The silent crisis: women and the need for long-term care insurance

An examination of the demographics of Americans age 65 and older show several interesting trends. First of all, Americans are living longer. Secondly, the proportion of women to men increases significantly in the older age brackets, to the point where at age 85 and older, for every four people living, three are female and one is a male. Finally, in all age bands, females far outnumber males among Medicare recipients. When combined with the greater costs of care and medicine in the last few years of life, this sets the stage for a tremendous economic impact on older women. In the first article of a three-part series, the author examines the demographics of the issue. Coming articles will look at additional economic and social stressors on aging women.