Healthcare & Medicare Cost Planner

What will healthcare cost you from the day you retire to the end of the plan? The years before 65, Medicare premiums, IRMAA surcharges, out-of-pocket costs and long-term care add up to one of the biggest line items in retirement. Answer six short steps and see the whole bill: year-by-year costs in today's dollars, your IRMAA tier, and where the money actually goes.

Medicare figures: 2026 CMS — Part B standard premium $202.90/mo · Part B deductible $283 · Part A deductible $1,736 · Part D out-of-pocket cap $2,100 · IRMAA tiers set by your MAGI from two years earlier (the lookback)

Step 1 of 6

About you

Your birth year sets when Medicare starts. Your filing status sets the IRMAA income thresholds.

Where to find it: you know this one. Medicare starts at 65 — the year you turn 65 is when Part B premiums and your chosen coverage path begin in this plan.
IRMAA thresholds are roughly twice as high for joint filers — but each spouse pays their own Part B and Part D premiums, so filing status changes both the surcharge tier and the number of premiums.
Your spouse gets their own bridge years and their own Medicare start at 65 — the planner runs each of you on your own timeline.

Your timeline

Costs are counted from the year you retire — while an employer plan still covers you, those costs stay with the employer.

If you're already retired, enter the age you stopped working — the projection still starts today. Retiring before 65 creates the “bridge years” priced in the next step. If a spouse keeps working and covers you both, use the age that coverage ends.
Healthcare costs climb steeply in the latest years, so plan long: 95 is a common choice; a healthy couple often plans to 100 for one spouse.

The bridge years: coverage before 65

Between retiring and Medicare at 65 you need your own coverage — for many early retirees this is the most expensive healthcare of their lives.

COBRA usually lasts only 18 months and costs the full premium plus 2%. Marketplace premiums depend on your income — the next two questions ask what you expect to actually pay.
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Where to find it: a quote at healthcare.gov, or your COBRA notice. Enter what one person costs for a full year, after any subsidy — the planner applies it to whoever is under 65 each year.
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Deductibles, copays and coinsurance in a typical year — not a worst-case year. Marketplace plans can carry deductibles of several thousand dollars per person.
If you retire at 65 or later, there are no bridge years — leave these as they are and the results will show zero bridge cost. The results page counts exactly how many bridge years each of you has.

Medicare at 65: your coverage path

At 65 everyone pays the Part B premium. What differs is how you cover the rest: a Medigap policy that leaves almost no bills, or a Medicare Advantage plan with lower premiums and pay-as-you-go costs.

You can switch paths later, but in most states Medigap can medically underwrite you after your first enrollment window — many people treat this as a one-time fork in the road.
Most people paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years (40 quarters) and get Part A free. Buying in with fewer than 30 quarters costs $565/mo in 2026 — that's the figure this planner uses if you pay.
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A Plan G policy typically runs roughly $120–$300/mo depending on age, state and insurer. Where to find it: the plan finder at medicare.gov, or an insurer quote.
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Standalone drug plans vary widely by state and formulary. Whatever the plan, your cost for covered drugs is capped — the Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026.
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Many MA plans charge $0 on top of Part B. Drug coverage is usually built in, so there is no separate Part D premium in this path (the Part D IRMAA surcharge, if any, still applies).
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With Medigap Plan G this is mostly the Part B deductible ($283 in 2026) plus services Medicare doesn't cover. With Medicare Advantage it's copays as you use care — every plan has an in-network out-of-pocket cap, but a heavy year can still reach several thousand dollars.
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Original Medicare doesn't cover routine dental, vision or hearing — cleanings, crowns, glasses and hearing aids come out of pocket. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a limited version; if yours does, lower this number.

Income, IRMAA & long-term care

Medicare doesn't ask what you earn at 65 — it asks what you earned at 63. Higher income means IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D, charged to each spouse.

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MAGI is roughly your adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt interest: pensions, pre-tax withdrawals, Roth conversions, capital gains, wages. Use a typical retirement year — the planner holds it steady in today's dollars. Where to find it: start from last year's tax return and adjust for retirement.
About 7 in 10 people who turn 65 will need some long-term care, and Medicare does not pay for custodial care. It is the largest uninsured risk in most retirement plans.
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Counted from age 65 to the end of the plan. Real premiums can be raised by the insurer; the planner holds yours steady in today's dollars.
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A lump sum set aside for care late in life, in today's dollars, counted in the year you turn 85. One year in a nursing home currently runs well over $100,000 in most states; years of home care can cost as much.

Cost growth

Healthcare costs have outrun general inflation for decades. These two rates decide how fast your future costs grow in today's dollars.

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US health spending per person has grown roughly 4–6% a year over long periods. This rate also drives future Part B and plan premiums in the projection.
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Long-run US inflation is around 2.5–3%. Results are shown in today's dollars: each future year's costs grow at medical inflation minus general inflation, so the excess growth of healthcare stays visible.
On the next screen: your lifetime healthcare total, the split between bridge years, Medicare premiums, out-of-pocket costs and long-term care, your IRMAA tier in plain dollars, and a year-by-year table you can download.

Your answers are saved in this browser only, so you can pick up where you left off — and the basics (birth year, retirement age, state, return) are shared with the other tools on this site, so you don't have to type them twice. Nothing is sent to a server.

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