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Hey everyone, and welcome to Her Money. I'm Jean Chatzky. If you've been watching the news lately or just feeling the pinch in your wallet, you already know that health care costs are rising and fast. Premiums are jumping across the board. Millions of Americans who rely on Affordable Care Acts subsidies are bracing for major changes. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. It's easier to feel powerless. But we're here today to help you sort through some of the confusion and take back control. To do that, I am joined by two experts I trust deeply. Marsha Mantell is a retirement advisor and founder of Mantell Retirement Consulting. Jo is a certified financial planner and author of Maximize youe Medicare. Together, they break down what's really happening with ACA subsidies, how the government shutdown could impact your wallet, and what you need to know if you're shopping for coverage right now, whether it's through your employer Medicare or the ACA Marketplace. We talk about everything from sticker shock and subsidy cliffs to high deductible plans and HSAs. And we offer real, actionable strategies like how to use guaranteed income to cover healthcare costs and how to protect yourself from misleading marketing and scams. It's a candid, opening conversation about healthcare, retirement and how to make smarter money moves. As always, for more tools and guidance on how to plan for retirement income you can't outlive, head to protectedincome.org and don't forget to sign up for the newsletter@protectedincome.org subscribe. Here's my conversation with Marcia Mantel and Jay O. Jay and Marcette, welcome to the show. It's nice to see you both.
C
Thank you, Jean, Great to be here.
A
The government shutdown is continuing. There is seemingly no end in sight. Much of the deadlock right now centers on, as I said, the subsidies, the premium subsidies tied to the Affordable Care Act. People have gotten very used to having these subsidies in place and it has enabled millions to afford to their health insurance. Marsha, can you explain how these work and why they're at the center of the debate in Washington?
C
Yes, indeed, and it is a lively topic. Jean, thank you again for inviting inviting me on. Let me start just back a little ways. Fifteen years ago the ACA passed into law. So this afforded presumably many more people to get health insurance if they didn't have employer coverage and if they were too young for Medicare. So they got access to health insurance, but not affordability yet. So health care is expensive. It increases 2 to 3%, 2 to 3 times the regular inflation every year. So it needed to be affordable as well as accessible. So the ACA set up a format similar to employers where, you know, the employer might pay 75% of the premium and you pay 25%. Well, the ACA said there will be two payers. You, the individual will pay some amount to be determined and then the federal government will offer these subsidies. And it all depends on your income. So if you're between 100% of the federal poverty level and 400%, that's the group the ACA is working with. It affords you the health insurance that you can't get otherwise. And that federal poverty level, to give you an example of what we're talking about, it's about $15,650 for an individual. So that would be 100% of poverty level. So between that and four times, that puts you in the ACA. But to afford it because the premiums are high, you would have a sliding scale of how much you would pay. You might pay 0 or you might pay, get no advanced premium tax credit and have to pay the full premium. So during The COVID pandemic. What happened was the original ACA rules were enhanced and it opened up more options for more people to get health insurance. We really needed it during COVID And so the folks who were around that 400% of premium of federal poverty level, they had a little bit more access to get the health insurance with some subsidies and the total payments were dropped a little bit. It's those enhancements that are on the cutting room floor right now because the big budget bill that passed this past July didn't include the extension. So these advance premium tax credits, these subsidies, the expanded portion of them are set to expire this December, December 31st. Setting up 2026 is an extremely expensive year for many people, millions of people already in the aca, and that's what all the hubbub is about in Washington.
A
Well, and some of the estimates actually show that ACA premiums could double for some people next year, more than double if these enhanced tax credits lapse. Jay, as you look at this picture, what are we talking about in dollar terms and which groups are going to be hit the hardest?
