Join the presenter, Tracey Baker, and other participants following Thursday's Live Virtual Seminar (5/08,3:00 PM ET) as they share thoughts about the presentation.

To participate in the conversation, you must first register and log-in to this site. The handouts for this session are available starting 24 hours prior to the session in the downloads area, under today's session date and title.

 On behalf of FPA, I'd like to thank Tracey Baker for her time today. We had a few questions that came in at the close of the call.

Jacqueline writes:

Have you any suggestions for saving costs re: the donut hole in Medicard D?  What about using Canadian pharmacists or some other countries?  I am often asked about controlling

Paul asks:

What sites are availabe to compare Part D plans

 You qouted $600 per month health care costs as an average.  IS that for an indivual or a couple? Does it include dental? is it before or after age 65 with medicare?

Thank you

Jacqueline,

Thank you for listening to my presentation!  Th hole in Medicare Part D is unfortunately a frustrating situation for many of our clients.  Here is a web site that does give some excellent facts and solutions - http://medicaredoughnuthole.com/.  Down the road, I would expect some adjustments in Medicare to hopefully correct this issue.  As for Canadian pharmacy use, unfortunately, this falls outside of my area of expertise. 

Paul,

There are several sites available to dig through the Part D decision.  One we have referenced is The Agency for Helathcare Research and Quality http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/insuranceqa/.  However, we also recommend that  clients work with their Medicare plan provider to find the Medicare Part D plan that best meets their prescription drug needs.

Nancy,

The quote was a survey finding from our Retirement planning initiative.  Here is the exact result:

·        Fifty-two percent of pre-retirees expect to spend less than $300 a month on out-of-pocket costs and health care-related expenses – that’s half of what the average retiree actually spends.  Most retirees spend more than $640 a month, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI).