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Feel Good Knees Introduces 'Knee Self-Restoration Ritual' Backed by Stanford Orthopedic Research on Natural Cartilage Healing

Feel Good Knees Introduces 'Knee Self-Restoration Ritual' Backed by Stanford Orthopedic Research on Natural Cartilage Healing

Yahoo3 days ago
New 5-Minute Routine May Help Naturally Support Knee Cartilage Health, Flexibility, and Joint Comfort at Any Age
New York, Aug. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
For decades, doctors claimed that cartilage couldn't heal itself. But recent studies—led in part by Dr. Constance Chu of Stanford University—are challenging that belief. Using MRI imaging, researchers have observed signs of natural knee joint regeneration, inspiring new approaches to non-invasive recovery. One such approach, featured in the Feel Good Knees system, is gaining traction among active adults and seniors looking to avoid surgery and reclaim pain-free movement. This 5-minute 'Knee Self-Restoration Ritual' is now being hailed as a gentle, science-guided method for unlocking the body's hidden healing potential.
To see how this gentle routine is changing the way knee health is approached, visit the official Feel Good Knees Self-Healing System resource page.
Why Interest in 'Knee Self-Healing' Is Surging in 2025
In 2025, more adults than ever are rethinking how they approach knee pain. A combination of rising surgery costs, drug-related risks, and breakthrough science is fueling public demand for safer, simpler alternatives that focus on the body's natural ability to heal.
Searches for terms like 'natural knee pain relief,' 'cartilage regeneration,' and 'avoid knee surgery' have exploded on Google, while platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube are flooded with user-driven discussions around joint health, body alignment, and pain-free movement at any age.
Why the sudden shift?
For starters, many are becoming disillusioned with traditional solutions. NSAIDs—commonly used anti-inflammatory medications—are now under increasing scrutiny. According to the American Journal of Medicine, NSAIDs are linked to over 16,500 deaths each year from gastrointestinal bleeding, while countless others suffer from liver and kidney complications caused by prolonged use【Source: AJM; Singh 1998】.
Surgical options aren't much better. The average knee replacement surgery in the U.S. costs between $30,000 and $50,000, and can leave patients with long recoveries, visible scarring, and recurring discomfort【Source: Healthline; 'What You Need to Know About Knee Surgery'】. And according to research published in Harvard Health, knee replacement implants often need to be replaced again after 10–15 years, creating additional surgeries and financial burdens down the line【Source: Harvard Health Publishing, 2023】.
But perhaps the most exciting reason for this surge in interest is emerging from the scientific community itself.
In a pivotal two-year study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers tracked 325 patients with knee cartilage degeneration. Using high-resolution MRI technology, they discovered that 37% of patients showed signs of cartilage healing—an outcome previously believed to be impossible. Their conclusion: 'MRI results showed cartilage repair and healing.'【Source: JAMA, 2023】
This finding was further echoed by Dr. Constance Chu, a renowned Stanford Orthopedic Surgeon and Professor, who has led research showing that articular cartilage possesses self-repair capacity under the right mechanical and biological conditions. Her stance directly contradicts decades of conventional wisdom that once damage occurs, it's permanent【Source: Stanford Medicine; Dr. Constance Chu Lab】.
These data points, combined with mounting anecdotal success stories, have created a groundswell. People no longer want to merely "manage" knee pain—they want to overcome it. And they're now open to exploring simple, non-invasive rituals that support their body's innate healing abilities.
In short, the concept of 'knee self-healing' is no longer pseudoscience—it's a growing global movement, grounded in evidence, and propelled by everyday people who are ready to reclaim their mobility.
Experience the difference a natural approach makes—.
Feel Good Knees as a Response to This Shift
As millions seek non-invasive alternatives to injections and joint surgeries, one system is quietly leading the conversation: Feel Good Knees.