B
So thank you for having me again, Gene. And what I'd say is a very complicated situation. The things that Marcia pointed out are absolutely the correct way to summarize was always originally set to expire these enhanced premium tax credits. So it is not that the One Big Beautiful act intentionally discontinued the tax credits. It is just simply that the One Big Beautiful Bill act did not extend it. Right. It was originally intended to expire. That was the happen of the result of COVID in dollar terms. For example, today Iowa actually opened the open enrollment period for individual health insurance. And what they are seeing, $18,000 is absolutely in play, that people who are above 150% of FPL, which is the federal poverty level, which is a scale based on your household size and age, these are going to change. And by age, what I mean is your health insurance premium is higher as you age, so your net price after the credits can be in the five digits plus per year for a household. That is absolutely an expectation. And last thing I would say is that I've been stating this since the tariff tantrum, that we could talk about different supply chain this and that as a result of tariffs. Possibly. But what was almost certainly going to occur was a conflict. Here we fast forward from the end of March when I posted this issue and we are right here. Not a surprise.
A
Not a surprise to you because you were anticipating this. I do think, and I'm judging from the traffic on my own Facebook group, which we've got 20,000 women in the Hermione Facebook group. They are talking about this and they are trying to figure out what to do. And for them and for anybody else who is watching, we're going to try to give them at least a semblance of help here. Marcia Jay said the ACA marketplaces across the country are many of them scheduled to open in about a week. What do consumers need to know and do as they go about shopping for their plans in the midst of all of this political chaos?
C
Yeah, I think the first thing is to be prepared for sticker shock. It's not small. Like, you know, 10% increase would be a lot to anything we are talking. Jay is right. Some of these premiums are doubling, some are going up between 30 and 50%. It's going to depend on where you live and your income relative to that federal poverty level. So be prepared for sticker shock. The second is expect a lot more red tape. There are many new rules that also came about in the big budget bill to determine eligibility and to verify that. So the ACA has been around for 15 years now. People sort of get in like employer coverage. You get into this routine where oh, if I don't do anything, my plan's just going to roll over and I'll just take whatever I have. It's not that case anymore. With the aca, you have to reprove every year. There's no more automatic re enroll. So the process is different, the paper trail is different. So you need to be prepared for that. And then pulling together in advance your proof documents for verification of your employment, of your residents, of family members or people living in your household, all that kind of thing. There are new rules and requirements. So it's a big deal. And the sticker shock for me, Jean and Jay, that's really where the rubber meets the road. We can generically talk about prices are increasing or on average, you know, health premiums are going up 18%. Some numbers, but it's when you see the real numbers. So I ran some numbers. There are a few states who already have their 2026 numbers out. Assuming these advanced premium tax credit enhancements end on 12 31. And it is stunning. So I looked at Macon, Georgia just to pick a place for a 57 year old. Someone with $50,000 in income is paying this year two hundred and eighty two, two hundred and eighty two dollars per month, which is already a big number. Right. If you're only making $50,000. But next year for 2026 that will jump to $415. So not quite double, but almost double to someone's household income. In Minnesota, it's the same story. The numbers worked out almost to the dollar. But it's different if you make $82,000. So now you're even higher in the federal poverty level. You're paying $575 this year. Your premium jumps jumps to 770 next year. These are average numbers for the silver plans.
A
Is that a single person or is that a family?
C
A single person. This isn't even touching the families yet. So these are gigantic increases on top of everything else that's increased over the past couple of years.
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Well, I think first of all, in addition to all of what Marcia stated, that it's complicated for everyone and part of that has to do with checking your network when it comes to the aca. The most complicated portion for me, for our clients around the country, is to make sure that everyone understands the insurance that they have or they want that your doctors, hospitals accept that insurance. In Georgia, for example, the example that Marcia pointed out, it is a very fragmented state. Even though you are right there in a very highly educated with lots of people and universities, you would have thought that networks would have been not fragmented, that the opposite is the case. So that is first, because the last outcome I want to have for our people, for example, and for the public is for you to purchase insurance which is already expensive, bring it to the doctor off doctor's office and find out we don't take this insurance. So this is a practical matter. And also say like you said, Gina, I'm right with you in the sense of helping people. Because most of my past eight weeks has been in speaking with women's groups. I'm not going to be able to change traditional gender roles in our nation or across the world that we know that the stack of administration sits at the responsible adult female in the extended household. There's no doubt about this. So absolutely that this portion has to be thought of first and then for people to understand that there are certain situations that paying for more insurance, more expensive insurance may be painful but have a good reason. That also means the opposite is true. Meaning that candidly speaking, when I give private counsel to people and they are very, very healthy, even if they can afford to drive down premium and be aggressive about it privately, I'm very aggressive. Our clients, if that is the situation, meaning that they have very good health, they don't have dependents, et cetera, et cetera, the complications. And it has to do with understanding of insurance generally and the fact that it's very difficult for all the stakeholders. So much. So if we take Georgia, I know we've just used one example, we can Repeat it in other locations. Aetna has entirely left the entire state for the Affordable care Act for 2026. Tough stuff, everybody.
