Relocating in Retirement? Don't Overlook This Key Factor.
Key Points
You may be inclined to relocate for better weather and cheaper costs.
Before you move, research what your healthcare options look like.
At a time when you may be managing different conditions, it's important to have access to good doctors, hospitals, and Medicare plans.
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It's not unusual for people to relocate once their careers come to a close. Once you're no longer tethered to a job, you can opt to move someplace that better meets your needs.
You may be eager to relocate to a state where your Social Security checks will have more buying power. Or, you may simply want a better climate.
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These are very valid reasons to move. But before you decide to ditch your current city and move to another one, there's a very important thing to research -- healthcare.
Once you're retired, you may find that you have at least one chronic condition to manage -- and maybe more. It's not unusual for health issues to pop up with age. But it's crucial that you have access to a solid network of providers and hospitals. So before you relocate, it's important to do your research and make sure your new locale has highly rated healthcare systems.
And that's not all. Your choice of Medicare plans will hinge on where you move to. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans vary by region, and you may not want to limit your options too heavily.
As a starting point, you can check out The Motley Fool's 2026 Best Places to Retire report. It includes rankings based on a number of factors, and healthcare is one of them.
You may note that some places that have higher scores for housing and cost of living have lower scores for healthcare, so that's something to strongly consider when planning where to move.
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