Health and wealth
Prepare wealth for health. Live well in retirement.
Healthspan, lifespan, wealthspan
Where healthcare and retirement planning meet
Longevity, healthcare costs, long-term care (LTC), and caregiving are reshaping retirement. Equip yourself with research, client-ready assets, and protected income strategies that turn health uncertainty into income confidence for every client conversation.
Turn health uncertainty into income confidence
Retirement planning is no longer just about how long clients live — it’s about how long their retirement income can support their health and lifestyle. Address some of the biggest health-related risks like chronic illness, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline to help clients protect the savings they've worked a lifetime to build.1
Client conversation starters, backed by research
Every retirement conversation is a health conversation. Spark meaningful dialogue, address the concerns clients hesitate to raise, and position protected income as the bridge between longevity, healthcare costs, and preserving the retirement they've envisioned.
FAQs
One of the most frequently asked questions in healthcare retirement planning is how much of your retirement income will be needed to cover healthcare costs. While the amount varies based on health status, location, and coverage choices, retirees should plan for expenses such as Medicare premiums, deductibles, copays, prescription medications, and services not covered by Medicare, including many dental, vision, and hearing expenses. A good rule of thumb is to treat healthcare as a major retirement expense category, alongside housing and taxes, rather than as a miscellaneous cost.
No. Medicare is an important foundation for healthcare retirement planning, but it does not cover all healthcare costs. Retirees may still pay for Part B premiums, prescription drug coverage, deductibles, coinsurance, and services that Medicare does not fully cover.
Understanding Medicare's coverage gaps is essential because unexpected medical expenses can have a significant impact on your retirement income and long-term financial security.
Successful healthcare retirement planning requires preparing for healthcare inflation and unexpected medical expenses. Strategies may include maximizing Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions before retirement, maintaining a dedicated healthcare reserve fund, evaluating Medigap or Medicare Advantage plans, and regularly reviewing insurance coverage.
By proactively planning for future healthcare costs, retirees can better preserve their retirement income and reduce the risk that medical expenses will interfere with other retirement goals.
Retiring before Medicare eligibility creates a healthcare coverage gap that must be addressed during healthcare retirement planning. Common options include COBRA coverage, a spouse's employer-sponsored health plan, or purchasing insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
These pre-Medicare years can significantly increase healthcare costs, making it important to account for them when estimating the amount of retirement income needed to support an early retirement lifestyle.
Long-term care is one of the biggest financial risks in retirement and an often-overlooked component of healthcare retirement planning. Many retirees are surprised to learn that Medicare generally does not cover most ongoing custodial long-term care services.
Because long-term care can create substantial healthcare costs, retirees should evaluate funding options such as personal savings, long-term care insurance, hybrid insurance products, or other dedicated resources. Planning ahead can help protect retirement income and reduce the financial burden on family members.
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For financial professionals only. If you are an individual investor, please contact your financial profressional for more information.
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1.Heye, C. The Growing Influence of Health Risks on Retirement Security, LIMRA Retirement Income Institute, 2026.
2.MIT AgeLab, 8,000 Days of Retirement Framework.
3.2025 Milliman Retiree Health Cost Index.
With regard to variable annuities, clients should carefully consider their investment objectives and the charges, risks and expenses, as stipulated in the prospectus, before investing. For a prospectus containing this and other information, a financial professional can call the Sales Desk at (888) 517-9900. Please have clients read it carefully before investing or sending money.
A variable annuity is a long-term financial product designed for retirement purposes. In essence, annuities are contractual agreements in which payment(s) are made to an insurance company, which agrees to pay out an income or a lump-sum amount at a later date. There are fees and charges associated with a variable annuity contract, which include, but are not limited to, operations charges, sales and withdrawal charges, administrative fees, and additional charges for optional benefits. Withdrawals are subject to ordinary income tax treatment and, if taken prior to age 59½, may be subject to an additional 10% federal income tax penalty. Variable annuities are subject to investment risks, including the possible loss of principal invested.
Guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuing life insurance company. If clients are purchasing an annuity contract to fund an IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan, they should understand that such annuities do not provide tax deferral benefits beyond those already provided by the Internal Revenue Code.
Variable annuities and life insurance are issued by Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company (Equitable Financial) (NY, NY) and, depending on the particular contract and its distributor, by Equitable Financial Life Insurance of America (Equitable America), an AZ stock company with an administrative office located in Charlotte, NC. Co-distributed by affiliates Equitable Distributors, LLC and Equitable Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) (Equitable Financial Advisors in MI & TN).
Equitable Financial, Equitable America and their affiliates do not provide tax or legal advice or services. Clients should consult with their own professional tax and legal advisors regarding their particular circumstances. “Equitable” refers here to Equitable Financial and to Equitable Financial America, issuers of variable annuity products. Overall, Equitable is the brand name of the retirement and protection subsidiaries of Equitable Holdings, Inc., including Equitable Financial, Equitable America and Equitable Distributors, LLC. The obligations of Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company and Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company of America are backed solely by their own claims-paying abilities.
Equitable Financial Life Insurance, NY, NY, and its affiliated companies are not associated or affiliated with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
GE-9111244.1 (09/2026) (Exp. 09/2030)