When Canadians build retirement income plans, they typically project housing, food, travel, and discretionary spending. Healthcare costs — one of the largest and most unpredictable expenses in the later years of retirement — are often dramatically underestimated or ignored entirely. This is a mistake that can unravel an otherwise solid retirement plan.
OHIP 实际涵蓋的范圍——以及不涵蓋的项目
Canada's public health insurance covers doctor visits and hospital care — but it leaves significant gaps that become more expensive as you age.
| Category | OHIP 涵蓋？ | 典型自付费用 |
|---|---|---|
| 处方药（65岁以下） | Partially | $100–$500+/month |
| 牙科护理 | No | $1,000–$5,000+/year |
| 视力护理 | Partially | $300–$800/year |
| 助听器 | No | $3,000–$8,000/pair |
| Physiotherapy | Partially | $80–$150/session |
| 私人护理/居家护理 | No | $25–$50/hour |
| 长期护理院 | Partially | $3,000–$8,000+/month |
| 行动輔具及设备 | No | Varies widely |
退休期间的平均自付医疗费用
The federal Canadian Dental Care Plan has begun covering some dental costs for uninsured Canadians — but coverage is limited and the program is still being rolled out. For most retirees, dental remains one of the largest out-of-pocket expenses.
长期护理：最大的变数
Long-term care is the most significant and least predictable healthcare expense in retirement. The risk is real:
- Approximately 70% of people over 65 will need some form of long-term care during their lifetime
- The average length of a long-term care stay is 2–3 years, but many people require care for 5–10 years or more
- Ontario publicly funded long-term care facilities have long waitlists — private facilities are significantly more expensive
- Home care allows you to stay in your own home longer but can cost $2,000–$6,000/month for significant care needs
- If a couple requires care simultaneously, costs can be catastrophic without prior planning
规划医疗费用
将医疗费用納入您的退休预算
Don't treat healthcare as an 'if needed' expense. Build a specific annual healthcare allocation into your retirement income plan from day one.
维持专屬医疗备用金
Carrie recommends setting aside a healthcare-specific reserve fund — typically $100,000–$200,000 for a couple — invested conservatively and earmarked for medical costs.
明确模擬长期护理情景
Carrie will stress-test your retirement plan with scenarios that include one or both partners requiring extended care — showing whether your plan can sustain these costs.
审查省级政府计划
Each province has different drug, dental, and care programs. Understanding your entitlements is the first step in identifying coverage gaps.
考虑保险解决方案
长期护理保险, critical illness insurance, and extended health coverage can transfer significant healthcare risk to an insurance company.
医疗保健保险选项
- 长期护理保险: Pays a daily or monthly benefit if you're unable to perform basic daily activities. Premiums are lower when purchased in your 50s.
- 重大疾病保险: Pays a tax-free lump sum if you're diagnosed with a covered condition (cancer, heart attack, stroke). Can fund extraordinary healthcare costs.
- 擴展医疗保健及牙科: Group or individual plans that cover drugs, dental, vision, and paramedical services. Review whether your employer plan continues into retirement.
- Sun Life health solutions: As a Sun Life advisor, Carrie can review and recommend appropriate coverage for your specific healthcare risk profile.
Carrie's honest advice: Healthcare costs are the most commonly underplanned element of retirement I see. The families who navigate retirement most comfortably are those who built healthcare expenses into their plan from the start — not those who discovered the gap when they needed care. Let's make sure your plan is honest about these costs.
王羽恬
王羽恬是 Seven Lakes Financial Services Inc. 的创办人，同时也是服务安大略省及薩斯喀徹溫省客户的 Sun Life 顧问。她专精退休、遗产及投资规划，以溫暖且个人化的方式为每位客户提供服务，并能以英語、普通话及台語流暢沟通。