Fidelity Says You’ll Need $185,500 for Healthcare in Retirement
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Fidelity says a 65-year-old retiring in 2026 may need $185,500 for health care in retirement. Do you really need that much saved before you retire? In this video, we break down what Fidelity’s retirement health care estimate includes, what it leaves out, and why a large lifetime number can feel more alarming than the bills you actually pay month by month.
We compare Original Medicare with Medigap Plan G and Part D against Medicare Advantage, including 2026 Medicare premiums, deductibles, copays, prescription drug costs and out-of-pocket limits. You’ll see how a low-cost year and an expensive year can look different under each option, and why a zero-premium Medicare Advantage plan isn’t necessarily a zero-cost plan.
We also look at how much of retirees’ budgets goes toward health care, compare lifetime medical spending with everyday costs like food and housing, and discuss how to plan for long-term care costs that Fidelity’s estimate does not include.
If you’re asking “How much should I save for health care in retirement?” or “Is Medicare Advantage or Medigap cheaper for me?”, this video will help you replace a frightening headline with a practical retirement health care budget.
00:00 - Fidelity Says You’ll Need $185,500 for Healthcare
01:12 - What Fidelity’s $185,500 Estimate Actually Includes
03:02 - Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap: What’s the Difference?
06:33 - What Healthcare Could Actually Cost You Each Year
08:18 - How Much Should You Really Save for Healthcare?
09:42 - Why $185,500 Sounds Scarier Than It Is
11:50 - How Much of Retirees’ Budgets Goes to Healthcare?
14:08 - The Healthcare Costs You Actually Need to Plan For
15:23 - How I Would Actually Plan for Healthcare in Retirement
18:47 - Bloopers
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