Health costs could eat up retirement funds

In a perfect world, the largest expenses in retirement would be for fun things, such as travel and entertainment. In the real world, retiree health-care costs can take an unconscionably big bite out of savings. A 65-yearold couple retiring this year will need $275,000 to cover health-care costs throughout retirement, Fidelity Investments said in its annual cost estimate, out Thursday.

That stunning number is about 6 percent higher than it was last year. Costs would be about half that amount for a single person, although women would pay a bit more than men since they live longer.You might think that number looks high. At 65, you’re eligible for Medicare, after all. But monthly Medicare premiums for Part B (which covers doctor’s visits, surgeries, and more) and Part D (drug coverage) make up 35 percent of Fidelity’s estimate. The other 65 percent is the cost-sharing, in and out of Medicare, in co-payments and deductibles, as well as out-of-pocket payments for prescription drugs.

And that doesn’t include dental care — or nursing-home and long-term care costs.

Retirees can buy supplemental, or Medigap, insurance to cover some of the things Medicare doesn’t, but those premiums would lead back to the same basic estimate, said Adam Stavisky, senior vice president for Fidelity Benefits Consulting.

What’s really sobering is the impact of inflation on Fidelity’s retiree health-care cost estimates over the years. From 2002, when Fidelity first did an estimate, to its latest projection, the number is up 70 percent.

“It’s the power of compounding,” Stavisky said. “It’s great for investing and brutal for health-care costs.”

Health-care costs likely will keep climbing, so one of the best investments anyone can make is to work at staying healthy.