To be honest, I'm not excited about being a member of a group that calls itself "Older Americans," but so be it. As they have always done, the Baby Boomers are causing a seismic shift in the economy, and this time it's the health care sector.
I call it the Hula Hoop Phenomenon. Isn't it incredible that in just a four-month period, someone was able to get 25 million people to each part with $1.98 ($15.84 in today's dollars) for a plastic tube? Consider that at the end of the Baby Boom (1964), 40 percent of the U.S. population was 18 and younger (there did seem to be a lot of us around, but yikes.) The vendors of Barbie, the Pet Rock and Gerbers can be equally grateful.
Baby Boomers are a force to be reckoned with, and just wait until we reach full throttle high-maintenance. My dear Boomer friends: Celebrate still being here and aim to be an engaged and empowered health care consumer going forward--it will be more important than ever before. Be well, be careful, be health literate.