Medicare and you

With medical costs skyrocketing — including premiums, deductibles and copayments — it is no surprise that health care is often the biggest expense for retirees. In order to receive the care you need, you should include in your budget ample funds to cover these and other related health care costs.

Medicare is the U.S. government's program to provide affordable medical coverage to older Americans, and it is the primary health care insurance for many retirees. Medicare coverage is broken down into a few main "parts," which we will discuss here.