The Aging of America: Questions for the Four-Generation Society

The number and proportion of older people in the population of the United States is rising sharply as life expectancy increases. Meanwhile, in part because of trends toward earlier retirement, the proportion of active workers to retired citizens is diminishing. The result is increasing pressure on the federal budget, as programs of support and assistance for the aging claim an ever-increasing share of public outlays. In addition, many public and private employee pension funds appear to be seriously underfunded. If the nation is to keep its commitments to its aging population, its leaders and citizens must face these facts and the difficult policy choices they imply. Some of those choices may in volve, among other things, redefining "old age"; revising early retirement policies, and coordinating the present patch work of public and private employee pensions with the Social Security system. Finally, the nation's systems for delivering health and social services to older people are inadequate; they must be improved, or elderly people, their families, and the public treasury will end up paying more and more for less and less.