[quote=bearishgurl]The first “boomers” (born 1946 to 1947) have already or will this year reach 66 years of age. They are allowed to retire at 66 with a full SS benefit. The retirement age creeps up to 67 for those born 1960 and later.
In general, boomers had access to health education in public schools as well as free public health vaccines (however primitive – ex. polio sugar cube). In addition, they were subject to warnings on cigarette pkgs from an early age. For these reasons and the “fitness and jogging crazes” of decades past, there are many more boomers alive and fit today to weather their later years in much better shape than their parents and grandparents (I like to think myself is included, lol).
For these reasons, I think many boomers will live longer than previous generations but I don’t know how many years longer, since longitivity is primarily hereditary. But I DO believe that boomers will live their “golden years” with far less disability than their predecessors and thus have a MUCH better quality of life overall, because of their advance knowledge of known health risks and implementation of a healthier lifestyle.[/quote]
Are we talking about medicare now instead of SS? It doesn’t matter why you live longer, if you live longer, you’ll drain more from SS. The question is, how much longer and how much more will they take from SS vs how much they put in. We won’t know till the last boomer die. My guess is, they’ll live much longer and they’ll take more from SS than they put in.