A
So I understand what you're saying, and I actually want to get a little bit more specific about it. JAY essentially what you're saying is that if you are a healthy individual, that you perhaps should not stress yourself out trying to get the ultimate gold platinum policy, that for you a silver policy or even a less expensive policy with a less expensive premium may actually make sense. MARCIA for most people these days, and if you could specifically address those people who are not 20, who are closer to 50, are high deductible health insurance policies going to be the way to save most people the most money and get them some form of health insurance? Because I listen to these numbers and I'm thinking millions and millions of people are going to just drop coverage.
C
That's the big fear. We don't want you to drop coverage. Even if you are healthy. Anything could happen. It's an accident that could happen that you can't possibly plan for. So dropping coverage is not most people's best avenue. Yes, on the high deductible health plans, they are the way they work. They're high deductible because you're going to pay more out of pocket if you get sick or get in an accident, but your premiums are lower. You also have the ability to save separately in this triple tax advantaged vehicle called a health savings account or the hsa. And that allows you to save up to, I think it's about $4,500 for an individual and about $9,500 for if you're covering a family, you can save that on a tax free basis. It lowers your income tax obligation. You save tax free and you can take the money out even two weeks later if you need it for some health coverage. And it comes out tax free as well. So it's a very powerful account. If you're sick, if you have a chronic issue that might not be your best pass? And for folks who are older, I'm a big fan. I'll just put that out there. Of the HSAs, I think partly because dad and I had to have one from the very beginning. He worked at a company where they eliminated all other options. So we got pushed into the high deductible health plan space years ago and it has turned out to actually, to meet Jay's objective, what he was talking about, we need to learn more about health insurance. It's not on anybody's plate, but if we learn more about it and you're really forced to. When you're in a high deductible health plan, you got to figure out how the system works and you get to save over here. So it's a really effective way for many people if it's an option for them.
A
It essentially the taxation rules on a health savings account mean that any money that you even just move through the health savings account, you save about 25% on the cost of whatever you buy with that money. So whether it is a visit to the doctor, whether it's a prescription, that's how effective these accounts can be. Coming to the employer marketplace if you're somebody who gets insurance through an employer, your costs as well are going up. We know that employers will be passing a lot of those costs along. MARCIA before we move on to Medicare, are the rules for people who are shopping via employer coverage the same?
C
The approach to getting your health insurance is a little different. So instead of going to healthcare.gov which is the ACA's entry point, so you would go to healthcare.gov, put in your state and then it will take you to your state specific ACA marketplace. That's where you shop and get your information about your ACA plans. If you're working for an employer who offers health insurance, this is open enrollment time for most employers. So you're right in the thick of things too. But you usually only get about a two week window. So what I'd say for this year, Jean, is be prepared for sticker shock. The prices are up overall. KFF just released their findings yesterday that for individuals, the total premium that we don't usually see is on average $9,300 per person in 2025 and it's expected to go up on average about 6% for 2026. So call it $10,000, you'll pay your share. Maybe it was 20% last year and this year it's going to be 25%. So you're going to pay more and in addition your deductibles. So the amount you have to pay first before insurance fully kicks in, those are likely to increase as well. And we just got our plan information yesterday. I'm on my husband's plan and our in network to give you an idea. So you have to budget for this. Our in network, if we stay in a network, to Jay's point, you need to know where your doctors fall, which hospitals and how they get paid. In network is $6,000 for each of us, a $12,000 out of pocket family maximum. We're a family of two, you know, our kids are long gone. So Dan and I, Our exposure is $12,000 in an in network plan. It is $24,000 if we end up needing to be out of network for some reason.
