Medicare Drug Benefit Will Help, but May Carry Unwanted Side Effects
When the Medicare drug benefit, Medicare Part D, took effect last year, its architects said it would help elderly Americans cope with the soaring costs of prescription medications. This program has been successful in providing prescription drug coverage to many seniors who previously had no such health benefit. But research indicates that lapses in drug coverage, such as the benefit gaps that are part of the new program, could have unwelcome health and financial side effects by making people less likely to follow prescribed drug treatments. (April 2007)

Prescription Drugs and Medicare (PDF: 101KB)
This e-newsletter is the second in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue reviews trends in prescription drug spending and research findings concerning the effect of benefit caps and implications for Medicare costs. (April 2007)

The Degree of Certainty in Population Projections
How much confidence can be placed in projections of what the size of the population will be in 10, 25, 50, or 75 years? The certainty of these projections is of keen interest to a wide range of analysts, including government policy makers and planners who rely on them to guide their decisions. (April 2007)

The Divergent Paths of Baby Boomers and Immigrants
The United States is in the midst of a major realignment of its population as the baby-boom generation ages into retirement and a smaller, strikingly different younger generation prepares to take over. Demographer Dowell Myers argues that this is a population shift of historic proportions. Unlike earlier demographic change, he says, this one brings the potential for conflict between the generations because of their divergent racial, ethnic, and nativity profiles—the older mainly white, the younger heavily minority and immigrant. (March 2007)

Cross-National Research on Aging (PDF: 215KB)
This policy brief, part of the series Research Highlights in the Demography and Economics of Aging,  highlights cross-national datasets partially or fully funded by the National Institute on Aging, how these data are used to address key research questions, and where people can go for more information. (March 2007)

The NIA Demography Centers (PDF: 212KB)
This policy brief, part of the series Research Highlights in the Demography and Economics of Aging, describes the 13 Demography Centers funded by the National Institute on Aging, and the economic and demographic research the centers conduct with NIA funding. (March 2007)

Healthy Aging (PDF: 101KB)
This e-newsletter is the first in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Healthy Aging," reviews research from scientists funded by the National Institute on Aging that identify several factors that can improve the chances of staying healthy longer. (March 2007)

Aging Highlighted as Newest Topic in PRB's Graphics Bank
Where are the world’s oldest countries? The answer can be found in the new Aging topic area just added to PRB’s Graphics Bank. Nine new graphics highlight important aspects of aging in the United States and abroad. (September 2006)

Elderly White Men Afflicted by High Suicide Rates
White men over the age of 65 commit suicide at almost triple the overall U.S. rate—and almost twice the rate of any other group. Public-health campaigns to help people recognize risk factors or symptoms in the elderly could help, as could more training for primary-health providers who are likely to come into contact with elderly at-risk individuals. (August 2006)

2006 World Population Data Sheet

 PRB's 2006 World Population Data Sheet contains the latest population estimates, projections, and other key indicators for more than 200 countries, including births, deaths, natural increase, infant mortality, life expectancy, urban population, HIV/AIDS prevalence, contraceptive use, land area, percent of population living below $2/day, and population per square mile. New for the 2006 Data Sheet are data on net migration rates, percent of surface area protected, and population with access to improved sanitation. (August 2006)