as short a period as possible- so pretty much she protected her health with the utmost that anyone could. She is now 76 and has skin cancer, bone marrow cancer and extreme osteoporosis.
My friend's father eats bacon on top of bacon, butter on top of butter, fat on top of fat, never and I mean never exercised, was out in the sun burnt to a crisp every summer, he basically took the approach to live life to his fullest and not as others suggest. He is 81 and the doctors says his health is that of a young person.

People you cannot hide from your poison. It's out there and it will find you so in the words of my friend's still living mother: " if I would have known my life would end this way I would have lived it more to the fullest enjoying everything I was told not to!"

None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else."‪#‎StressFree‬ ‪#‎VivianCollections‬

6 Step To Get Out of Debt

Once you are in debt, it can seem impossible to find your way out. Having unpaid debt also causes an enormous amount of stress and anxiety that can have an effect on your overall health and well-being.

While it may not be easy to get out of debt it is possible. Even on a limited budget, you can navigate your way back to a debt-free life by the following the steps listed below:

Step #1 – Make a Promise to Yourself

Start carving your path towards financial freedom by making a promise to yourself that you will not acquire any new debts.

Getting out of debt usually requires making some sacrifices along the way. But you have to commit to living within your means and not spending more than you earn. Make a list of all of your current debts and the grand total. Not adding anything to this number is absolutely crucial for your financial success.

Step #2 – Stick to Your Monthly Payments

It’s important to remember that getting out of debt is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Figure out exactly how much you can afford to pay off each month and stick to it, no matter what.

Even if you can only afford a small monthly payment, paying something is better than paying nothing. And chipping away at your debt with consistent effort adds up to big results. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a while to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Dedicate to paying a certain amount each month and you’ll be debt-free before you know it!

Step #3 – Rank Your Debt

When organizing your debt, rank it in two ways: lowest to highest balance and lowest to highest interest rate.

Compartmentalizing your debt according to balance and interest rate will allow you create a plan of action for tackling your debt. These lists will help you figure out what should be paid first to avoid accumulating interest and how long it will take you to completely payoff each debt according to your monthly payment schedule.

Step #4 – Clear Your Small Debts

Your first list should include the debts with the smallest balances. Focus on paying these debts to quickly gain some momentum towards being debt-free. Send extra payments only to those debts that can be paid in 3 months or less while paying the minimum on everything else. You may find yourself getting rid of several small bills early. These small successes can help catapult you to paying off your larger debts.

Step #5 – Attack Large Debts

The second list you make should include any debt that will take longer than 3 months to pay off. But don’t worry, now that you have experienced success when crossing off your smaller debts, the bills on this list will seem much more achievable.

Don’t let expensive debts stand in your way of financial independence. Once again, pay only minimum payments to everything except the bill with the highest interest rate. Stick to your plan and watch as your debt gets smaller and smaller every month. With consistent effort and serious commitment, you can be debt-free much sooner than you may think.

Step #6 – Celebrate!

Digging your way out of debt is a huge accomplishment. Now it’s time to celebrate, enjoying the peace of mind and freedom of being debt-free!