Key Points Most Medicare Part A enrollees do not pay a premium for hospital coverage. The costs associated with a hospital stay are increasing in 2026. A Medigap policy could help defray some of the costs associated with Part A. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Many seniors find that once they retire, their living costs decrease for the most part. But there's one expense that may get bigger and bigger for you in retirement -- healthcare. Part of the reason is ...

For the average American, healthcare in retirement will cost more than they have in their entire savings account. And unfortunately, Medicare won’t help. Healthcare, of course, is the single biggest line item that most retirees need to prepare for. Recently, a study released by the EBRI (the Employee Benefit Research Institute) emphasized how important that is. The institute’s data finds that despite the coverage offered by Medicare, retirees should expect to pay significant out of pocket costs for their ...