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I’ve never heard anyone support Supplement programs other than my brother whose retirement pays for it. If money’s no object and you anticipate bring sick because of poor lifestyle and dietary choices, then maybe they make economic and risk management sense. We would rather spend about $350/year each on nutritional supplements, eat very healthy food, and exercise regularly, with a no-cost advantage program.

Congratulations on your excellent self-care and wisdom in product selection.

I've been a doctor for 50 years come July 1, and if you know the story of the Tower of Siloam and Matthew 5 then you know tragedy is unpredictable and that the rain falls equally on the just and the unjust.

Medicare has made it possible for people >65 to have care they never could have paid for before. But the real costs are the >75 and even the >85. They are paying against future expenses in the $100K - $250K and up range. The older old don't care about health clubs and all that other marketing crap the MA plans use to "thin the herd", so they get payment that average out over all ages but get customers, typically 65-72 or so, for whom the health club benefit has meaning and a shattered pelvis in a car accident is inconceivable.

Thanks for your insight on people >75 and >85 and the term “older old.”

My parents are both 92 and get around well. My dad is on a MA program and only has one of two prescriptions. My mom takes a handful though. I’ve heard moving is important for the elderly, and while my dad doesn’t golf (pulled his own bag) or play tennis like he did a few years back, he’s still consistently walking 30 minutes a day.

Mentioning “shattered pelvis in a car accident is inconceivable” is a bit ironic. At the end of October a slower moving car making a left turn hit me while I was crossing at a crosswalk. Fortunately I had no broken bones and knew what to from a previous knee injury.