A recent study conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) found that retirees will need to have hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings to cover Medicare costs. Such costs include premiums, deductibles and prescription drug expenses—essentially any costs that could be out-of-pocket for Medicare beneficiaries.

A recent study from researchers at Harvard University and the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) suggests that consolidated health systems cost patients more money, despite providing slightly better care than private practices.