The Balance Between The Unaging Population And The Aging Support Program

The Balance Between the Aging Population and the Aging Support Program Life is short, but most people do not come to this realization until they have already experienced most of it. The elderly live every day with this thought lingering nearby, but they cannot stop working to enjoy the rest of their lives because of the paramount issue of money. Fears of debt plague people of all ages, but without protecting the Social Security program that protects the elderly from these fears, the elderly will continue to run from this fear during years that they should have the opportunity to enjoy. Social Security cannot afford to support the elderly during their final years so long as the human lifespan increases, but they can provide for them if they …show more content…
Even if Congress implements their plan of increasing the normal retirement age, these hardworking members of society can still retire early and live out their lives peacefully through the early retirement program. Economic policy expert David C. John demonstrates the benefits of keeping the early retirement age the same when he describes how “the proportion of men claiming benefits at 62 stabilized” (David C. John), and the proportion of women claiming early benefits dropped. As a result of the stabilization and even decrease in early retirement claims, Social Security can afford to stabilize the early retirement age as well, which allows those who truly need to retire early to do so with only a minor decrease in benefits. Michelle Roberts, a health reporter for BBC News, similarly explored the reasons behind early retirement, and she discovered that many workers who had suffered from depression and other medical conditions before their retirement experienced a substantial drop in these health issues (Michelle Roberts). Roberts’s data reveals the benefits and necessity of early retirement for those hard-working elderly with strenuous jobs. Whether the normal retirement age is extended or not, so long as the early retirement age remains the same, the extension will not harm the hardworking elderly …show more content…
With the increase in the average lifespan, Social Security will soon reach a point where it can no longer help anyone, and increasing the retirement age to catch up with this lifespan would benefit retirees of all social classes as well as the program itself. Many of the elderly helped the country and the adults that keep it running become what they are today, and by choosing to increase the retirement age the younger generations can now help their parents enjoy their golden