A
Yeah, that's a big hit.
C
Yeah. And that's not the premium. That's after we pay the monthly premium. We haven't seen those numbers yet. So it's big.
A
It's big. Jay, we're going to jump to Medicare in just a second. But before that, surveys show whether we're talking about Medicare, whether we're talking about the exchange, whether we're talking about a plan. You get through your employer, people just click the button and stay with what they have. What is the cost of this inaction?
B
Well, inaction, like I said, is and has been implied here, is, is thousands of dollars running to a person that, especially if on the individual marketplace employer, you have a subset. Right. In other words, you may have a high deductible plan option and a standard option, if you will, these plans. Generally speaking, I would say if I had to overgeneralize and I realized that, that the networks are more robust than the individual market. Prescriptions handled slightly better, I would say, than the individual market. I would want to also point out one other thing and I don't want to gaslight and trying to very much keep away from anything that implies to the population that you know you've done something wrong. The situation's complicated. So we're just trying to help in that. That said, if your portion as an employee is too high, there is a hardship exemption, meaning that your responsibility, depending on your income, you still may be able to get a subsidy and be off and into the Affordable Care Act.
A
How do you do that?
B
Well, you have to file specifically. So this is a ratio and this is moving. I don't have the exact, I want to call it 9, 9 odd percent, meaning that there's going to be a standard by which you compare. And so let's just say, for example, your employer kicked in some amount and your deduction is X dollars. If that X is higher than this ratio, then there are forms to fill out, shopping to do, but it is possible.
A
So is this something that you find on healthcare.gov okay, so if this is something that you think you might qualify for, healthcare.gov is the place to go. I want to move on to Medicare because we are also in a scenario where premiums for 2026 are projected to jump. Marsha, can you run us through the various parts of Medicare and what folks on Medicare can expect in terms of costs for next year. Also, if you can explain what is behind some of those increases, that would be helpful.
C
Sure. There are five, I'll call them five ingredients to the main Medicare package that people would consider. So there's part A that most people know about. That's your hospitalization coverage. If you end up in the hospital during your Medicare years, there's no monthly premium to Medicare, but you pay usage costs for number of days in the hospital or number of days in skilled nursing, you can pay them if you don't have another option. Part B, that's how you pay your doctors and your outpatient. That's what we mostly know about and mostly use. This year that premium is $185, the standard premium per person per month. 185. We don't have the numbers yet for 2026, but from the trustee's report, we are expected the jump to go to $206 per person per month next year. That's an 11% increase in the premium. And this increase is really due to the sheer cost of care in outpatient, in chronic illness, management of the Part B drugs, and in just the expense of using the healthcare system. So it's pretty hefty. Part D is your drug insurance coverage. And in this situation, as Jay mentioned, I'm shocked about the situation in Georgia. Well, actually, I'm not so shocked that Aetna pulled out. It's also happening in the Medicare side. So Part D, drug insurers are pulling out of states. So you're going to see a reduction in the number of plans offered. You're going to see a reduction in the number of drugs covered on those plans. And the premiums are sort of all over the map. Some states still have $0 monthly premium choices, other states do not. So it's all over. Then. Part C of Medicare is the Medicare Advantage. These packaged plans. And here, same again as on the ACA side, a lot of the PPOs, the preferred provider organization options of Medicare Advantage, those are being eliminated or reduce reduced network coverage. Doctors no longer accepting the plan, the insurance company no longer paying for network. Doctors, they're now out of network. And those plans that were zero last year, this year may now carry a premium. One of the plans I looked at the other day is a PPO with $0 premium in 2025 going to a $48 monthly premium in 2026. And then there's Medigap. So the Medigap plans sit under A and B, to help you pay your share of costs. And those just typically increase 4, 5, 6% per year. You can expect that in your local neighborhood for Medigap plans as well.
A
JAY we talked before we got on the air here and you made the point that these Medicare plans not only are insurers in and out of the the markets, but the plans change, the drugs on, the formularies change, the doctors in the network change. If you just stick with what you've got, it's quite possible that what worked for you last year is not going to work for you this year. Correct?
