WT2-RQ-1120-1 Living longer pension

Nowadays people are living longer after they retire. What are the problems caused by this?
What measures can be taken to address such problems?

IELTS DAILY – TEACHER – SAMPLE ANSWER (8.0+)

As the life expectancy of people around the world is increasing, there are a number of issues resulting from this
phenomenon. This essay will identify such problems and propose solutions to address such concerns.

The major problem associated with people living longer into their retirement years is that of the financial burden
on the state. Most countries will provide some basic pension to its elderly citizens and, as people live longer,
this results in a greater cost to taxpayers who have to fund these pension payments.

A way to solve this problem would be for a government to increase the age of retirement. In doing this, fewer
pension payments would need to be made and, as people stay in the workforce for longer, more taxes will be
raised as a result. My country is currently considering raising the retirement age from 67 to 70 in a bid to save
money and raise more taxes.

Another challenge which is posed by most nations is the impact of the elderly on healthcare. The advances in
medicine have allowed people to enjoy longer lifespans but this has also resulted in a greater need for these
older citizens to access basic healthcare. It is common for older people to suffer more from general medical
ailments which need to be addressed more frequently than younger people, thus resulting in greater expense
to the government.

To address this issue, governments could encourage citizens to invest in private healthcare insurance to cover
the costs of these additional doctor or hospital visits. Many nations adopt this policy already and I believe this
may become commonplace in the future.

The older a population becomes, the greater the pressure it places on a nations finances. Governments need to
think of practical solutions to solve the issues caused by increased life expectancy.

Support IELTS DAILY by joining our Facebook page: https://facebook.com/ieltsdailycourse