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By 2035, older Americans, or those aged 65 and above, will outnumber U.S. children under the age of 18 for the first time in history, according to a projection by the U.S. Census Bureau. This demographic shift will be significant for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and researchers, many of whom are now moving their focus towards ways of improving the quality of adults’ later years.
Today, we’re already seeing massive shifts in how society views the process of aging. And drawing inspiration from our older relatives to celebrities alike, it’s becoming clear that reaching late career milestones is anything but a setback. Just look at Tom Brady, who is still playing championship-caliber football while approaching AARP age.
“Aging is not lost youth, but a new stage of opportunity and strength,” Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, wrote. Today’s older Americans are aging on their own terms and embracing the new conventions of 21st century society.
The role of technology cannot be understated here, as many American seniors are adopting digital life wholesale. In 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that Americans aged 60 and older spent more than half of their daily leisure time – or a little over 4 hours – on electronic devices, such as tablets, computers, and TVs. According to Forbes, an estimated 73% of older Americans in 2022 use the internet, marking a steep increase from the year 2000, when a mere 14% were doing the same.
By 2030, a fifth of Americans will be retirement-aged. It’s obvious that these individuals will be more innovative and tech-savvy than any older generation before them, so why are crucial programs – like Medicare – still stuck in archaic operating systems?
Today, the Medicare enrollment process, largely unchanged for decades, is counterintuitive, overcomplicated, and outdated. All the while, the older Americans of today are increasingly ambitious, computer-literate, and eager for convenience.
The next decade represents a potential pivot point – one in which older Americans start ditching tradition and embracing digital advancements. As the rest of the population thrives with new technological advancements, we cannot leave older Americans behind.
At Hella Health, we strive to bridge the gap between the outdated technologies that have served older Americans of the past and the more efficient (and easier-to-use) technologies of today. We enable beneficiaries to enroll in a Medicare plan fully online without burdening them with phone calls, sales pitches, or false advertisements.
Medicare enrollment, a process once mundane and overcomplicated, should be as seamless as possible – and moving the process online is a perfect start.
We recognize that every older American comes with their own unique plan preferences and that not everyone is equally tech-savvy. Hella Health is an easy-to-navigate platform that matches beneficiaries to their perfect Medicare plan in just a few clicks. For those who want to live happy, healthy older lives, convenience is key.
