Transcript Controversy 8

IDSP-465 Issues in Gerontology: A Life Course Perspective on Aging
IDSP 465/565: Issues in Gerontology
Controversy 8: Should Age or Need Be the Basis for Entitlement?
IDSP-465 Issues in Gerontology: A Life Course Perspective on Aging
Generational equity
• Two different meanings of generation:
– 1) an age specific group, such as “the elderly” or “children
under age 18”
– Or, 2) a historical cohort consisting of a group of people
born in the same year or in a certain period (e.g., those
who experienced the Great Depression or World War II)
• Four issues underlie generational equity:
1. Questions about the allocation of resources between
older adults and children
2. Concerns about large government deficits
3. Controversies over rationing health care resources
4. Questions about the fairness of how Social Security is
financed
IDSP-465 Issues in Gerontology: A Life Course Perspective on Aging
Poverty Among the Old
• Over the past 30 years, there has been a large reduction
in poverty rates among the elderly
– Although the most gains in income for people were in the 1960’s
and 1970’s
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – a cash benefit
program for the elderly poor, blind, and disabled
– SSI is a means-tested program – it is only available if your
income and assets fall below a designated range
IDSP-465 Issues in Gerontology: A Life Course Perspective on Aging
Poverty Among Children and Young People
• International comparison shows that U.S. poverty rates
among children are higher than every other industrial
nation in the world
– This high poverty rate may be caused by family structure,
unemployment, and/or declining wages
– Some people also blame the declining well-being of children on
the voting power of older adults
• Families with children today form a smaller part of the electorate
than in the past
IDSP-465 Issues in Gerontology: A Life Course Perspective on Aging
Taxation and Power
• The U.S.’s tax system has far-reaching impacts on
different age groups and cohorts
• Many “tax breaks,” or “tax expenditures,” go
disproportionately to older people with higher incomes
– The elderly poor get only 2% of the benefits from tax breaks
• Generational accounting – analyzes how government tax
and spending policies affect different cohorts
– Adds up all the taxes paid to federal, state, and local
governments over a lifetime, then subtracts benefits received
such as Social Security, Medicare, and schooling
• Must distinguish between the notion of conflict between
generations and competition for different public
programs
IDSP-465 Issues in Gerontology: A Life Course Perspective on Aging
The Least-Advantaged
Older Adults
• How do we define “least-advantaged” among older
adults? Possible answers include:
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The entire older population
People above a certain age
Elders in minority ethnic groups
Older women
Rural or inner-city elderly
The physically or mentally frail
Older people who are vulnerable to abuse or neglect
IDSP-465 Issues in Gerontology: A Life Course Perspective on Aging
The Least-Advantaged
Older Adults (cont.)
• Today there are many people in their 60’s and 70’s who
are healthy and active
– The so-called “well-derly” cause some people to argue that
disability and frailty, not chronological age, should be the basis of
access to services
• Socioeconomic Status (SES) – a term used by
sociologists to describe what is often known as “social
class”
• Cumulative disadvantage – lower SES over the life
course tends to produce cumulative disadvantage,
which is perpetuated in old age
IDSP-465 Issues in Gerontology: A Life Course Perspective on Aging
The Targeting Debate
• Cost-sharing – an approach that combines elements of
both means testing and taxation
• The Older Americans Act (OAA) directs the aging-service
network to target its services to:
– “Individuals with the greatest economic or social needs, with
particular attention to low-income minority individuals”
• But there is still debate over how universal programs
such as the OAA and Social Security can properly give
preference to some needy groups