Taking The Pulse Of Health Care

In the 1967 film "The Graduate," Dustin Hoffman plays Benjamin, a young man who returns home after college somewhat adrift, and is given some well-meaning career advice from a family friend, Mr. Maguire. Mr. Maguire: I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Benjamin: Yes, sir. Mr. Maguire: Are you listening? Benjamin: Yes, I am. Mr. Maguire: Plastics. Benjamin: Exactly how do you mean? Mr. Maguire: There's a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it? Fast forward. It's now fifty years later, and while the plastics industry has become the third largest manufacturing industry in the U.S., a more relevant piece of advice today might well be "health care." In terms of supply and demand, health care is clearly a growth proposition. The numbers tell the story. One hundred years ago, the life expectancy of the average American male was around 52 years. Today it's closer to 80. For American women, the numbers are 55 and 80. So whether you're a man or a woman, there's a good chance you'll live some 25 years longer than your great grandparents. Unfortunately those 25 years often come with health issues that can slow us down, impact our quality of life, even immobilize us, and lead to the need for care. So the flip side of longer life expectancy is longer care expectancy. Then there's the population itself. The U.S. population is currently around 317 million, and is expected to grow to 400 million by 2050. The world po...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news