Fiscal Focus

              Cover Story ........................front cover, 3-6
Letter From The Comptroller ................... 2
Two Federal Laws Provide
Major Support for the Elderly ......... 2, 10
Medicaid vs. Medicare ........................... 7
Giving Illinois Seniors a Break ..............8
The Facts on Elder Abuse..................... 9
Illinois Cares Rx ............................. 11, 14
Long Term Care Trends ................. 12, 16
Illinois’ Foster
Grandparent Program.......................... 13
A Closer Look at the
Community Care Program .................. 15
Senior Citizen Web Sites
and Toll-Free Numbers......................... 16
Comparing Medicare Populations...... 17
May 2007 Tables.................................... 18
June 2007 Tables .................................. 19
Did You Know............................back cover
In This Issue:
As one generation approaches retirement, a
new generation takes its place, both socially
and economically. However, transitioning
the “baby boom” generation will present
some unique challenges to society and to
government programs particularly. Soon
this generation will begin to leave the work-force;
a change which will have a significant
impact on Illinois’ financial
climate, especially in regard
to the increasing costs of long
term care and Medicaid, and
the funding of programs pro-vided
through the Illinois
Department on Aging.
The Baby Boomers
When analyzing generational
impacts, demographers look
to generational cohorts,
which break down groups
based on birth year. For
instance, people born
between the years 1928 and
1945 are known as the “Silent Generation”
or “War Babies,” while those born after
World War II are commonly referred to as
the “Baby Boomers,” due to the significant
increase in birth rates that followed the war.
Those born between the end of the baby
boom era and the late seventies/early eight-ies
are known as “Generation X,” followed
by the most recent grouping, defined as
“Generation Y.” The accompanying chart
further defines these cohorts.
During the baby boom era (1946-1964), the
United States experienced its highest birth
rate increase in two decades with 4.3 million
births recorded in 1957. The live birth rate
for the United States in 2000 was approxi-mately
4 million, which gives this baby
boom figure some historical context. Illi-nois
hit its baby boom peak in 1959, record-ing
239,871 live births; in 2000 this number
was just 185,003.
The graph on page 3 shows birth rates in the
United States and Illinois from 1925 to
2000. These data indicate that Illinois’ birth
rate trends mirrored those of the rest of the
country before, during, and after the baby
boom era.
• JULY 2007 ISSUE •
POPULATION AGING:
ARE GOVERNMENTS READY?
A Publication of the Illinois State Comptroller
Fiscal Focus
Cover Story continued, page 3
Classification of Generations in the United States
1928 - 1945
1946 - 1964
Early 80’s–late
90’s / early 00’s
1965 – late
70’s / early 80’s
YEARS BORN NAME OF GENERATION
Generation Y, N Generation, Echo
Boomers, Internet Generation,
Reagan Babies
Generation X, 13th Generation, MTV
Generation (1974-1985), Baby Bust
II (1965-1976)
Baby Boomers, Older/Leading
Boomers (1946-1954),
Younger/Trailing Boomers (1955-
1964)
Swing Cohorts, Post-War Cohorts,
War Babies, Baby Bust (I), Silent
Generation, Seekers
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia