Turning 65 Doesn’t End Health Care Bills

Many Americans approaching 65 learned the federal health program was not free, and that complete coverage often still required premiums, supplemental insurance, and careful planning.
Hospital coverage usually had no premium for people with enough payroll-tax history, but doctor visits, outpatient care, prescriptions, deductibles, and coinsurance still added costs.
Routine dental care, eye exams for glasses, hearing aids, and long-term custodial care generally were excluded, creating important gaps families needed to understand early.
Enrollment also required attention: some people were signed up automatically through retirement benefits, while others had to enroll or face long-lasting penalties.
These costs helped explain why some older Americans kept working, yet others still found coverage better than employer plans once they understood choices.