B
That's certainly the case. JEAN so like Marsha said, first of all, carriers are leaving. And so if you've gotten a letter that says your plan is not being offered next year, you need to act like it's a must. And if you do not, you will have original Medicare by itself with no drug coverage. If you originally had a Medicare Advantage plan that included it. I can't stress this enough that people throw away these letters from their carrier saying, okay, well, this is something that tells me bad news, I don't want to open it, that I I get that kind of mail all the time and I can understand that that is human nature. Pat said this is a particularly difficult time and urge everyone to not do this. That all said, in addition to that, yes, there's no doubt that the moving parts I tried to explain in Maximizer Medicare for over a decade, that to understand the very nature, the inherent nature here is that part D and Medicare Advantage are annual contracts. That means that every single detail is up for change, subject to change every single calendar year. This has always been the case. It just happens to be that we've got this incredible convergence of all of these moving parts and issues and debates nationally, locally, and now it just the spotlight is here. But this has always been the exercise here that you would check every year because it could have worked in your favor, meaning better benefits, extra benefits that you value very highly to improve your well being for you, your spouse, your household. But so yes, is your bottom line. You'll want to check every detail every year. That is the way our world works. I don't think we're going back to a situation where you can set it and forget it.
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MARCIA Many people on Medicare will have a protected income coming in from Social Security, money they know they can count on. Perhaps they'll have an annuity or a pension. Some advisors recommend using that guaranteed money to cover fixed or essential expenses. Or what are your thoughts on this and what do you think people should do? You mentioned the word budget earlier when planning to cover their fixed healthcare costs. Things like premiums and those co pays for the prescriptions that you know, that you're gonna need every month. Is this something that you should look to cover with some form of income that you know is guaranteed?
C
I am a big proponent of that exact strategy, Jean, that we line up essentially our essential expenses like health care, because it's a big expense and then we need to know how we're going to pay for it. Part B, the premiums for part B already do that automatically. So your part B premiums automatically get pulled from your Social Security payments before you even get the deposit into your checking account. So there's already a piece of alignment there, which is great. And what I'd say is, yeah, if you have, whether it's Social Security or an annuity or a pension, this is your guaranteed stream of income. And you know, you need to pay for food, housing and health care. Right? So those three buckets really should line up with your guaranteed sources of income and make sure, you know, that you can afford all of the pieces that you need to, you know, have a happy, healthy home. For me, it is the budgeting piece. And it's not only Medicare abd Medigap that you have to budget for, it's also all this stuff that you're buying at cvs, you know, in the over the counter aisle. Not everything is a prescription that we need as we get older. So you need to plan for that or for vision to get your new eyeglasses, your hearing aids, dental. If even if you have a dental plan while you pay a premium in many cases, but it only covers maybe fifteen hundred dollars of expenses for the year. Well, if you have a $3,000 crown you need, you need to have budgeted already for that extra fifteen hundred dollars. So I have a free worksheet on my blog that you can see all the types of expenses that need to be budgeted for under, quote, Medicare.
A
Where would we find that worksheet?
C
Oh, it's on boomerretirementbriefs.com and you can look under the Social Security tab.
A
Amazing. Thank you so much for that, Jay. For all Americans, I think, including me. I turned on the morning shows this morning and the barrage of TV ads for Medicare, it's overwhelming. How do you cut through the noise? Whether it's a television ad, whether it's a robocall, whether it's an email or a text, how do you cut through the noise and understand what's valuable information for you.