This 5-minute-per-day method, known as the 'Knee Self-Restoration Ritual,' is designed to work with the body's natural recovery systems—without pills, painful physical therapy, or medical equipment. At the center of this approach is a simple question: what if the knees were never the problem, but rather the neglected victim of poor alignment, restricted mobility, and years of muscle imbalance?
The Feel Good Knees system approaches joint discomfort not as a chronic curse, but as a correctable pattern—one that can be addressed with gentle, science-backed movement protocols.
Developed by fitness educator and medical manual therapy specialist Todd Kuslikis, the program is built for aging adults who want to reclaim control of their mobility from the comfort of home. The system blends therapeutic isometric holds, alignment adjustments, and relaxation-based techniques designed specifically for sore, stiff, or post-surgical knees. No gym memberships. No risky devices. Just five minutes a day in a chair, on the bed, or even while standing.
And its design wasn't random. Kuslikis created the program after watching his own wife suffer through knee pain so severe that it interrupted their daily lives—and even their intimacy. Armed with a background in kinesiology, calisthenics, and injury rehabilitation, he began assembling a toolkit of gentle, proven movements that support circulation, lubrication, and functional knee positioning.
The result: a user-friendly program that doesn't require athleticism, prior experience, or even full mobility to get started.
What makes it resonate so deeply with users is its simplicity. It doesn't promise to 'cure' anyone, nor does it rely on trends or gimmicks. Instead, Feel Good Knees positions itself as a natural response to a broken system—offering hope not through hype, but through self-guided action.
In a market flooded with braces, pills, and quick fixes, Feel Good Knees stands out for its ability to restore not just mobility, but also confidence. It acknowledges the science of self-healing, incorporates modern orthopedic findings, and translates them into a ritual that real people can actually use.
Ready to take control of your knee health?.
What Online Users Are Saying About This Category
Across the internet in 2025, a growing wave of users is challenging the mainstream narrative about joint pain—especially when it comes to aging knees.
From Reddit threads and podcast transcripts to YouTube commentary and TikTok explainers, people of all ages are increasingly skeptical of the traditional 'pill or surgery' approach. What once felt like the default medical advice—NSAIDs, injections, or full joint replacements—is now facing resistance from everyday users who are openly sharing their frustrations and exploring non-invasive alternatives.
On TikTok, videos tagged with #kneepainrelief, #naturalhealing, and #jointmobility now boast millions of views. Creators frequently talk about lifestyle upgrades, posture corrections, and overlooked alignment techniques that have helped them avoid surgery. Others share their experiments with mobility routines, barefoot training, or low-impact movement regimens—all seeking the same goal: pain-free movement without dependency.
Meanwhile, popular podcasts in the health and aging space are dedicating entire episodes to mobility without medication, often highlighting overlooked therapies like isometric protocols, fascia release, and micro-adjustment exercises. Listeners are responding with enthusiasm, echoing sentiments like 'why didn't I hear about this 10 years ago?' and 'my doctor never told me there were alternatives.'
In online review forums and comment sections, one theme is consistent: people want options that are gentle, proven, and accessible from home. There's a growing cultural belief that knees—like skin, muscles, and other tissues—shouldn't be excluded from the body's natural healing intelligence.
The Feel Good Knees Self-Healing System has entered that conversation as a quiet frontrunner. While many systems rely on trends or unproven supplements, this method resonates because it taps into what online users already believe: that less can be more, and that a structured, low-resistance approach might actually work better than anything they've tried before.
For many, it's not about avoiding doctors—it's about finally finding something that aligns with their values and actually fits into their daily lives.
As one long-time wellness forum user put it, 'After all the braces, pills, and pricey gadgets, I can't believe a five-minute technique from a recliner is what finally gave me relief.'
Learn why thousands are turning to this self-healing method—.
Who Might Gravitate Toward This Product in 2025
In 2025, the desire for pain-free movement isn't limited to athletes or injury recovery patients. It spans a much wider audience—people who are tired of feeling sidelined by discomfort and eager to regain control of their bodies, starting with their knees.
