26 Oct Baby Boomers Have More Chronic Conditions and Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sue Dong, DrPH
Data Center Director
CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
Silver Spring, MD, 20910

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) is a nonprofit organization funded by NIOSH and several other federal government agencies. The aging workforce study is part of our NIOSH projects. According to our surveillance data (using the Current Population Survey), more than 30% of US workers were baby boomers in 2014, and about 63% of those baby boomers were aged 55 and up. Overall, the baby boomer generation is composed of 75 million Americans who have reached or will soon reach their retirement years. Despite the impending magnitude of societal disruption, information on health status among baby boomers and the potential burden faced by this cohort is still scarce. We hope this study can provide some needed information on the aging population in the US.

To address this concern, we used data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). HRS is a national longitudinal survey of Americans aged 50 and over, which started in 1992. The baby boomer cohort (including Early Baby Boomers and Mid Baby Boomers who were born between 1948 and 1959) was added to the survey in recent years. HRS collects information on demographics, employment, health, health expenditures, etc. The rich information and relatively consistent survey instruments used over time allowed us to conduct this study.

Medical Research: What are the main findings?

Response: We estimated medical conditions and expenditures among the baby boomer cohort and compared them with the original HRS cohort (born between 1931 and 1941). We found that the baby boomers were more likely to report chronic conditions than the previous generation (HRS cohort) at similar ages. For example, at age 51-61, about 70% of the baby boomer cohort had at least one chronic condition, while 60% of the HRS cohort had at least one chronic condition. By detailed condition, 42.2% of baby boomers had high blood pressure, compared to 32.1% of the HRS cohort; 14.4% of the baby boomers had diabetes, nearly twice the proportion for the HRS cohort (7.8%). Overall, baby boomers had higher prevalence of chronic conditions for the nine conditions we measured compared to the HRS cohort at the same age.

We also found that the baby boomers were more likely to be overweight compared to the previous generation. The prevalence of obesity was 37% among baby boomers, but it was 21.9% among the HRS cohort when they were at similar ages

In terms of medical expenditures, the average out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for the past two years for those aged 51-61 was $2,156 for the HRS cohort, but $3,118 for the baby boomers. Dollar value was adjusted to 2012 dollars for even comparison. The findings will be presented at the recent APHA annual conference in Chicago.

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Response: The baby boomer generation is getting older. The increasing prevalence of medical conditions and medical expenditures in this age cohort will be a big burden on society and the nation. While most baby boomers have health insurance, and some are eligible for Medicare, Out-of-Pocket Expenses (OOPE) are still a major concern for these individuals. To address the concerns posed by the study, public health agencies and health providers need to expand the traditional scope of healthcare to include preventive care along with medical treatment, such as including health consultations in their regular services. Because the working life span of baby boomers has expanded, workplace interventions for baby boomers should be strengthened, in particular for those who are employed in high-risk occupations. Baby boomers also need to be more proactive when it comes to their health. (I’m a boomer myself.) No one can change age, but we can change our behaviors. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is beneficial for everyone.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Future research could include further analysis on medical expenditures, such as estimating the cost for each of the leading diseases/chronic conditions identified by the current study. In addition, studies on types of medical utilizations (e.g., prescriptions, hospital stay, home care, etc.) and expenditures for each of them would also be useful. Since employment history and personal behaviors are important contributing factors to health, health research should take these factors into account. Given that the majority of baby boomers have reached or will soon reach retirement age, research on retirement plans and the association with health status among baby boomers would be interesting. More generational comparisons and industry or occupation comparisons would also help to identify variations between different cohorts.

Citation:

American Public Health Association Abstract October 2015

Health status and out-of-pocket expenditures among baby boomers in the U.S

Sue Dong, DrPH (2015). Baby Boomers Have More Chronic Conditions and Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses 

Sue Dong, DrPH (2015). Baby Boomers Have More Chronic Conditions and Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses

Last Updated on November 4, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD