In 2006,103,654 people received Medicare benefits in North Dakota (16 percent of the total population). This number has remained relatively unchanged for the past 10 years. However, this trend soon will change as baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) begin turning 65 in 2011.

“It is difficult to imagine the impact of this big wave of new seniors who will be tapping into Medicare over the next few years,” says Richard Rathge, director of the State Data Center at North Dakota State University. “Nationwide, we will see more than 1.8 million people turn 65 each year beginning in 2011. This translates into more than 5,000 a day, which is a substantial number.”

This month’s “Economic Brief,” a monthly publication from the North Dakota State Data Center, focuses on the number of people enrolled in Medicare by state. Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance to most Americans age 65 and older. Some Americans younger than 65 with certain disabilities and those of all ages with permanent kidney failure also are eligible for coverage.

Population projections for North Dakota indicate that the number of people age 65 and older will grow significantly by 2020 due mostly to the aging baby boomers.

“Our best estimates indicate that the proportion of North Dakota’s population age 65 and older will grow from 15 percent in 2000 to 17 percent by 2010 and to 23 percent by 2020,” Rathge says.

Since the majority of Medicare beneficiaries in North Dakota are age 65 and older (88 percent in 2006), the impact of the baby boom on Medicare enrollments will be significant throughout North Dakota and the nation in the very near future.

For more information on the Medicare program, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/ or the Medicare Web site at http://www.medicare.gov/.

NDSU Agriculture Communication