Federal Forum
reports Americans aging well,
but
gaps
remain
Most older
people are healthier, wealthier, and better educated than previous
generations, but these gains have not been equal among today’s older
Americans.
In 2003, there
were almost 36 million people age 65 and over living in the United
States, accounting for just over 12 percent of the total
population. Most of these older Americans reported better health,
greater wealth, and higher levels of education than older people in
the past. However, some groups of older Americans are
disproportionately disadvantaged including those with limited
education, women, and minorities. These findings are presented in
Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being, the
second comprehensive analysis of the lives of older Americans
compiled by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related
Statistics (Forum).
The
Forum, established in 1986, is a consortium of 12 Federal
departments and agencies that collect or use national data on older
Americans, including population trends, health status, economic
prosperity, and use of health care services. The goal of the Forum
is to improve the quality and usefulness of data on aging.
“Older
Americans 2004 provides a comprehensive picture of one of the
fastest growing segments of our society,” says Katherine K. Wallman,
Chief Statistician, U.S. Office of Management and Budget. “The
report is an invaluable resource that provides a wealth of data from
diverse sources across the Federal Government.”
Older Americans 2004: Key Indicators of Well-Being, an update of
the Forum’s 2000 report, comprises 37 key indicators concerning
lives of older Americans and their families. The indicators are
divided into five subject areas: population, economics, health
status, health risks and behaviors, and health care. The data are
arrayed in charts and tables with accompanying narrative.
Highlights
include:
Population
Older Americans
have attained higher levels of education. In 1950, 17 percent of the
older population had graduated from high school and only 3 percent
had at least a Bachelor’s degree. By 2003, 72 percent were high
school graduates and 17 percent had at least a Bachelor’s degree.
Despite the
overall increase in educational attainment among older Americans,
substantial educational differences exist among racial and ethnic
groups. In 2003, 76 percent of non-Hispanic whites age 65 and over
had completed high school. Older Asians also had a high proportion
with at least a high school education (70 percent). In contrast, 52
percent of older blacks and 36 percent of older Hispanics had
completed high school.
Between 1990 and
2000, the proportion of men age 65 and over who were veterans went
up from 54 percent to 65 percent. Although the number of older
veterans is projected to decline slightly from 2000 to 2010, it is
projected to increase thereafter due to the aging of Vietnam era
veterans.
Economics
The trend in
median household income of the older population has been positive.
Between 1974 and 2002, the median income for households in which the
householder was 65 and over increased (in 2002 dollars) from $16,882
to $23,152. Correspondingly, fewer older people are living below the
poverty threshold. The percentage of older people living in poverty
declined from 35 percent in 1959 to 10 percent in 2002.
Between 1984 and
2001, the median net worth of households headed by people age 65 and
over increased by 82 percent (after accounting for inflation).
Although the rate of growth has been substantial for both older
black and older white households, large differences in wealth
continue to exist. In 2001, the median net worth of older white
households ($205,000) was five times larger than for older black
households ($41,000).
More women age
55-69 are working than ever before. In 2003, about three-fifths of
women age 55-61, almost two-fifths of women age 62-64, and more than
one-fifth of women age 65-69 were in the labor force.
Health Status
·Americans are living longer than ever before. In 1900, the average
65-year-old could expect to live almost 12 more years and the
average 85-year-old could expect to live an additional 4 years. By
2001, life expectancy at age 65 had increased to more than 19 years
for women and about 16 years for men, and at age 85 it was 7 years
for women and 6 years for men.
·The
age-adjusted proportion of older Americans with a chronic disability
declined from about 25 percent in 1984 to 20 percent in 1999. The
proportion disabled declined from 19 percent to 15 percent for men
age 65 and over and from 28 percent to 23 percent for women age 65
and over. Because of the decline in disability rates, the number of
older Americans with chronic disabilities increased by only 600,000
from 6.2 million in 1984 to 6.8 million in 1999. This number would
have been much higher had the disability rate not declined.
·In
2002, close to one-half of all older men and nearly one-third of
older women reported trouble hearing without a hearing aid. Vision
problems, even with glasses or contact lenses, affected 18 percent
of the older population, specifically 16 percent of men and 19
percent of women.
Health Risks and
Behaviors
The increase in
the prevalence of overweight and obesity among older adults has been
dramatic. In 1999-2002, 69 percent of Americans age 65 and over were
overweight or obese. In the last 2 decades, the increases among
those age 65-74 have been especially striking. Between 1976-1980 and
1999-2002, the percentage of people age 65-74 who were overweight or
obese rose from 57 percent to 73 percent; the percentage who were
obese doubled from 18 percent to 36 percent.
The percentage
of older men who are current smokers declined from 29 percent in
1965 to 10 percent in 2002. The corresponding percentage for women
has remained relatively constant, declining slightly from 10 percent
in 1965 to 9 percent in 2002.
In 2002, 46
percent of people age 65 and over lived in a county where ozone
concentrations reached levels that were above EPA standards compared
with 26 percent in 2000. About 19 percent lived in a county where
fine “particulate matter” (PM 2.5) concentrations, considered to
have the greatest potential to affect the health of older adults,
reached levels that were above EPA standards. This percentage was
27 percent in 2000.
Health Care
Medicare pays
for slightly more than half (54 percent) of the overall health care
costs of its enrollees age 65 and over. This population pays 21
percent of their health care costs out-of-pocket. Medicaid covers 10
percent of costs, and other payers, primarily private insurers,
cover another 15 percent.
Average
prescription drug costs for older Americans increased rapidly
throughout the 1990s, especially after 1997. Average costs per
noninstitutionalized Medicare enrollee age 65 and over were $1,340
in 2000. The average number of filled prescriptions for this
population also rose substantially over time, averaging 18 filled
prescriptions in 1992 and 30 filled prescriptions in 2000.
An increasing
number of older veterans are turning to the Veterans Health
Administration (VHA) for their health care needs despite their
potential eligibility for other sources of health care. In 2003,
approximately 2.3 million veterans age 65 and over received health
care from VHA, and an additional 1 million older veterans were
enrolled to receive health care from VHA but did not use its
services that year.
The 12 agencies
and departments that comprise the Forum are the Administration on
Aging, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the
Environmental Protection Agency, the National Center for Health
Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health,
the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in
the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of
Management and Budget, and the Social Security Administration.