We ignore our long-term care needs in Vt. at our own peril
St. Albans Messenger
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Amendments into law. Thirty years later President Lyndon B. Johnson added Medicare and Medicaid. The three programs are the most enduring social programs we have and they have worked because more people paid in than received, which was a function of a robust birth rate and a life expectancy that hovered near the age of retirement.
That’s all changed. Our birth rate has plummeted and life expectancy is nearing 80 years of age. Now, we have fewer paying in and more receiving. With our drive to live longer, it’s expected that women will live to be 89 to 94 and men will live to be 83-86 by 2050. Nice. And how are we supposed to pay for it?
Good question. We’re already seeing cracks in the system. Particularly in New England, home to the nation’s oldest states. Nursing homes are closing at a rate three times the national average, according to a just-released report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In every state in New England, including Vermont, the median nursing home is financially underwater, meaning we can expect more nursing homes to go out of business.