The Feel Good Knees system was designed with these people in mind.
Many are active adults in their 50s, 60s, or 70s who feel youthful at heart, but find their knees limiting their participation in everyday joys—whether it's gardening, golf, or chasing grandkids. These individuals aren't necessarily seeking high-performance results. What they want is freedom: the ability to move confidently, bend easily, and wake up without that familiar throb in their joints.
Others include people who've had surgeries—some successfully, others not—who are looking for a way to support long-term joint health without relying on repeat procedures, follow-up injections, or prescription painkillers.
Then there are those who've been proactive all along. Health-conscious individuals who believe in prevention and mobility longevity. For them, the Feel Good Knees ritual acts as a daily tune-up—gentle, grounded in physiology, and supportive of natural function.
Even younger users, such as former athletes or those recovering from old sports injuries, are turning to this kind of program. Many are discovering that restoring patella alignment, relaxing overworked ligaments, and building low-impact joint strength can provide long-term comfort and stability—especially when done consistently over time.
What unites them all is the mindset: people who aren't waiting around for pain to get worse. They want something simple, structured, and sustainable—without aggressive treatments or synthetic drugs.
Whether you're just beginning to notice stiffness or have been managing knee discomfort for years, the Feel Good Knees system offers a calm, intelligent response to a complex problem. It doesn't demand hours of your time or access to a clinic. Instead, it gives you the tools to take charge of your recovery right from your recliner.
To find out how this at-home system is helping thousands of people step back into life with strength and ease,
Market Category Reflections – Why This Niche Is Expanding
The market for non-invasive pain management, particularly in the realm of joint support, has evolved rapidly in recent years. In 2025, a growing number of consumers are opting out of conventional solutions and exploring alternatives that were once considered fringe—such as fascia manipulation, isometric therapy, or passive alignment-based rituals.
One of the fastest-growing subcategories within this movement is the self-guided, home-based mobility program. Products like Feel Good Knees are thriving not just because they're easier or less expensive—but because they're aligned with a deeper cultural shift.
Today's consumers are more informed than ever. They question the idea that aging automatically leads to immobility. They research. They cross-reference clinical studies. They ask if surgery is truly the only option. And most importantly, they're demanding solutions that don't require them to surrender control of their bodies—or their wallets.
This shift is reflected in keyword trends as well. Search volume for phrases like 'natural knee cartilage support,' 'home knee therapy,' and 'knee healing without surgery' has surged globally. Influencers and wellness practitioners are also fueling the conversation, contributing to what many now recognize as a full-scale category breakout.
Part of this explosion in interest is due to the new wave of research validating the self-healing potential of joints. The 2023 JAMA study documenting 37% cartilage improvement in knees using natural, non-surgical methods has become a landmark reference point in online forums and health communities【Source: JAMA, 2023】.
Additionally, Stanford University orthopedic professor Dr. Constance Chu continues to make headlines for her bold position that 'articular cartilage can heal' under proper conditions【Source: Stanford Medicine, 2023】. This single phrase, echoed across academic publications and interviews, has helped legitimize an entire category of non-invasive knee recovery methods that once existed outside the medical mainstream.
But it's not just science driving the shift—it's demographics.
The number of Americans over 60 continues to climb, and with it, a growing demand for mobility solutions that don't rely on narcotics, joint injections, or surgical implants. As the healthcare system becomes more expensive and overburdened, programs that teach users to restore function naturally—on their own terms—are being embraced as both a medical necessity and a personal empowerment tool.
Feel Good Knees sits squarely in the center of that trend.
It reflects the new definition of wellness: individualized, sustainable, evidence-informed, and low-risk. It also speaks to a larger consumer truth—people no longer want to be patients. They want to be participants in their own recovery.
