What a New 2026 Study Means for Gen Z's Long-Term Healthcare Costs
Many Gen Zs are now focusing on building their careers, paying off student loans and saving for the future. A recent study published in Nature Medicine suggests that they may also need to think about their long-term healthcare costs.
Here’s what the study found and what this means for Gen Z.
Younger Generations Are Aging Faster
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis looked at blood markers from 154,169 adults in the U.K. Biobank and about 10,262 adults in the U.S. The study compared biological age to actual birth year using a metric called PhenoAge, which measures biological age based on nine common blood biomarkers, to find the “age gap” for each person — the difference between how old their body appears and their actual age.
People born in the U.S. from 1990 to 1999 had a 92% higher standardized age gap compared to those born from 1965 to 1969. The age gap among the U.K. cohort was 23% larger for those born between 1965 and 1974 than for those born in the early 1950s.
According to the study, those with higher age gaps are more likely to develop cancer before 55 years, particularly lung, digestive and uterine cancers. Cancer treatment can be expensive and this research shows Gen Z and millennials may face them earlier than any previous generation did.
Retirement Healthcare Costs Are Already Climbing
Even without factoring in early-onset cancer risk, retirement healthcare costs are already outpacing inflation. Fidelity revealed that a 65-year-old retiring today can expect to spend $172,500 over the course of retirement and that figure has climbed more than 4% year over year.
And that doesn’t even include long-term care. If the Gen Z trend of biological aging continues, that number could be even higher by the time they’re 65. That means health problems could arise before that, accruing costs during prime earning years.
The Bottom Line
A health savings account (HSA) is one of the best ways to prepare. The contribution maximum for an individual in 2026 is $4,400 and $8,750 for families. Contributions are pretax, growth is tax-free and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are never taxed.
But beyond savings, Yin Cao, a molecular epidemiologist at Washington University, recommended the same basics doctors have advised for years. Maintain a healthy weight, stay active, eat well, sleep enough and limit alcohol consumption.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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