Contents

• Is the growing elderly population a serious problem?
• Growing elderly population is a serious problem / Peter G. Peterson
• Growing elderly population will create a health care worker shortage / Kim Krisberg
• Aging prisoners strain the nation’s penal system / Stephanie Pfeffer
• Doomsday predictions about population aging are exaggerated / Robert B. Friedland, Laura Summer
• Growing elderly population is healthier and wealthier than ever / Tim Smart
• Elderly contribute to society / David Gould - - Does health care meet the needs of the elderly?
• Medicare reforms have improved health care for the elderly / George W. Bush
• Medicaid eligibility requirements protect the elderly poor / Ellen O’Brien
• Long-term care insurance meets the needs of the elderly / Richard W. Johnson, Cori E. Uccello
• Medicare should be reformed / Jessica Mittler
• Medicaid eligibility requirements must be reformed / Stephen A. Moses
• Ageism prevents the elderly from getting proper medical care / Alice Dembner - - Elderly minorities receive inferior health care / Kim Krisberg
• Alzheimer’s epidemic threatens to overwhelm the heath care system / Salynn Boyles
• Should social security be privatized?
• Privatizing social security will benefit all Americans / George W. Bush
• Privatizing social security gives workers control over their future / Michael Tanner
• Privatizing social security will benefit the economy / David Malpass
• Private social security accounts should not replace guaranteed benefits / Jeffrey B. Liebman
• Privatizing social security would create too much personal risk / Jacob S. Hacker
• Traditional social security program helps Americans share life’s risks and rewards / Barack Obama
• What challenges do the elderly face?
• Elderly workers face discrimination / Joanna N. Lahey
• Elderly are vulnerable to abuse / National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence
• Elderly have high suicide rates / Lauren Neergaard
• Elderly are vulnerable to financial exploitation / Susanna Schrobsdorff
• Elderly lack affordable housing / James J. Callahan Jr.
• Lack of transportation options restrict elderly independence / In Hee Choi et al.
• Ageism remains a serious problem for the elderly / Abigail Trafford
• Elderly face a lack of compassion / George Neumayr