UPFRONT | From the editor Millennial health crisis “millennials will get sick and die faster than the previous generation.” How’s that for a headline? At first glance, the article penned by Vice Media is full of exaggerated prose. Still, when I took a look at the 32-page report (“The economic consequences of Millennial health”) from Blue Cross Blue Shield, it was painting a bleak picture of my generation. Although subject to debate, research giants (like the Pew Research Center) all use the timeframe of those born between 1981 and 1996 to reference Millennials. The executive summary of the report highlights three main findings: #1) Millenials are seeing their health decline faster than the previous generation as they age (referenced as a “health shock.”) even extending to behavioural health conditions. It states: “without intervention, Millenials could see mortality rates climb up by more than 40% compared to Gen-Xer’s of the same age.” This means that (#2), there will be a great demand for treatment and higher healthcare costs. The report projects that fees will be as much as 33% higher than Gen-Xers experienced. Then, this reduced state of health means that (#3) this generation is unable to contribute as much to the economy, which manifests itself through “higher unemployment and slower income growth.” The report paints two scenarios: The Baseline is conditioned on how history has played out (both the Silent Generation and the Boomers experienced similar health shocks into their mid-30s). Then there’s Adverse, which assumes the current health shock continues relatively unchanged throughout a ten-year forecast. The data states that declining behavioural health may be the reason itself. Is this because of the opioid crisis? Or something larger and more structural, like the stress of student loans, social media or the environment? History tells us that in order to stay out of the Adverse scenario, the underlying issue must either run its course (ex. Vietnam War) or be addressed by a public health response (ex. HIV/AIDS). Yes, our personal choices affect our health and mortality rates. But reports like these serve as a reminder that sometimes we must look outside of ourselves and realize the outside factors affecting healthcare. Were you aware of this health crisis? Does it change the way you view your patients in any way? I’m interested to see whether my generation gets back to our “Baseline” – we will have to wait and see what picture the history paints. December 2019 Volume 24, Number 8 EDITOR Jannen Belbeck [email protected] (888) 599-2228 x. 211 PUBLISHER Christine Livingstone [email protected] (519) 429-5173 • (888) 599-2228 ext. 239 ACCOUNT COORDINATOR Morgen Balch [email protected] (888) 599-2228 ext. 219 MEDIA DESIGNER Gerry Wiebe CIRCULATION MANAGER Anita Madden GROUP PUBLISHER/VP SALES Martin McAnulty [email protected] COO Scott Jamieson [email protected] Published and printed by Annex Business Media, 105 Donly Drive South, Simcoe, ON, Canada N3Y 4N5 Publication Mail Agreement #40065710 ISSN 1488-6952 CIRCULATION e-mail: [email protected] Tel: (416) 510-5189 Fax: (416) 416-510-6875 (main) 416-442-2191 Mail: 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400, Toronto, ON M2H 3R1 Annex Privacy Officer [email protected] Tel: 800-668-2384 Canadian Chiropractor is published eight times a year: February, April, May, June, July/August, September, October and December. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada – 1 Year $26.00, 2 years $42.00, 3 years $60.00 (HST #867172652RT0001) USA – 1 Year $46.00 (US Funds) Occasionally, Canadian Chiropractor will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2019 Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. JANNEN BELBECK, Editor @CanChiropractor /CanadianChiropractor @canchiropractor Use the hashtag #canadianchiropractor (or tag us) for a chance to be featured in a future issue! EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Victoria Coleman, DC; Connie J. D’Astolfo, DC, Dip HA, PhD (cand); Richard Brown, DC; Don Nixdorf, DC; Greg Stewart, BPE, DC 4 Canadian Chiropractor December 2019 www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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