Impending millennial health problems may be a strain on economy

Impending millennial health problems may be a strain on economy


Consuming massive amounts of fad foods or being glued to your smartphone and unable to purchase a home may characterize you as a millennial.

One might think the generation gets a bad rap, and maybe they will be more successful than their predecessors. But new research from Blue Cross Blue Shield is not helping their case.

Aside from stereotypes about being lazy or entitled, the report suggests millennials may become an enormous strain on the American economy, and it all has to do with their health. According to the report, millennials are now the largest subset of the U.S. population, but they could die off at a 40% higher rate than Gen-Xers.

Why? Millennials by comparison have much more alarming rates of hypertension and high cholesterol coupled with a higher incidence of behavioral health complications like depression and anxiety.

Given this statistic, millennials are on track to need more medical care than their predecessors. Thus, they will drive up the market for health care. It’s estimated that millennials may be hit with a 33% spike in the cost of their medical bills.

At this point, it’s a chain reaction. More millennials getting sick means fewer of them contributing actively to the workforce. As a consequence, the cell phone aficionados will be forfeiting on average $4,500 per year in income.

Having less money serves to theoretically trap the population into a never-ending cycle of financial instability, poor health and rising costs of medical care. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield, these figures should serve as an incentive for lawmakers and others to dedicate resources to combating millennial health problems.

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