This week lawmakers in Washington introduced a new bill to renew the long term unemployment benefits for the more than 3 million Americans still struggling to find work. But the harsh fact is that certain segments of the labor force are out of the game for good. Women, 45-55, who left their jobs to care for elderly parents, or lost their jobs in the recession, are facing their 60s with an even tougher chance at re-entering the workforce than men, and both genders are cut out of a labor market that values youth over experience.
What does the slow economic recovery mean for a generation that isn’t quite ready to face retirement? What do we lose when older workers stay home?
Also, a big win for public health, and a blow to the anti-vaccination movement.