Medical Costs Calculator
BetaCompare investing cash directly with drawing from it for age- and health-status-based medical costs later.
Medical Cost Inputs
Set age range, health profile, and yearly amount invested for future cash medical costs.
Healthy annual cost at this age: $3,600
50 modeled years
Invested each year, then cash medical costs are withdrawn.
Shown as a cumulative comparison line on the graph.
Invested vs. cash medical costs
$7,566,760 invested balance at age 85.
Investment assumptions
Custom return
Index presets use approximate 30-year annualized historical total-return averages with dividends reinvested. They are planning assumptions, not forecasts.
Inflates both the yearly invested amount and selected health-profile medical costs.
Annual medical cost table
| Age | Healthy | Unhealthy | Very unhealthy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | $2,400 | $7,000 | $18,000 |
| 25 | $2,700 | $8,500 | $23,000 |
| 30 | $3,100 | $10,500 | $29,000 |
| 35 | $3,600 | $13,000 | $37,000 |
| 40 | $4,200 | $16,000 | $47,000 |
| 45 | $5,200 | $19,500 | $59,000 |
| 50 | $6,500 | $23,500 | $72,000 |
| 55 | $8,000 | $28,000 | $85,000 |
| 60 | $9,500 | $33,000 | $98,000 |
| 65 | $13,000 | $42,000 | $118,000 |
| 70 | $17,000 | $54,000 | $145,000 |
| 75 | $25,000 | $70,000 | $178,000 |
| 80 | $38,000 | $88,000 | $215,000 |
| 85 | $52,000 | $108,000 | $248,000 |
| 90 | $66,000 | $126,000 | $272,000 |
| 95 | $78,000 | $143,000 | $292,000 |
| 100 | $92,000 | $160,000 | $310,000 |
Figures are annual estimates in 2024 dollars.
Women and Men annual Medicaid cost
Estimated annual Medicaid costs by age from men and women.
Why women cost more at 20-45: Medicaid is the single largest payer of maternity care in the U.S., covering nearly half of all births. Prenatal visits, labor and delivery, postpartum care, and family planning services all accumulate significantly across those years.
The middle-age convergence, roughly 45-73: Men's costs climb sharply as cardiovascular disease, COPD, and alcohol/substance-related conditions hit earlier and harder. Women's reproductive costs fade. The two lines run close together, with men briefly spending more per year around the 55-65 window in this model.
Why women pull far ahead after 75: Two compounding factors: women live about 5-6 years longer on average, and they are significantly more likely to spend time in nursing facilities, which Medicaid covers and Medicare does not. Women over 85 make up the majority of nursing home residents, and those stays can run $80,000-$120,000/year. Men who survive to very old age tend to have spousal caregivers at home longer, reducing formal Medicaid-paid care.
The selection effect at very old ages: Men who reach 90+ on Medicaid are a particularly survivor-selected group, which moderates their cost curve somewhat relative to women of the same age.
Estimates reflect average Medicaid expenditures per enrolled beneficiary including acute care, behavioral health, pharmacy, and long-term services and supports. Women's costs at 20-45 are elevated by pregnancy, maternity, and reproductive health services. Men's costs rise sharply in middle age due to earlier onset of cardiovascular disease and higher rates of substance use treatment. At 65+, women's costs significantly exceed men's due to greater long-term care utilization and longer average survival in nursing facilities. Sources: CMS MBES/CBES, KFF Medicaid analyses, MACPAC reports. Figures in 2024 dollars.
About this medical costs calculator
This medical costs calculator models a simplified self-funding path. It invests a yearly amount, then subtracts age- and health-status-based cash healthcare costs from an annual Medicaid cost table.
The model uses the selected health profile as the baseline, interpolates between the provided ages, applies medical cost inflation each year, and compounds the remaining balance at the selected market return.
How to interpret the result
A remaining invested balance means the modeled self-funded account covered the cash medical costs with money left over. A shortfall means projected medical costs exceeded the invested balance.
What to verify
Real health insurance provides risk pooling, negotiated rates, out-of-pocket maximums, emergency coverage, and legal requirements that this simplified model does not capture. Verify premiums, subsidies, deductibles, provider cash prices, and catastrophic-risk exposure.