You’ve probably seen the ad for a shingles vaccine that states, “Shingles doesn’t care.”  That’s true.  Other diseases don’t either.  Cutbacks on healthcare in the “Big Beautiful Bill” do not primarily target seniors.  And yet, seniors will suffer serious collateral damage.  This is not a partisan statement.  Illness doesn’t care if you are red, blue, white, brown, or green.  It is the way of things that most Elders will develop chronic illnesses.  If hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes are forced to shut down or restrict care, if home care options are restricted, Elders will be disproportionately impacted.  After all, we need and utilize the most resources.

This is particularly true in rural areas.  Imagine that you or a loved-one is on dialysis and your local dialysis center is forced to shut down and the next nearest center is two hours away.  How are you going to make that trip two to three times a week?  If hospitals close and you can no longer care for your demented parent at home, what are you going to do?  Even if you manage to get your loved-one admitted to the hospital, they may get ‘stuck’ there as alternatives such as nursing homes or home care become less available.  Hospitals are dangerous places for Elders!

So, what to do?  There is no easy answer, but a good first step is to educate yourself and make a plan.  Some ideas:

  • Review your current healthcare insurance. Read the brochure they sent out.  Consider changing your insurance during “Open Season,” depending on how your health status changes and what plan best matches your needs.
  • Stay alert to changes in legislation, both federal and state, as they evolve, and how they might affect your insurance and healthcare availability in your community.
  • Start planning now. Most elders will develop a chronic illness, if they haven’t already.  Discuss this as a family. Consider likely ‘what-if’ scenarios.  While there is no perfect plan, “no plan” is probably not the optimal one.

In my book, The Chronic Illness Journey – Finding Your Way, just published, I go into how to plan for chronic illness in seniors in more detail.   Available on Amazon.