This month the first wave of baby boomers started turning 65, raising concerns that the flood of applications for Medicare could have serious economic and political repercussions for the nation. KQED's latest Health Dialogues explores the potential challenges presented by roughly 78 million people soon becoming eligible for Medicare and it asks the question: Will the boomers overwhelm the federal health insurance program or will they force innovation to make the system better?
The program offers a detailed look at how consumers and the Medicare system will need to evolve in order to manage the influx of boomers, federal efforts to streamline care and cut costs, and the expected doctor shortage, which could amount to 10,000 primary care doctors in California alone.
