Well, wife Trisha and I are back home after a wonderful trip to the southeast. Great weather and lots of fun that included third row seats at the Sprint Cup NASCAR race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. I couldn’t hear for three days. But watching 43 cars, side by side, nose to tail, 900 horse power, no muffler, and thundering past you at over 200 miles an hour is a thrill.
Came across a very interesting bit of information for seniors recently. The Employee Benefits Research Institute estimates that a couple who retired in 2010 will need $376,000 to cover expenses not paid by Medicare in their lifetime.
In that estimate they include Medicare premiums, prescriptions, out-of-pocket expenses and other insurance premiums. Although none of us has a clear and complete picture of future healthcare costs, we will have to do everything we can to prepare for this healthcare nightmare.
Of course, the best thing we can do is to try and stay healthy. If you don’t think this is a serious problem, let me share a personal experience with you. In August, Trisha and I were vacationing in Florida. One morning as we were off for the day, I started to have a funny feeling in my chest. Not wanting to take any chances, we went to a local emergency room so I could be checked out. The doctor there didn’t like the look of my EKG, so he admitted me to the hospital where I spent the night. They performed some other tests and pronounced me and my heart as very healthy.
I was released the next day. After getting home, I’ve been monitoring the billing for my medical expenses to my healthcare plan for that 24 hour episode. At last count, the billing has gone past $30,000.
Beware the nightmare of healthcare.
Hope to see many of you at the Successful Aging Expo on Nov. 3 in San Jose.
The Best of Our Lives Blog 