Clearly, the populations of the United States, Japan, Canada, and Europe are becoming older, which has enormous effects on macromarketing and social policy. After about 2010, massive numbers of consumers move to the age when traditionally they expect to retire, mostly with income from Social Security. At that time , millions of baby boomers will start visiting doctors and hospitals as often as they visit golf courses and cruise ships. Currently the United States spends 15 percent of its gross domestic pro duct on health care (more than any other industrialized nation), with average expenditures exceeding$6,000 per person and increasing at double-digit rates. Unless things change, it’s possible that federal spending on Social Security and Medicare could eventually consume as much of the nation’s economy as the entire federal budget does now, consuming nearly the entire incomes of younger consumers.