B
So on the commercials that you see, first of all, if it's coming from the carrier, from a carrier itself, it is highly unlikely that it is false or inaccurate. Every commercial from a carrier must be approved by the federal government in advance. I don't get to hit record and just start talking about plans. That is not what happens when you're talking about calling a hotline to see if they qualify. A couple of things have changed to protect consumers. The practical reality is that I have told people on videos or when I've been given the opportunity how to prevent wrongdoing is you can simply ask the person who calls you what's your npn? NPN is National Producer Number. It is a unique number for everyone with an insurance license. I have one. It's on my emails. Meaning that you can't avoid it. And if the person is a legitimate person, then they will have it. They will be willing to share it with you. There's also some other protections beyond today which have actually worked in the consumer's favor to Prevent you getting 20 phone calls. You can get a phone call because maybe you filled out a form whether you intended it or not. What you will not have, should not have in air quotes, should not have is 20 phone calls of a similar type from different organizations. So there have been some reports of this type of marketing wrongdoing. There have been a fair amount of restrictions on it that sellers that be the hotlines and the carriers have had to study very carefully going into 2026. You may be overwhelmed. Gene, I've actually noticed that we don't see the celebrities out there talking about Medicare Advantage, not nearly at the same.
A
Pace because as much as we used to. That is definitely good to know. Maybe I just turned on my television at precisely the moment. Just a reminder though, for anybody, if you get a call or an email or a text from anybody and they start asking for personal information, it's time to hang up. It's time to not give it to them. The number of scams that are out there in this field and others is dramatic and continues to grow. We always like to end these sessions by asking you for couple of tips, 2, 3 tips for people who are looking to make the best healthcare decisions for them this year right now. What do you want them to do? And Jay, let me start with you.
B
Kawan. In a perfect world, I would like to not ask, even though it's easy to ask your best buddy what they did and just choose it for that reason. Meaning that the situations are so different that your twin sister, your brother can live a county away, the same health, almost the same situation, have a different efficient solution that is happening all the time. The second one is to realize that all people, myself counterparts are talking about a set of options but to not ignore the fact that over approximately 20 million people live on Social Security alone. Meaning that this is not meant, like I said earlier, to gaslight someone and regret and put ourselves in a time capsule. On my substack, which is jo.substack.com, i tell the one of my slogans is we are here today. Start where you are, meaning that we can't go to the time capsule. We'll put our name on the line every time but we are dealing with the facts and a difficult situation overall. And our job from here is to do the best and if that takes extra steps, we'll do that. And happy to be partners with so many because we don't all have many layers of traditional pension, annuity, etc. And layers of income. Like I said, 20 million people basically live on Social Security as their sole source of retirement income. The choice is a lot harder. Medigap is the superior contract that is undisputed. That said, depending on your age and location, $4,000 a year for something that you may not need if you're perfect health miss Perfect like Jean Chasky. That is my point.
C
All right, let's see. First is don't be hesitant to make appointments to ask your questions if you're trying to deal with the ACA. There are new resources out on healthcare.gov to help you navigate for 2026. There are navigators or some communities have volunteers who will be willing to help you sort this mess out. And on the Medicare side there are the SHIP representatives, the state Health Insurance Assistant program volunteers. So ask please don't shy away from that. The second tip I have is learn the tools, use them. There's a lot of great information out online. It's Medicare.gov is where you go.gov gov is where you go for your Medicare tools and use the plan finder. And then start with healthcare.gov and go to the estimating tools for your state. You always have to enter via your state and then I'd say for the employer side a lot of employers are offering webinars or info sessions during their open enrollment this year where they don't usually. But everything is so different and the costs are rising so rapidly and they're changing who they cover, you know. So ask questions at these info sessions Are, for example, dependents being continued to be covered? Are domestic partners going to be covered? If your spouse has a plan availability plan at their place of work, are they going to be covered as a family plan at your employer? So many new questions, many new considerations, many new offerings. So ask and attend and read, read.
A
Read as always for more tools and guidance on how to plan for retirement in income you can't outlive. Head to protectedincome.org and while you're there, don't forget to sign up for the newsletter@protectedincome.org subscribe if you love today's episode, please take a moment to leave us a five star review on Apple Podcast. Your feedback means the world to me and if you're ready to keep the Money conversation going, Her Money has three amazing programs designed to help you feel more confident and in control of your money. There's Finance Fix. It's our four week coaching program that helps you rethink your spending, find hidden savings, and make smarter choices for the future. Our pre Retirement program runs for six weeks and walks you through building a retirement system strategy that's personalized for your next chapter. Finally, there's Investing Fix, our investing club for women. It meets every other week on Zoom. It is a supportive space to learn, ask questions, grow your investing confidence and build your portfolio. And your first month is absolutely free. These programs are truly helping level the plan playing field for women financially. I'd love for you to join us. Her Money is produced by Haley Pascalides and our music is provided by Video Helper. Thanks so much for listening and we'll talk soon.
