Medicare

Low-income Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for subsidies to help them pay premiums and cost sharing. However, these subsidies fall short of those contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) that help low-income families afford adequate health coverage. In this report we consider policy options to reform Medicare's low-income subsidies to better align with ACA provisions. We estimate that a significant simplification in low-income protection and cost-sharing rules could greatly reduce burdens on the poorest and sickest beneficiaries. Depending on how they are implemented, these reforms could either reduce or only modestly increase total public spending.

The aging of the baby boomers represents a demographic tidal wave that will profoundly affect housing needs and living arrangements in the coming years. The authors examine three possible scenarios for the projected number and mix of households in New Orleans in 2020. But regardless of the scenario, the increase in households headed by elderly will greatly surpass the increase in any other household type. This report concludes with strategies for attracting new residents to the city and ensuring we meet the housing needs of aging residents, including the desire of many seniors to stay in their homes as long as possible.

Every year Americans spend over 182 billion public and private dollars on services and supports for chronically disabled elders. This is projected to nearly double by 2030 to $341 billion and to grow to $684 billion once the last baby boomers have turned 85. And these estimates don't include the $375 billion in unpaid care family and friends provide-including foregone wages that would have helped support Medicare and Medicaid.

How much will you pay in Social Security and Medicare taxes over your lifetime? And how much can you expect to get back in benefits? It depends on whether you're married, when you retire, and how much you’ve earned over a lifetime. These tables provide estimates of the lifetime value of Social Security and Medicare benefits and taxes for typical workers in different generations at various earning levels.

The Urban Institute's Program on Retirement Policy debuted its Data Warehouse on June 14, 2011. The Data Warehouse is an online resource for retirement-related statistics, which can be used to glean how those in different age brackets are faring and get a look at long-term retirement trends. Its initial data include statistics on older workers and population flows.

Our extensive work on retirement policy covers the many ways the aging of America will trigger changes in how we work, retire, and spend federal resources. The number of Americans age 65 and over will rise from about 13 percent in 2008 to 20 percent by 2040. The recession dealt a heavy blow to retirement accounts, leaving many older adults worried about their retirement security.

Richard W. Johnson, director of the Program on Retirement Policy, explains the financial and health challenges women commonly face with age, what retirement looks like for women in the 21st century, and policy recommendations to help women in their golden years.

The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, a provision of the landmark 2010 health law, would create a government-run, voluntary long-term care insurance program. To its supporters, CLASS is a major step toward a sustainable financing system for the care of both the frail elderly and younger adults with disabilities. But many experts believe the act's design is deeply flawed. They fear that few consumers will buy the insurance and the program will fail. Can CLASS be fixed? What changes are needed? Our panel of experts will debate various proposals.