Ageism is a huge problem. Unfortunately for the boomers, retiring is not an option as stated by the article above and by many other studies. For many, the one fundamental reason they cannot retire and cannot survive financially without a “full time” job with health care benefits is for the health care alone.
I hope that our society will look to address ageism with the huge population of baby boomers as age discrimination is no better than discrimination on sex, race, or religion. However I think its one of the least talked about compared to the other forms of discriminiation.
For those who think well I’m in my 20s or 30s and why should I care now about ageism? Not only may it affect you very personally in the next decade or so, but it may affect you in the form of having to take care of your parents in some form or another. If your parents live to be 85 or 90 and have sporadic employment starting in their mid or late 50s, how many of them can afford healthcare until Medicare kicks in? Even after Medicare and Social Security kick in, how many can afford the cost of living for 30-40 years and possibly buying supplemental insurance?
