Changing Aging

What do you think we spend more on in the United States?  Defense or Aging?

Today the federal government spends more on seniors than on any other group or program.  According to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and research by USA Today, last year, states paid $27 billion of the $979 billion in senior benefits, primarily for Medicaid payments to nursing homes (Guess where boomers don’t want to live?  Guess what the average cost of a nursing home nationally is: $75,000)

Look at last year’s federal break down on senior benefits (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid) and defense in the U.S.:

Senior benefits:       $952.3 billion (doesn’t include the $27 billion paid by states)  (This is almost 35% of the federal budget.)

Defense:                   $552.5 billion  (Just over 20% of the federal budget)