NBER Study Finds 66-Year-Olds Gained 2.4 Healthy Years as Severe Limitations Fell 30%
Updated
Updated · TIME · Jun 23
NBER Study Finds 66-Year-Olds Gained 2.4 Healthy Years as Severe Limitations Fell 30%
2 articles · Updated · TIME · Jun 23
Summary
A new NBER working paper found Americans are spending their final years in better health, with 66-year-olds gaining 2.4 years of life expectancy from roughly 1993 to 2017 and all of those added years classified as healthy.
Severe physical or cognitive limitation time fell about 30%, pointing to delayed aging rather than prolonged dying and reducing expected use of nursing homes and home-health services.
The study, based on Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data, comes as U.S. life expectancy reached a record 79 in 2024; researchers said better drugs and anti-smoking public-health efforts may be contributing.
Longer lives still raise fiscal pressure: expected lifetime Social Security spending increased 14%, while Medicare spending rose a smaller 6% because healthier older adults need fewer intensive interventions near the end of life.
The U.S. spends the most on healthcare but lags in longevity. Can new science finally close this gap?
If longer lives are now healthier lives, why is America's retirement system on the brink of collapse?
With anti-aging trials now underway, could the secret to a longer life lie in a lab instead of a hospital?
Healthy Life Expectancy Surges: How Americans Are Gaining More Good Years—and What It Means for Society
Overview
Americans are not only living longer, but they are also enjoying more years in good health. This positive trend is driven by medical advancements and better health management, leading to a decline in severe limitations and a notable increase in healthy life expectancy for older adults. As a result, the number of seniors living without disabilities is projected to rise significantly in the coming decades. With older people requiring fewer intensive health interventions, Medicare spending has only seen a modest increase, showing that improved health is helping to control costs while enhancing quality of life for the aging population.