Baby boomers are causing one of the biggest demands the health care industry has ever seen. A baby boomer is defined as anyone born between the years of 1946 to 1964, during a rapid population increase called the “baby boom” after World War II. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that there are currently 76.4 million baby boomers.  For the next twenty years, 3 million baby boomers will reach retirement age each year. By 2030, one in five Americans will be a senior citizen. With aging comes inevitable illness and increased long term medical needs. There is no doubt that the baby boomers will have a notable impact on the health care industry.

Longer, Unhealthier Lives

With the increase in medical technology and treatment options, people are living longer, but they aren’t necessarily healthier. According to a recent study by JAMA, baby boomers exercise less, are more overweight, and have higher rates of hypertension and high cholesterol. All of these are major risks for developing a chronic illness. Consequently, this will lead to a large majority of our population suffering from long-term medical issues. This has led to a focus on prevention rather than only symptom-based treatment. There has been a recent emphasis in promoting healthy eating and exercise among the retiring population. Companies are creating health incentive programs for workers, including weight loss competitions with cash awards. The logic is, if baby boomers are committed to living a healthier lifestyle, it could take some of the sting off the impending crisis we are expected to face in the coming years.

Healthcare is the Fastest Growing Field

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupations and industries related to healthcare are projected to add the most of the new jobs between 2014 and 2022. Overall employment is projected to increase 10.8 percent during the next decade. We need more highly trained medical professionals, not only to replace those that we will be losing to retirement, but also for the inevitable large population that will be facing chronic illness at the end of their lives. This is a two-fold issue that can be solved with promoting careers in medicine, better benefits, increase in salaries, and an emphasis on appreciation of those who work in health care. With a large unemployed population of college grads, health care may just be the answer to keeping our economy afloat. There has never been a better time to get in the health care industry.

Massive Shortages

There will be a sharp increase in demand for longer-term medical care, but it’s looking like there won’t be enough medical professionals to fulfill the need. The Association of American Medical Colleges has estimated the nation will be short of 91,500 physicians by 2020. It is estimated that the U.S. nursing shortage is projected to grow to 260,000 registered nurses by 2025. These statistics aren’t even counting the hundreds of other health care professions that are crucial to the operation of our health care system. Within the next five years, hospitals will be hiring a record number of staff. It is important that we have trained professionals to fill these positions.

Accessibility to Care

It is estimated that there will be a shift towards family based and outpatient service needs for the baby boomer population. According to a study by the National Institute of Health (Health Services Research), the biggest challenge in overcoming the shortage will be changing the way society organizes community services, so that care is more accessible to those who need it. This means we need more trained health care workers in the fields of general practice and internal medicine. More young doctors are tending to gravitate toward higher paying specialties. However, with the growing aging population in need of general care, we will be high and dry without those in general practice. Without the gatekeepers of internal medicine, things will start to surely run amok.

While the baby boomer population will present some serious challenges to the medical field, it also will create great opportunities for employment. In order to prepare us for “baby boom doom,” we really need to focus on training medical workers, and lots of them. Having a committed and educated workforce will be the key to keeping things running smoothly in the next twenty years or so.