This is great news (don't we need it, though?) and ought to serve as impetus for all sides to keep up preventative care. Shows how much the right kind of medical spending reduces greater spending.

True, half of this is for cardio-vascular care. But these savings are despite the supposition, that since "we all have to die of something", reductions in one area might be supposed to "be a wash".

Apparently, that is not true. Would be a shame if these data were interpreted to mean only to keep up spending on CV preventative care, meds especially, and slack off on (say) cancer care - diagnostic and treatment.

Bottom line: spending on the elderly is cost-effective. Reaassuring as a persuasive argument for quality care for the aged - what we here at WTF are all becoming. Sooner too than the young, who are reported to resent "greedy" Boomers expenditures which are blamed for their tough times. Not only good news to protect this "entitlement", but also against agist/class warfare.

Here's hoping legislators are all listening - it ought to count for a slew of lobbiests for the AARP.

Since 2005, at least $3K/year per person saved on health care for elderly

Hi, Amanda. What do you mean by: "agist/class warfare"?

I see the difficulties faced by today's younger generation as among other negative outcomes leading to resentment of the older generation (the Boomers in particular).

Especially, youth without a good relationship with their parents seem prone to blame many of their relatively reduced prospects on aging Boomers taking economic advantage of society.

Among other conflicts which could potentially lead to open warfare (or at least, political
outcomes), I see this as primary. I definitely sense images/wishes equivalent to the (hypothetical?) Eskimo ice flow solution to their elders' loss of social utility.

Shame they don't seem to realize that other forces apart from age are acting to diminish their opportunities and increase their hardships. They seem to look back to a Golden Age (of the 60s especially), which compares unfavorably to theirs. I too remember very different expectations we (=Boomers) enjoyed in our youth.

I feel really sorry for today's youth compared to youth growing up in the 60s-80. I recall it was pretty much taken for granted that we'd always do better economically, healthwise, and happiness-wise than our parents. That things would always be bigger and better.

I hear a good deal from young people blaming their diminished prospects ("I'll never have Social Security") on their elders. If only politically, this is potentially incendiary.

(I admit - sons have pointed out to me - this perhaps pertains primarily to white youth back in the day).

OTOH apart from generational resentments today, there are, of course, class divides (also race, ethnicity, country of origin, cultural/value and other "tribal" divides) on the basis of which various groups blame their risks and misfortunes.

Some of these alliances could lead to outright shooting wars.