Many people heading for retirement that Medicare will pay for most of their medical bills. However, the truth is that retirees are responsible for 20% of their medical expenses and that could really hurt the savings if a long illness occurs. Most choose to take out a government regulated policy called Medigap to start paying when Medicare stops. Medigap cost are very low compared to most insurances.Here is some good information on Medigap for anyone interested. http://www.medigapcost.com