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Overwhelmed by Investing if you're anything like us, the hardest part is getting started. That's why we created the Investing for Beginners podcast. Our goal is to to help simplify money so it can work for you. We invite guests to demystify investing at.
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Least like the minimum 10% into the 401k.
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I'm Dave Ahern. And I'm Andrew Sather and we hope you join us on the Investing for Beginners podcast. On the Investing for Beginners podcast.
Episode Title: Your Money Map Replay: How to Prepare for Rising Healthcare Costs in 2026: Medicare, ACA & More
Date: October 31, 2025
Host: Jean Chatzky
Guests: Marcia Mantell (Retirement Advisor, Mantell Retirement Consulting), Jay O (Certified Financial Planner, Author of "Maximize Your Medicare")
This episode focuses on the looming rise in healthcare costs for 2026—especially for women—covering major changes to ACA (Affordable Care Act) subsidies, employer-provided insurance, and Medicare. Jean Chatzky teams up with financial and healthcare experts Marcia Mantell and Jay O to provide listeners with context, strategic guidance, and actionable steps for navigating a shifting landscape. The conversation is candid, practical, sometimes funny, but deeply empathetic—acknowledging the unique financial burdens many women face and offering clear, specific advice for what to do next.
"The big budget bill that passed this past July didn't include the extension. So these advance premium tax credits, these subsidies, the expanded portion of them, are set to expire this December, December 31st. Setting up 2026 as an extremely expensive year for many people."
— Marcia Mantell [06:20]
"Your net price after the credits can be in the five digits plus per year for a household. That is absolutely an expectation."
— Jay O [08:13]
"It's not that case anymore. With the ACA, you have to reprove every year. There’s no more automatic re-enroll. So…the process is different, the paper trail is different…It's a big deal."
— Marcia Mantell [10:27]
"The last outcome I want...is for you to purchase insurance which is already expensive, bring it to the doctor’s office and find out, ‘we don't take this insurance.’”
— Jay O [16:13]
"You also have the ability to save separately in this triple tax advantaged vehicle called a health savings account or the HSA…It's a really effective way for many people if it's an option for them."
— Marcia Mantell [19:31]
“Our in-network...$6,000 for each of us, a $12,000 out-of-pocket family maximum...if we end up needing to be out-of-network...$24,000.”
— Marcia Mantell [22:18]
“Inaction...is thousands of dollars running to a person...if your portion as an employee is too high, there is a hardship exemption...you still may be able to get a subsidy and be off and into the Affordable Care Act.”
— Jay O [24:02]
“If you just stick with what you've got, it's quite possible that what worked for you last year is not going to work for you this year.”
— Jean Chatzky [29:09]
"Every single detail is up for change, subject to change every single calendar year. This has always been the case. It just happens to be that we’ve got this incredible convergence...You’ll want to check every detail every year…”
— Jay O [30:22]
"For me, it is the budgeting piece. And it's not only Medicare and Medigap that you have to budget for...Not everything is a prescription that we need as we get older. So you need to plan for that..."
— Marcia Mantell [32:22]
"You can simply ask the person who calls you what's your NPN? NPN is National Producer Number. It is a unique number for everyone with an insurance license…if the person is a legitimate person, then they will have it."
— Jay O [35:04]
Jay O’s Top Three Tips:
Marcia Mantell’s Top Three Tips:
Quote:
"Ask questions at these info sessions...Are, for example, dependents being continued to be covered? Are domestic partners going to be covered?...So many new questions...So ask and attend and read, read."
— Marcia Mantell [40:40]
Resources Mentioned:
HerMoney delivers financial wisdom with compassion and practical detail—this episode is a must-listen for anyone worried about rising healthcare costs, but especially for women preparing their families for 2026.