People are living longer—but not necessarily healthier, safer, or more financially secure lives. A new report from the Milken Institute, The Longevity Equation: How Healthspan and Wealthspan Intersect, tackles a question that should matter deeply to residents of CCRCs and other senior-living communities:
What happens when longer lives outpace the systems designed to support them?
The report argues that longevity outcomes are shaped not by health or money alone, but by the interaction of both—along with how well institutions, technology, and trust are aligned. When health declines without financial buffers, or when savings are drained by care costs, individuals suffer—and so do families, communities, and shared risk pools like Medicare and insurance.
Rather than focusing only on the most vulnerable or the very wealthy, the authors shine a spotlight on what they call the “broad middle”: people who are not poor enough for safety-net programs but not wealthy enough to self-insure against long-term care, medical shocks, or caregiving demands. Many NaCCRA members will recognize themselves—or their neighbors—in this description.
The report introduces a simple but powerful framework—the Longevity Equation—and a practical “matrix” that shows how small failures in health or finances can cascade into crisis, while modest upstream investments in prevention, navigation, and financial resilience can stabilize lives and reduce systemwide costs.
For resident advocates concerned with transparency, fairness, long-term care access, and sustainable community models, this paper offers a useful lens—and an invitation to rethink how health, wealth, and responsibility should be shared in a society where longevity is now the norm.
We invite you to read the attached report and join the discussion.
Richmond Shreve
NaCCRA Board Member & VP
Forum Moderator