Steps to prepare your body – and pocketbook – for retirement

随着人们临近退休并开始计划开支，医疗保健在他们的清单上名列前茅. Out-of-pocket medical costs will inevitably arise, 但在步入晚年时采取健康的措施可以帮助你避免昂贵的就医费用, prescriptions and medical treatments.

“作为一个社会，我们面临的挑战是让人们认识到，他们对自己的健康有一定的控制权," said Dr. Steven Houser, 费城天普大学医学院心血管研究中心主任.

在以后的生活中避免疾病和慢性疾病也有助于提高生活质量, he said. "It's not sufficient to live longer if you're not healthy."

美国近一半的成年人患有某种类型的心血管疾病, and heart disease is the nation's leading cause of death.

Cardiovascular disease, which refers to a number of heart and blood vessel conditions, has become the nation's costliest chronic disease. 随着婴儿潮一代年龄的增长，与此相关的费用预计将在未来几十年飙升.

心血管疾病(包括中风)的总费用为351美元.2 billion between 2014 and 2015. Of that, direct medical costs accounted for $213.生产力损失和死亡造成的间接成本总计137美元.4 billion. 到2035年，心血管疾病的总成本预计将增加到7490亿美元.

心脏病和冠心病是美国医疗费用最高的10种疾病中的两种.S. hospitals. 与此同时，老年人的其他疾病和慢性疾病也会影响退休人员的预算.

Diabetes, a contributor to heart disease, kidney failure and blindness, costs an overall $245 billion per year. Cancer, the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., is expected to reach nearly $174 billion in costs by 2020.

Houser, a past president of the American Heart Association, 他说，现在采取行动保护健康可能会限制未来的医疗费用.

There are exceptions, 但医学研究清楚地表明，健康的生活方式可以帮助人们在没有心血管疾病的情况下长寿, he said. 心血管健康也与大脑健康有关，这是老年人关注的一个关键问题.

For ideal cardiovascular health, the AHA recommends managing blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, reducing blood sugar, getting physically active, eating a healthy diet, losing weight and quitting smoking.

豪瑟说，这些都是“健康文化”的一部分，可以带来更长寿、更健康的生活. "It doesn't mean you can never have an ice cream cone. It doesn't mean you can't have a steak on occasion."

但是，看似微小的改变累积起来会带来巨大的健康改善:

工作时，走动走动，而不是连续几个小时坐在办公桌前. 考虑使用站立式办公桌，走楼梯而不是坐电梯. 许多雇主和健康保险政策提供包括健身房会员在内的健康计划, nutrition counseling and smoking cessation assistance.

– Get regular physical exams. 避免年度检查可能很诱人，但定期去看医疗保健提供者可以创建一个信息基线，多年后当你的健康状况发生变化时，这些信息将会有用.

-为退休期间的医疗费用做好财务准备, learn about Medicare, which is available starting at age 65. Have a backup plan to help pay for what it does not cover. A supplementary insurance plan can help fill the gaps.

“医疗保险很好，但如果你真的病了，它不会支付你所有的费用，”Houser说.

由于担心全面的医疗保险覆盖范围，许多美国人要多工作几年才能继续参加雇主计划, he said.

Ultimately, 展望退休生活时，最好的策略是保持健康, Houser said.

"We as a country need to work on this," he said. "We've got to have a holistic approach. We've got to keep at it."

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