“We Write 80 Million Checks A Month,” and Other News
Geithner: “We Write 80 Million Checks A Month”
Should Jared Lee Loughner be forced to take medication that would make him competent to stand trial for the Tucson shooting rampage? A judge says yes.
AARP: more than 40 million Americans caring for an elderly or disabled loved one. The value of their work is $450 billion a year.
It costs $116 billion annually to treat diabetes? That is quite a lot of money for a disease that is largely preventable through diet and exercise.
Caregivers: The burden is huge, but I wonder if our discussion of the burden isn’t framed by a perception that family members shouldn’t have to care for loved ones. Historically, care of the elderly was a very common and accepted part of life. Society has changed (Medicare, less emphasis on the nuclear family, and longer life expectancy come to mind first), but given our ability to save for old age, family care giving will likely become the norm, not the exception. We would likely do better to shift the discussion from the costs of family care giving to potential ways to helping these folks cope.
diabetes: The more I learn about our healthcare system, the more I look at our food supply and lifestyle as more feasible opportunities for meaningful savings.
80 million checks… I wonder how much it costs just to produce and distribute that many checks?
Caregiving is a responsibility that should be shared by family. Unfortunately, it’s not a simple issue. There are times when the family is not close enough — geographically or emotionally. And, there are times when the level of care is just too great, such as end stage disease or when the caregiver is too frail or impaired to provide nursing services.
80 million checks? No wonder we are in trouble.
The responsibility for caring for elderly or disabled loved ones should start with individuals, who should save for the future. Their family should be the backup plan and then maybe the local community in dire circumstances.
Most of us will become old and frail by the end of our lives. Aging is inevitable so it should be planned for. There is little reason elder care should be the responsibility of society rather than the family or individual. If you don’t want to take care of your elderly parents as the age, then advise them to forgo your inheritance and pay for assisted living or long term care insurance.
The American Dream does seem to be transitioning into the American Entitlement.