It’s estimated that by 2030, the youngest of the baby boomer generation  –  born in the post-World War II era between 1946 and 1964 – will be eligible for Medicare and 81.5 million people will be enrolled in it. Here’s some of what that could mean for the healthcare-for-seniors system:

• While this generation has longer life expectancies and a much lower rate of smoking than previous generations, obesity is high, as are chronic diseases such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
• Baby boomers are comfortable using technology, leading to increased use of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Social Security Act will prevent continued use of telehealth for all but a small number of Medicare recipients once the COVID-based health emergency ends.
• Boomers face continually increasing medical costs, fee-for-service billing, rising chronic illness and obesity, a lack of cost transparency, and rising pharmaceutical costs.
• To control costs, insurance carriers are limiting the number of plans in their portfolios and the number of providers in each plan.

“Our system is about to be tested as it has never been tested before. It’s incumbent on everyone with a role in that system to make certain that the baby boom generation, in all their millions, are properly cared for,” said Dave Rich, chief executive officer of Ensurem, an insurance technology firm in the senior marketplace. “Now is the time to prepare for what we know is coming by making the most of technology and addressing cost and efficiency issues.”