September 2023

The Demographic Outlook: 2022 to 2052

By Congressional Budget Office The size of the U.S. population, as well as its age and sex composition, affect the economy and the federal budget. For example, the size of the working-age population affects the number of people employed; likewise, the size of the population age 65 or older affects the number of beneficiaries of Social Security and other federal programs. The Congressional Budget Office projects the population in future years by projecting fertility, net immigration, and mortality. (In this report,...

July 2023

US. To Fix the Care Economy, the United States Should Look Internationally

The care economy and the role of caregiving in unpaid and paid work have been in the spotlight recently in the United States. In 2021, the proposed Build Back Better plan would have invested $400 billion in the care economy—including long-term care services under Medicaid, paid family and medical leave, and better pay for home and child care workers—but failed to pass after some legislators equated it with socialism. A recent executive order that integrates more supportive caregiving policies...

The 2021 Ageing Report: Underlying Assumptions and Projection Methodologies

By Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs & Economic Policy Committee With a view to ensuring the sustainability of public finances in the EU, the ECOFIN Council charged the Economic Policy Committee (EPC) with producing a new set of long-term budgetary projections by 2021, on the basis of new population projections to be provided by Eurostat. Safeguarding the sustainability of public finances requires that the analysis is based on reliable, comparable information on possible challenges to fiscal sustainability, including strains...

June 2023

Kenya govt mulls mandatory contributions to retirement medical insurance schemes

The Kenyan government says it will review the current framework for post-retirement medical insurance schemes to make contributions to them mandatory by members and sponsors. The goal is to sustain access to healthcare services by retirees. The plan is part of proposals contained in the draft National Retirement Benefits Policy by the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA. The draft was released for public feedback last week, according to a report by Business Daily Africa. A post-retirement medical scheme can be set up as...

Robot Caregivers: China’s Solution for Aging Population

China, home to the world’s largest aging population, is facing a significant challenge in providing adequate care and support for its elderly citizens. However, in a remarkable display of innovation and foresight, China embraces the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to address this pressing issue. Focusing on developing cutting-edge technology, China aims to utilize robots as caregivers for older adults, revolutionizing how aging populations are cared for. This article delves into China’s ambitious endeavors, highlighting the advancements...

May 2023

China issues guidance for basic elderly care system by 2025

China has issued guidance to all provinces to build a basic elderly care system by 2025, state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, in the latest step to prevent a demographic crisis. Who takes care of the elderly in China, where pensions are tiny, is one of the major headaches policymakers face as they deal with the country's first demographic downturn since Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution. The ruling Communist Party has mobilised resources to ensure that more vulnerable age groups are...

March 2023

Chinese cities are so broke, they’re cutting medical benefits for seniors

China's government, strapped for cash after years of enforcing a costly zero-Covid policy, is cutting medical benefits and planning to raise the retirement age, in deeply unpopular moves that are fueling widespread public anger. Thousands of elderly people have been taking to the streets since January to protest big cuts to monthly medical benefit payments. They've gathered in four major cities across the country, demanding local officials reverse the decisions. The changes are part of a national overhaul mainly intended to...

February 2023

Healthcare Technology International Perspective Report

By Dr. Michael Twomey THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC is putting vast pressure on the worldwide health care sector’s labour force, infrastructure, and supply chain, and revealing social inequities in health and care. Moreover, COVID-19 is hastening transformation throughout the ecosystem, requiring public and private health systems to acclimatise and innovate swiftly. A number of key changes are appearing from and being worsened by COVID-19’s expanse. For instance, consumers’ growing participation in healthcare decision-making; the swift embracing of virtual health and other digital...

January 2023

Older Adults and Technology Use

By: Aaron Smith America’s seniors have historically been late adopters to the world of technology compared to their younger compatriots, but their movement into digital life continues to deepen, according to newly released data from the Pew Research Center. In this report, we take advantage of a particularly large survey to conduct a unique exploration not only of technology use between Americans ages 65 or older and the rest of the population, but within the senior population as well. Two different groups of older Americans...

China’s going to have to figure out how to care for 400 million elderly people by 2040

China reached a pivotal moment this year, announcing on Tuesday that its population had, for the first time since the 1960s, shrunk. It's not just fewer people that China has to contend with. The country's planners have another mammoth challenge ahead: a rapidly aging population. The World Health Organization expects China to have more than 400 million people over the age of 60 by 2040, up from 254 million in 2019. That's nearly a third of its total population, compared to...