Healthcare Cost Estimator
Project your Medicare premiums, IRMAA surcharges, and total healthcare costs across retirement — using current 2026 figures from CMS and Fidelity.
How this works
Starting at 65, the estimate builds your annual Medicare cost from the standard 2026 Part B premium of $202.90/month, the average Part D drug-plan premium, any Medigap or supplement premium you enter, the $283 Part B deductible, and your other out-of-pocket costs. If your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) crosses an IRMAA threshold, the appropriate Part B and Part D surcharges are added — per person, so a couple pays them twice.
If you retire before 65, the tool adds the cost of bridge coverage for the gap years. Every future year is then grown by your medical-inflation assumption and totaled through your plan age, and compared against Fidelity's national benchmark.
Assumptions & limitations
Data & sources
• 2026 Medicare figures (Part B premium $202.90/mo, Part B deductible $283, and the Part B & Part D IRMAA tier tables) — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), 2026.• Lifetime benchmark ($172,500 per individual, $345,000 per couple) — Fidelity 2025 Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate (net of taxes; excludes long-term care).
• Medical inflation default 5% — long-run trend per CMS National Health Expenditure data.
Good to know
- IRMAA is based on your tax return from two years earlier, so income at 63 sets your premium at 65.
- If your income dropped because you retired, Form SSA-44 lets you appeal the surcharge.
- Your six-month Medigap open enrollment window, starting with Part B, is the only guaranteed chance to buy any plan with no health questions.
- Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free, unbiased plan help.
Educational estimate only, not financial or insurance advice. Your actual costs depend on your plan, health, and location.
Worried about IRMAA or a coverage gap?
Income timing before 65 can keep you out of higher IRMAA tiers for years. A fiduciary advisor can help you plan it.