Barron's had an article about cuts to Medicaid proposed in the current budget bill working through the legislative process. Does anyone know what is actually going on? I do not, meaning I do not know what is true or what are scare tactics and maybe congress doesn't know either. Note that any comments expressing political ideology will be deleted as soon as I see them. I am expressing confusion being propagated by both major parties.
There's a stat in the article that in 75% of couples, at least one partner will need some variation of long term care with the expectation that by 2025 that could cost $200,000 in less expensive areas and cited the cost in Boston being $400,000. FWIW, a decent sample size living in Walker where the population has always skewed older, that 75% number is way too high. You have observations please leave a comment.
I Tweeted out the article and put it on Bluesky too saying "I have no idea what the outcome will be. Guys, get in the gym and maintain the ability to deadlift your bodyweight for reps and stay lean by eating less sugar and processed foods."
Yes that is probably harsh but depending on your age, this will either soon be very important or it already is. The reason to refer to deadlift that way is that the exercise is literally bending down to pick up something heavy. It also exercises legs and grip which are both vitally important too. Benchpress and curls are less so.
We start to see consequences of poor decisions related to diet and exercise, maybe other bad decisions related to partying at younger ages, pop up in 40's and 50's. I've seen it in all my constituencies, finance bros, college buddies, high school friends and sometimes in fire circles. Not so much here, but I see news reports of 50 year old firefighters dying from heart attacks kind of frequently.
A few weeks ago, I shared an anecdote about a former fire chief who at 81 is still active in our department as our station boss (oversees getting personnel onto trucks and out the door) and fixing things that get broken. He doesn't think twice about climbing on top of one of our engines or water tenders. He's always been active, is thin like a kid and plays pickle ball. Another guy up here not connected with the department is 97 walks constantly, thin like a kid; he called the department once for a fire alarm problem. He has very tall ceilings and was going to climb up the ladder while we were there. Of course he was only 95 then.
Body composition is crucial for favorable outcomes. Follow @mangan150 on Twitter to get into the details, I mean really into the details of the various beneficial metabolic processes, but no gut combined with decent muscle mass prevents/solves a lot of problems.
I've been banging this drum one way or another forever. It is very simple even if not easy. Cut sugar/carb consumption as well as eating less processed food and lift weights. We need to maintain/build muscle mass to stave off frailty. Nothing does that as well as lifting weights and many popular forms of exercise don't build muscle mass at all. Done with the right intensity, lifting weights is aerobic. All "right intensity" means is using enough weight that it forces you to move slowly and not resting too long in between sets.
This combo of diet and exercise improves the odds of not needing prescriptions to manage chronic maladies, wards off frailty, decreases the odds of Alzheimer's and dementia (Google Type 3 Diabetes) all of which means much less spent on health cares costs and being less likely to need prolonged advanced care.
Twenty years ago, a blog reader was fond of saying he expected to get shot by a jealous husband when he was 110 as how he would go out. If that doesn't quite work out, where there is an inevitability here, it would be nice to live on your own terms for a very long time, needing no more than a couple of months of help.
There are no absolutes but the way to improve the odds is pretty simple. Cut carbs and lift weights and the reality of whatever is coming with Medicaid might matter a whole lot less to you.
The information, analysis and opinions expressed herein reflect our judgment and opinions as of the date of writing and are subject to change at any time without notice. They are not intended to constitute legal, tax, securities or investment advice or a recommended course of action in any given situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment