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One aspect of being low income working hard jobs all your life is that you probably won't live as long.
Yes, statistics show that low income people have less longevity than high income people. But the reasons for that difference are not clear, to me at least. Some claim that high income people can afford better medical care, and that may be part of it, but I'm not buying that as a complete explanation. In any case, after age 65 we're all on Medicare and so we all have the same medical care.
High income people, being better educated in general, know more about the importance of healthy practices and lifestyle. For example, there is an enormous difference in smoking rates as tied to educational levels. In that case, it is probably less about "knowing" per se (everybody knows smoking isn't good for you) than it is about being able to defer gratification and take a longer view of things.
I was responding to your post. Go back and reread your post, particularly the one I was quoting.
Which was part of dialog with another poster. Go back and read all of the posts, not just the one you take out of context. Jeez, who made you the post police?
Yes, statistics show that low income people have less longevity than high income people. But the reasons for that difference are not clear, to me at least. Some claim that high income people can afford better medical care, and that may be part of it, but I'm not buying that as a complete explanation. In any case, after age 65 we're all on Medicare and so we all have the same medical care.
High income people, being better educated in general, know more about the importance of healthy practices and lifestyle. For example, there is an enormous difference in smoking rates as tied to educational levels. In that case, it is probably less about "knowing" per se (everybody knows smoking isn't good for you) than it is about being able to defer gratification and take a longer view of things.
I have to disagree with the first paragraph. High end people have access to concierge medicine. Also, if you have a condition that is somewhat unusual, you may have doctors who can treat it, but will not accept medicare. In fact, a lot of doctors won't accept medicare. Even my current physical therapist just dropped medicare. Many will also need to get an advantage or medigap plan. And don't get me started on the cost of prescriptions. A lot of the costs vary from state to state.
Yes, statistics show that low income people have less longevity than high income people. But the reasons for that difference are not clear, to me at least. Some claim that high income people can afford better medical care, and that may be part of it, but I'm not buying that as a complete explanation. In any case, after age 65 we're all on Medicare and so we all have the same medical care.
High income people, being better educated in general, know more about the importance of healthy practices and lifestyle. For example, there is an enormous difference in smoking rates as tied to educational levels. In that case, it is probably less about "knowing" per se (everybody knows smoking isn't good for you) than it is about being able to defer gratification and take a longer view of things.
Curious, is it worth pondering if High Income people have the same life style habits as low income people? If not could the difference in lifelong decisions result in a longer life expectancy? Less risky behavior, less risk taking etc. Are there correlations between life long practices and decision making that catch up to us in our later years? If my recent experiences with friends and family are any indication the answer is yes.
I have to disagree with the first paragraph. High end people have access to concierge medicine. Also, if you have a condition that is somewhat unusual, you may have doctors who can treat it, but will not accept medicare. In fact, a lot of doctors won't accept medicare. Even my current physical therapist just dropped medicare. Many will also need to get an advantage or medigap plan. And don't get me started on the cost of prescriptions. A lot of the costs vary from state to state.
Most teaching and public hospitals accept Medicare and do not use income based criteria to admit patients.
Perhaps the major differences is that healthy people live a more healthy lifestyle and take the time to do preventative testing so that any issues are identified earlier and treated.
Sounds like your parents were/are extremely irresponsible.
No, unfortunately there was a triple whammy for them:
1. They had to support their family members even when things weren't going very well
2. They were early to whole pensionless retirement movement that my generation has. My dad never had a job that had a pension like many of his peers
3. My dad was a mortgage broker and the housing bust hit exactly when he planned to make his final retirement savings sprint. After catching up on the challenges from the proceeding years (and our college years)
My parents had pretty substantial savings pre their early retirement, but everything that could go wrong did. We moved when a housing bust hit the old region so my parents ended up having to carry 2 mortgages for a few years. Depleting their savings. The parents were also not able to create a lot of income in the new place as that market didn't really support my dad's industry. So my parents made a tough choice. Dad moved for to return to his career near where we grew up to support the family and our college years.
So they moved to a lower cost region for retirement. Worked while they could find employment. Unfortunately getting a job past age 60 isn't particularly easy. Particularly if you have spent your life self-employed. Not everyone has unbreakable boot straps.
Where they screwed up? Not letting us kids in at any point on the actual financial challenges going on at any point before late adulthood.
And I learned an important lesson, the 401k model of retirement savings is pretty busted. This crisis is going to be huge.
And you can do all the right things and still get screwed. My parents went to college, had good jobs, bought a home in a typical middle class suburbia, moved to help take care of their parents in a lower cost area, moved for work when the math didn't work, and raised "good kids" with "good jobs." But they still don't have a cozy retirement.
Yes, some of the discussed issues with higher vs. lower income people are valid, but I think folks on this board often forget, or are just not exposed to, that many of the reasons why lower income people live shorter lives are also cultural and not just monetary.
One of my grandfathers grew up in a poor sharecropping family in Virginia. He has, and has always had, an extremely irrational fear of dentists. He didn't go to the dentist until his teeth were severely infected and has had dentures for two decades. Many people in southwest Virginia are extremely poor, and they often take pride in "gritting your teeth and bearing it," even if they feel something is seriously wrong. Suffering is a badge of honor in some circles.
You could provide free medical care for life to everyone in the country, and there are going to be places like southwest Virginia that remain culturally backward and medically ignorant, and will have shorter life expectancies than average.
Which was part of dialog with another poster. Go back and read all of the posts, not just the one you take out of context. Jeez, who made you the post police?
I didn't take anything out of context. You've been derailing the thread as usual.
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