“[M]edian cumulative out-of-pocket medical expenses [from age 70 until death] for the long-lived elderly is quite modest at $27,000. At the same time, it is true that some long-lived elderly report very high cumulative out-of-pocket medical expenses: 10 percent of this older cohort say they racked up more than $172,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses, and 5 percent report spending more than $269,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses…. While most (61 percent) long-lived elderly do enter a nursing home, less than one-third (32.2 percent) incur out-of-pocket nursing home expenses.” Employee Benefit Research Institute [EBRI]
