29 Signals+7

Retirement Healthcare Cost Planning

A fixed-fee planning service that turns projected healthcare and long-term care expenses into an actionable retirement funding plan.

Added Aug 29, 2026

retirement planning

healthcare finance

benefits consulting

Opportunity score

Very low opportunity (8%)

The Problem

People approaching retirement often underestimate healthcare expenses or omit them from retirement budgets entirely. The problem is especially acute for couples retiring before age 65, who must fund private coverage before Medicare eligibility, while long-term care creates an additional unpriced risk. General lifetime estimates are alarming but do not tell an individual household how much to reserve or spend each year.

Potential Solution

Offer a fixed-fee healthcare cost planning package for households within ten years of retirement. The service gathers age, location, retirement date, current coverage, income, health needs, and long-term care preferences, then produces annual cost scenarios and a funding plan coordinated with the household's existing financial adviser. Delivery begins as expert-led consultation using standardized intake, calculation, and review templates rather than a standalone software product.

Why Now?

Healthcare is consuming a substantial share of projected retirement spending, while more households are considering retirement before Medicare eligibility. Repeated discussion of the overlooked expense suggests demand for personalized planning that converts headline estimates into household decisions.

Market validation

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Showing 1-20 of 29 signals

PodcastsSep 1, 2026

What Is Your Retirement Number?

Retire Young-ish How is she funding her health care during those two years? Speaker 1: She can't get on Medicare, so she has to buy private insurance. Yes. Speaker 2: And buying a private health insurance policy on the open market at age 63 without employer subsidies is astronomically expensive. Speaker 1: It could easily cost $ 1, 000 a month just in premiums, right? With massive deductibles on top of that. Speaker 2: Easily. Furthermore, she is three to four years away from her full Social Security benefit. Speaker 1: But she could take it early, couldn't she? Speaker 2: She could claim it early at 62, yes. But she takes a permanent reduction in her monthly payout.

PodcastsSep 1, 2026

What Is Your Retirement Number?

Retire Young-ish That $ 285, 000 is required to cover the premiums for Medicare, Parts B and D. Speaker 1: Part B is medical insurance. Part D is prescription drugs, right? Speaker 2: Exactly. Plus, it covers the premiums for supplemental Medigap policies, which you almost certainly need, and the out-of-pocket costs for vision, hearing, and dental. Speaker 1: Wait, basic Medicare doesn't cover vision or dental? Speaker 2: Routine dental and vision, no. Hearing aids, no. And those things get incredibly expensive as you age. Speaker 1: So that $ 285, 000 is just for the premiums and the out-of-pocket stuff for a normal, relatively healthy aging process. Speaker 2: Exactly.

PodcastsSep 1, 2026

What Is Your Retirement Number?

Retire Young-ish Speaker 1: Let's just pause on that number for a second. Over a quarter of a million dollars. Speaker 2: $ 285, 000. Speaker 1: And we need to clarify exactly what that covers because the most terrifying caveat in this entire analysis is that the $ 285, 000 estimate assumes the couple is already enrolled in Medicare. Speaker 2: That is the critical blind spot for most people. Speaker 1: People think Medicare is free. Speaker 2: They really do. There's a pervasive myth in this country that hitting 65 and entering the Medicare system means health care is suddenly free or at least negligible. Speaker 1: But it's not. Speaker 2: Not at all. Medicare is a robust system, sure, but it is riddled with deductibles, co-pays, and significant gaps in coverage.

PodcastsSep 1, 2026

10 Often-Underestimated Retirement Expenses

Retire Young-ish Assuming they have that baseline coverage. The projections are still sobering. A man fitting that profile is projected to spend $ 297, 000 on health care out of pocket for the rest of his life. Speaker 2: Just out of pocket. Speaker 1: Yep. And a woman is projected to spend $ 340, 000. We are talking about setting aside over a third of a million dollars strictly to service the physiological debt of aging. Speaker 2: It is a staggering capital requirement. And it's crucial that we move beyond just internalizing the shock of that gross figure and actually analyze the underlying mechanics driving it. Speaker 1: So what's pushing that number so high?

PodcastsAug 31, 2026

70? 62? 50? Strategies for Retiring at Every Age

Retire Young-ish And in your late 50s and early 60s, the premiums for a comprehensive health insurance plan are staggering. Speaker 1: How staggering are we talking? Speaker 2: I mean, you have to rigorously factor this into your budget. We are talking about $ 10, 000, $ 15, 000, or even $ 20, 000 a year in premiums and out-of-pocket maximums, depending on where you live and the plan you choose. Speaker 1: And this is where tax strategy collides directly with health care planning. Because ACA premiums are heavily subsidized based on your income. Speaker 2: Right. Speaker 1: But we aren't talking about your wealth. We are talking about your modified adjusted gross income, your MAGI.

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