Sudden medical emergencies can have huge financial costs, especially for senior citizens. That is why AARP recently released a free, online health care cost calculator to help individuals and families prepare and plan for treatment costs, that, as some studies have shown, can exceed 200,000 dollars.

AARP’s health cost calculator does not require a subscription or the release of personal data. It uses a database that analyzes the costs of 136 billion dollars in various, real-life medical cases. Individuals can then select up to 82 medical conditions listed, and the calculator will estimate the expected payments for treatment. The AARP calculator assumes that the individual has Medicare A, B and D eligibility. After costs are tabulated, users can design their own action plan based on their medical needs.

“This calculator can play a crucial role in helping families and individuals to plan for their retirement,” said the spokesman for AARP in Illinois, Gerardo Cardenas. “The costs of health can have a significant impact on the savings that have been obtained at the time of retirement. With this calculator, AARP seeks to help a greater number of people to carefully plan to achieve their goals of retirement”.

The new calculator is available at www.aarp.org/healthcostscalc.