Panel says California not ready for aging boom
October 16, 2005
SACRAMENTO California's multibillion-dollar social service bureaucracy is not prepared to deal with the massive infusion of senior citizens expected to come as the baby boom generation reaches old age, a panel of experts told an Assembly policy committee Wednesday.
Experts told the Assembly committee on Aging and Long-Term Care that as the elder population grows, it will magnify the existing deficiencies of a system already overly complicated and often unresponsive to the needs of an increasingly diverse community.
"The question is, is the state ready for the aging boom? And the answer, unfortunately, is no," Berg, D-Eureka, said.
Berg, who serves as chairwoman of the panel, said testimony during the hearing underscored the notion that California is not "getting the most bang for its buck" when it comes to delivering services to senior citizens.
Toby Ewing, program manager for the Little Hoover Commission, said California's bureaucracy has so many specific aid programs that seniors have a hard time knowing where to go for help.
As manager of a bipartisan agency that analyzes state government efficiency, Ewing said state officials are more focused on regulations than on people in need.
"The state spends an extraordinary amount of time and money making sure that its rules are being followed, but very little time monitoring whether the person is being well served. California can do a better job," Ewing said.
Ewing said that while California healthcare customers want more flexibility from the state, officials "continue to move in the other direction."
Lora Connolly, head of the state Department of Aging, said California is beginning to make preparations for the demands of the baby boom generation.
The Legislature's nonpartisan financial adviser, Elizabeth Hill, said $1 out of every $4 the state spends on healthcare goes to long-term care services, much of which is focused on elderly Californians.
"Frankly, no system is in place to coordinate services," Hill said.
Ronald Lee, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said baby boomers may put less of a strain on the state budget than some have predicted, but added "it's important that the state prepare for this big increase."
Berg said she intends to hold more hearings regarding the aging boom situation as she looks for ways to make California's healthcare system more consumer friendly and more efficient with taxpayer dollars.
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