Long Term Care: A Case Study

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(1) p.112 Natl. Health Spending as a percent of GNP . 1999 & now. In 1996 healthcare spending was estimated to be more than a trillion dollars (Dychtwald). The population of 65 and older accounts for approximately 13% of our nation’s population, and they account for 24.1% of the total hospital visits (Dychtwald). One reason that the health care industry is such a moneymaker is because Medicare doesn’t generally cover all of the costs of disease prevention and long term care, which can be quite expensive. The percentage of GDP that is spent on healthcare was approximately 17% in 2009, and it is projected to be 19.3% by the year 2019 (Terry). (2) p.113 Healthcare costs for Medicare patients shown as $100/yr in 1965 and $7,000 in…show more content…
1999 & now. According to our textbook, the most recent figures (which are from 1995) the average cost for Medicare for an individual person is $7,000 per senior adult (Dychtwald). Medicare covers less than 50% typically, and doesn’t offer any aide for expenses for disease prevention and long-term care (Dychtwald). The costs can add up quickly and are usually quite costly. I couldn’t find a figure in the report that listed how much Medicare was per person, but I took the total for Medicare expenditures and divided it by the United States population and found that the average cost for an individual person for Medicare is about $10,000. (3) p.113 Average cost annually for long term care (choose 5 states & report). The average cost for a stay at a nursing home for 2.5 years is $100,000 (Dychtwald). That breaks down to approximately $40,000 per year. Of course, this figure can fluctuate both ways depending on facilities and their amenities. The following numbers approximate the average cost per day in a semi-private room for nursing homes, followed by the annual year cost. Nebraska: $148, $54,020 (MetLife) Florida: $223, $81,395…show more content…
Because Alzheimer’s has such a prevalence and impact on the elder generation, it is important to support the funding and research to find treatments, and hopefully one day, a cure for this debilitating disease. References: Dychtwald Ph. D. , Ken. Age Power: How the 21st Century Will Be Ruled By the New Old. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Inc. Alzheimer’s Disease Association. (2011). Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Volume 7, Issue 2. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/downloads/facts_figures_2011.pdf. MetLife. (2012). The 2011 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, and Home Care Costs. Market Survey of Long-Term Care Costs. Retrieved from
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