Health Care Cost Planner

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Your estimated retirement health care costs

Based on the information you provided, this is the total estimated amount that may be needed to cover health care costs throughout your retirement.

Your estimate is personalized based on your age, location, health status, prescription needs, and expected retirement length. Review the options below to see how different Medicare coverage choices may affect your projected retirement health care costs.

Estimated total health care costs by coverage type

These estimates include projections of premiums and typical out-of-pocket costs such as doctor visits and prescription medications. View estimated costs by year.

Coverage type Plan availability may vary by location	Estimated amount needed at age to fund years of retiree health care
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is your most cost-effective option. For other factors that may influence your decision, see the Medigap and Medicare Advantage Comparison.

You can change your answers to see how different choices affect your estimate.

Additional Resources

Our Methodology Medigap and Medicare Advantage Comparison Alight Learning Center About Alight

As you approach Medicare eligibility, an Alight licensed Benefits Advisor can provide personalized guidance to help you evaluate your coverage options. Plan availability may change over time.

Alight Retiree Health Solutions is an advisory service—not an insurance provider. Our role is to help you understand your options, compare plans, and enroll in coverage that aligns with your needs and preferences. Our services are provided at no extra cost to you; you only pay for the plan(s) you select.

Visit retiree.alight.com to get started.

These estimates are based on national health care data, plans available in your location, and the answers you provided (Current age , retirement age , , ZIP code , health, an average of primary care visits in the last 12 months, an average of specialist visits in the last 12 months, an average of hospital admissions in the last 12 months, an annual cost of prescription medications being , prescription drugs taken on a regular basis, and responding “” to having family history of serious health conditions). Estimates are for educational purposes only and are not a guarantee of future costs.

This tool gives you a personal estimate of what your health care costs could be throughout retirement. Instead of using national averages, it looks at your own situation to give you a more meaningful estimate.

It also lets you compare different Medicare coverage options so you can see how your plan choice may affect your total health care costs over time.

The estimate starts at age 65, which is when most people become eligible for Medicare. It looks at several common Medicare plans, but it may not include every plan available where you live.

What costs are included

Your yearly health care cost estimate includes:

Your Medicare Part B premium (the standard medical insurance part of Medicare)
Your plan premium (for Medigap or Medicare Advantage coverage)
Your out-of-pocket costs (what you pay when you get care, such as deductibles, copays, and coinsurance)

Important: These estimates do not include long-term care costs not covered by Medicare, such as nursing home care or extended home care, income-related premium adjustments, or the impact of Medicaid coverage (if applicable).

How your health changes over time

This tool uses data from many retirees across the country to estimate how health may change over time. This includes:

How health care needs typically change with age
How current health may affect future costs

In the early years of retirement, your estimate is based more on your current health and recent health care use. As you get older, the estimate also incorporates higher health care needs that often come with aging, including factors like family health history.

How costs are expected to change over time

Health care costs are assumed to go up each year:

About 5% per year for medical care
About 6% per year for prescription drugs

This means that health care costs are expected to grow faster than general inflation.

The estimate also includes known upcoming changes in Medigap premiums and prescription drug coverage.

What your total estimate means

The tool projects your total health care costs over your entire retirement.

The cost estimate represents the amount of assets that you would have set aside at age 65 (or actual age if older) to pay for all subsequent health care costs. We’ve assumed your savings grow at about 4% per year, which is used to pay some of your health care costs.

Why your plan choice matters

A plan that costs less today may not cost less over your entire retirement. The tool helps you compare options so you can see how different options may affect your long-term costs—not just what you pay in the first year.

Important note

These are estimates, not exact predictions. Your actual costs will be different because things can change over time, including:

Your health
Your Medicare plan choices
Health care prices and market conditions

Retirement Health Care Cost Planner

What is your current age?

At what age do you expect to retire?

What is your gender?

What ZIP code do you live in most of the year?

Overall, compared to others your age, how would you describe your health?

In the past 12 months

How many times have you visited your primary care doctor?

How many times have you visited a specialist?

How many times have you been admitted to the hospital in the past 12 months?

What is your annual cost of prescription medications, before your insurance pays?

How many different prescription medications do you take on a regular basis?

Do you have a family history of serious health conditions that could increase future medical costs?

How many years of retirement would you like to plan for after age ?

Your estimated retirement health care costs

Estimated total health care costs by coverage type

Additional Resources