U.S. mortality rates to remain elevated, childbearing to lag through 2023 because of pandemic
Source: Washington Post
The federal government expects U.S. mortality rates to be elevated by 15 percent over pre-pandemic norms in 2021 and not return to normal levels until 2023, according to a report released Tuesday by the Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare programs. The trustees concluded that these elevated mortality rates, along with lower immigration and depressed fertility rates, have had a significant effect on the trust funds supporting Medicare in the short term.
But the report found that Medicare’s main trust fund will still be able to pay out full benefits until 2026, a timeline unchanged since last year. More than 600,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus pandemic that began in early 2020, and case levels have increased in recent weeks, leading to projections of a spike in deaths later this year. The new trustee findings are from an annual report signed by four trustees responsible for tracking the health of two major U.S. trust funds supporting both Medicare and Social Security.
The trustees include Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, labor secretary Marty Walsh, acting social security administration commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi, and health and human services director Xavier Becerra. The trustees met at Tuesday afternoon to discuss the report’s findings. The trustees estimated that the main trust fund supporting Medicare will be able to continue paying full benefits through 2026, reflecting no change from last year’s report. After those reserves are depleted, the program would be able to pay 91 percent of its total scheduled benefits.
Walsh said in a press release that recent economic growth should bolster both programs for the long-term.“As our economy gets healthier, so do the trust funds that sustain Social Security and Medicare," Walsh said. “We will continue working to deliver on the promise of financial security in retirement for all of America’s workers.” Medicare is the country’s government-run healthcare system primarily for people over the age of 65, as well as for younger people with disabilities.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/08/31/mortality-coronavirus-medicare-trustee-report/
Full headline: U.S. mortality rates to remain elevated, childbearing to lag through 2023 because of pandemic, new government report predicts
I believe this is a link to the report - https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v81n3/v81n3p19.html
The whole publication with other reports (PDF) - https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v81n3/ssb-v81n3.pdf
= new reply since forum marked as read
We all know getting vaccinated makes people smarter, and probably sexier too.
Given any choice at all, the average woman won’t bring babies into the midst of hunger and plague.
I understand some male pundits were surprised at this. “Oh my, women are out of work and staying home. Why aren’t they getting knocked up all over the place?”
