Health Care Planning Resources

Health Care Planning

Browse our resource library for information about all aspects of smart health care planning.

How to Start the Family Caregiving Discussion

Aging parents can be a tough subject to approach for a family, especially with so many unknowns about health, finances, and distribution of responsibilities. Though it can be emotionally intimidating to start the conversation early, bringing your caregiving team together in advance can set your family up to weather even the most difficult storms that may lie ahead. Consider these categories and strategies to get the discussion started.

Understanding Disabled Adult Children Benefits

Households that support autistic or otherwise disabled children into their adulthood may be eligible for ongoing financial support, but approaches to eligibility can be tricky to navigate. Learn more about eligibility requirements, when to apply, and how to make the most of potential financial resources.

Can You Reduce Your Lifetime Health Care Costs by Staying Healthy?

A common assumption is that if you are healthy, you will have lower health care costs than those who are unhealthy. However, The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College has observed that the opposite is actually true – healthy people pay more in health care in a lifetime than their unhealthy counterparts.

Medicare and COVID-19-Related Health Care Costs

Right now, some private insurance companies are waiving costs to be tested for the Coronavirus, but not the services that go along with it. In case you are faced with an emergency related to the virus, now is a good time to review your health insurance plan to understand how much you would need to pay for any out of pocket costs. This article details more information and what Medicare covers.

Planning for Future Health Care Costs

It’s true that health care costs become more expensive in retirement. While statistics show that the average 65-year-old couple would spend $285,000 on medical expenses throughout retirement, that’s not the case for everyone. Make a more predictable idea of what your health care will cost by considering factors such as inflation, a potential loss of retiree health benefits from your employer, longevity and importantly – your individual health care experience. When planning for your future health care costs, coordinate with your doctor and financial advisor to work on a plan that will work best for you.

Do You Need to Sign Up for Medicare at 65 if You’re Still Working?

For Medicare to work and be successful, it forces a rule that you must sign up for it when turning 65, or face multiple penalties that would affect you throughout the coverage. There is only one exception to this rule that would allow someone to sign up later without any penalties.

How to Keep Health Care Costs
Under Control in Retirement

Switching to Medicare as you enter retirement may feel like a blessing, but there are still many costs for which you’ll be responsible. Understand the costs you may need to cover out-of-pocket and learn strategies to help plan for and manage those charges.

11 Ways to Minimize the Bite from Medicare Taxes

Navigating the impacts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on income tax can be tricky, thanks to additional surtaxes on unearned income and wages.  Understanding which income falls under which headings can help demystify your taxes and mitigate some of the impacts.