Medicare Advantage enrollees may need lower savings for health expenses: EBRI

Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan may need less retirement savings to cover their health care costs, an analysis by the Employee Benefits Research Institute found, reports Becker’s payer Issues. A couple enrolled in a Medigap plan with average premiums would need $212,000 in savings to have a 50% chance of affording all their health care expenses, and $318,000 saved to have a 90% chance of covering all these expenses, according to EBRI. A couple in a MA plan would need $123,000 in savings to have a 50% chance of covering all their health care expenses and $184,000 for a 90% chance, the study shows.