b2KIT

Retirement Healthcare Cost Estimator

Estimate retirement healthcare costs including Medicare premiums, Medigap, Part D, and out-of-pocket expenses over retirement horizon.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What Retirement Healthcare Cost Estimator does, with a checked example

Medicare covers a lot, but the gaps compound over a retirement that can last 20 or 30 years. This tool estimates what healthcare will actually cost over that horizon: the Part B premium, a Medigap supplement, Part D drug coverage, and the deductibles and copays you expect to pay, with an inflation rate applied to every year and the yearly figures summed into a lifetime total. The surprise most people hit is not the total itself but what sits outside it: Medicare does not cover custodial long-term care, so a year of nursing home care can dwarf this entire number.

Worked example

A concrete input and expected output from the current implementation.

Input

Age 65, 20-year horizon. Part B at the standard premium ($185/month, the 2025 rate), Medigap Plan G at $200/month, Part D at $45/month, $2,500/year of out-of-pocket costs, medical-cost growth 5% per year.

Expected output

Year 1 costs $7,660 (Part B $2,220, Medigap $2,400, Part D $540, out-of-pocket $2,500). Each later year grows 5%, so the final year, age 84-85, is about $19,400, and the 20-year total is about $253,300 - roughly 1.65 times the $153,200 the same figures would total with no growth.

Year 1 is the three annualized premiums plus out-of-pocket spending: 2,220 + 2,400 + 540 + 2,500 = 7,660. Each later year is that figure grown by 5% per year, so the last year is 7,660 x 1.05^19 = 19,356, and the total is the sum of the 20 grown years: 7,660 x (1.05^20 - 1) / 0.05 = 253,285.

How the result is produced

1

How the lifetime total is built

You enter the monthly Part B, Medigap, and Part D premiums, an annual out-of-pocket figure for deductibles and copays, a retirement horizon in years, and a growth rate for medical costs. The tool annualizes the premiums, adds the out-of-pocket figure, applies the growth rate to each year of the horizon, and sums the years into one lifetime total. The calculation runs entirely in the browser; nothing is uploaded.

2

What the number excludes

The estimate covers Part B, a Medigap supplement, Part D coverage, and the out-of-pocket costs you entered. It does not include custodial long-term care, which Medicare never pays for, and it uses the premiums you enter: standard Part B is the same for everyone below the IRMAA income thresholds, while Medigap and Part D premiums vary by insurer, state, and age, so your plans may cost more or less.

Good uses

  • Building the healthcare line item for a retirement budget a few years before your Medicare start date, so a realistic number lands in your savings and withdrawal plan.
  • Stress-testing how much the lifetime total moves when medical inflation runs higher or lower than expected, before committing to a savings target.
  • Comparing the Medicare path with staying on employer coverage past 65, or weighing a higher-premium Medigap plan against a cheaper one with more out-of-pocket exposure.

Limits and checks

  • Long-term care is outside the estimate. Medicare does not pay for custodial care - help with bathing, dressing, or meals at home or in a facility - and a single year of such care can exceed the entire lifetime figure. If there is any chance you will need it, plan that cost separately.
  • The output is in future dollars and depends heavily on the growth rate you choose. Over 20 years, 5% growth makes the total about 1.65 times the no-growth sum; over 30 years, about 2.2 times. Compare the result with other future-dollar projections and re-run the estimate if your inflation assumption changes.
  • Premium and out-of-pocket inputs are yours to get right. Medigap pricing varies by insurer, state, and your age, higher incomes add an IRMAA surcharge on top of Part B and Part D, and the out-of-pocket line you enter is the whole game: a chronic condition or costly drugs can multiply it.

Common questions

Does the estimate include long-term care or dental work?

No to both. Medicare excludes most dental, vision, and hearing care, and it does not cover custodial long-term care at all, so neither is in the estimate unless you folded them into the out-of-pocket figure. Budget them separately: savings earmarked for care, long-term care insurance, or a separate dental or vision plan. The estimate reflects Medicare premiums plus the routine out-of-pocket costs you entered.

Why is the total so much larger than what I pay for health insurance today?

Because today's coverage is usually subsidized by an employer and this estimate is not: you pay the full Medigap and Part D premiums plus out-of-pocket costs on top of Part B, and the growth rate compounds across the whole horizon. At 5% a year, that adds about 65% to a 20-year total.

References and verification

The example and behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.

Related Tools