NH's Silver Tsunami: Aging and the Health care system

Full Report (PDF)

Brief Description

Aging in New Hampshire Presentation - with audio

New Hampshire’s aging population will play a major role in shaping health care spending in coming decades. By the year 2020, the state’s shift towards an older population will reach a peak. And by 2030, nearly half a million Granite Staters will be over the age of 65 – a so-called “silver tsunami,” representing almost one-third of the population.

Health care use varies by age and gender, and as New Hampshire’s demographics shift, the health care demands of the state’s population will reflect those changes. This analysis by the Center is an attempt to understand this phenomenon and help policymakers, businesses and health-care providers plan for its implications.

At the heart of this analysis is a projection of health care spending by the major payers (Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance) that can be attributed solely to the aging of the state population. We also explore how an older population may impact the state’s workforce and the state budget. An aging population will likely place new financial pressures on Medicaid, a shift that will have a big impact on future state budgets.Many other areas of state government will also be affected by New Hampshire’s aging population and its impact on health care, including the Department of Corrections and the Department of Administrative Services.