Retirement budgets tend to have obvious lines for housing, groceries, utilities, insurance, and perhaps travel, but health care often gets reduced to one number: the Medicare premium. That’s risky because Medicare doesn’t eliminate deductibles, coinsurance, prescription costs, or services that aren’t covered in the first place. According to Fidelity’s 2026 Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate, a 65-year-old retiring this year may need an average of $185,500 in after-tax savings for health care throughout retirement, and that estimate doesn’t include long-term care. You won’t necessarily spend the same amount every month, which is exactly why irregular medical bills can be so easy to overlook. Here’s a look at seven healthcare expenses that retirees often forget when they are building their budgets.
