Health Care Costs A Lot? Who Knew!?
In the Wall Street Journal's money/personal finance/investment blog "The Wallet," Kelly Greene reports that health care costs in retirement are sky rocketing...and the going rate for health care costs are as high as $240,000!! She goes on to point out:
"A 65-year-old couple who retires this year will need about $240,000 to cover their medical expenses in retirement, according to Fidelity Investments research released this week."Keep in mind that this eye-popping number is a lifetime estimate and assumes that the couple has no employer-provided retiree-health-care coverage, since many companies are phasing out that benefit. It also assumes life expectancies of 17 years for the husband and 20 years for the wife after retirement."
So what's a guy or gal to do? Experts Greene spoke with advised keeping yourself and your partner in tip top shape no matter your age. So whether it's that diet you've been thinking about, grabbing a walking partner, quitting smoking or heck, training for a marathon now is as good a time as ever to start thinking about your long-term health.
Tags: health, health care, health care costs
Comments
Tsandi says:
The cost of health care is so high because of the greed of the pharmaceutical companies.
There is one salesperson per every 6 doctors, advertising is directed at the population on TV and in magazines in an attempt to get people to go to the doctor more often and to demand prescriptions when none is needed.
People have been brainwashed by the ads on TV and in magazines to believe they have to have a prescription for everything and are unhappy if the doctor doesn't give them one.
When someone has a headache, the doctor treats the symptom with pills rather than finding the cause of the headache. That isn’t doctoring, it is selling drugs. That is not health care, it's selling drugs!
We cannot reduce the cost of health care until we revamp the way doctors practice medicine, and until we regulate the pharmaceutical industry, AND educate the public about how to take responsibility for its health by learning about how the body works and how to eat properly.
We need not only CHOICES, but GOOD Care.
There is a time and a place for drugs. But the pharmaceutical industry is only recombining existing drugs to come up with the "new" drugs...only 12% of the money they claim goes into research. The rest goes to fly doctors to Hawaii for an hour conference and spend the rest of the weekend. It goes for that sales force and to pay for all the advertising.
REAL HEALTH COVERAGE CHANGES. Change the mode of operation.
PLEASE!
03/27/09 3:48 PM