This is two years before the first baby boomers retire. We must do something to address the addition of 77 million baby boomers to the Medicare program. At the same time, the ratio of workers to retirees will drop dramatically. Because Medicare is financed through taxes, current workers pay for current beneficiaries. By 2030, the ratio will fall to 2.2 workers for every one retiree, Breaux said.
Some estimates list the current ratio of workers to retirees at five to one.
Katie White, associate health policy fellow at the University of St. Thomas, said young people should care about Medicare's future because they will not only pay for it, but should count on using it when they retire. The forum also addressed questions of providing health care for the growing uninsured population, the escalating costs for companies providing health care to employees and the possibility of reducing costs while improving quality. The panel discussions focused on testimony about the varying aspects of health care. They're looking for those gems of knowledge. Of the 17 commission members, only nine attended the meeting.