Take the first step toward pain-free knees—
Public Debate – Supporters, Skeptics, and the Signals Behind the Buzz
As interest in natural joint healing grows, so too does the conversation surrounding its legitimacy. The Feel Good Knees Self-Healing System has found itself at the center of this expanding debate—welcomed by many, questioned by others, and observed closely by professionals across fields ranging from physical therapy to biohacking.
Supporters of the system point to the growing body of research that validates the potential for cartilage regeneration and biomechanical realignment, even in aging populations. They highlight studies like the 2023 publication in The Journal of the American Medical Association, which showed measurable MRI-documented cartilage improvements in over one-third of participants using non-surgical interventions【Source: JAMA, 2023】. They also cite expert commentary from Stanford Orthopedic Professor Dr. Constance Chu, whose work continues to affirm that knee cartilage may not be as static and unchangeable as once believed【Source: Stanford Medicine】.
Beyond the academic world, practitioners in manual therapy and movement science have voiced support as well. They see routines like Feel Good Knees not as miracle cures, but as structured interventions that restore healthy joint mechanics through cumulative, low-impact input. In this light, the system becomes a tool for long-term maintenance, rather than a quick-fix remedy.
However, not everyone is convinced.
Skeptics warn that some users may overestimate the results or delay needed medical intervention. Critics argue that while natural healing is promising, it must be personalized and carefully monitored—particularly for those with advanced osteoarthritis, surgical complications, or degenerative meniscus damage.
Others raise concerns about the oversimplification of knee biomechanics in popular marketing. They note that joint dysfunction is often multifactorial—impacted by weight, posture, injury history, and even genetics—and that no single solution, however well-designed, should be seen as universal.
But even in these critiques, there is common ground.
Most observers—supportive or skeptical—acknowledge that the system's emphasis on low-risk, low-impact routines is a net positive. The real disagreement lies not in whether such programs should exist, but in how broadly they should be recommended.
What continues to tip the scale in the system's favor is one undeniable factor: user experience.
With over 119,000 users and countless unsolicited testimonials reporting improved comfort, enhanced mobility, and a renewed sense of independence, the public momentum is difficult to ignore.
Even many cautious observers admit that if a program is affordable, easy to follow, and doesn't interfere with conventional treatment, it may provide meaningful benefits—whether through physical stimulation or the psychological empowerment that comes with taking action.
And that may be the most important signal behind the buzz: people want to participate in their own recovery. Not just passively treat symptoms—but actively work toward a better outcome.
Uncover the breakthrough routine helping people move without pain—
About Feel Good Knees
Feel Good Knees is a mobility-focused wellness program designed to support healthy knees through natural, non-invasive methods. Founded by fitness educator and injury prevention specialist Todd Kuslikis, the brand's core mission is to empower aging adults to regain control of their movement without surgery, pills, or high-intensity exercise.
Rooted in decades of anatomical study, therapeutic movement design, and orthopedic science, the system was developed specifically for seniors and adults dealing with recurring knee pain, stiffness, or joint instability. It combines gentle isometric protocols, alignment-based postural corrections, and fascia-releasing techniques—all structured into a simple, five-minute daily ritual.
What makes the Feel Good Knees approach unique is its intentional accessibility. It requires no special equipment, no athletic background, and no in-person appointments. The system is self-paced, easy to follow, and built to deliver meaningful results from the comfort of home.
The company operates on an education-first philosophy. Every technique is demonstrated via high-definition video and explained in plain language, ensuring users understand not just what to do—but why it works. This teaching-based model reflects the brand's belief that real change happens when users are informed, not just instructed.
Feel Good Knees also incorporates the latest research into joint healing, muscle recruitment, and postural alignment. The program is updated as new science emerges, and remains committed to transparency, user safety, and long-term joint wellness.
Your knees deserve to feel better—
Contact
Feel Good Knees
Email: todd@feelgoodknees.com
Phone: (800) 390-6035
Website: www.feelgoodknees.com
Final Disclaimer
This press release is for informational purposes only. The content herein does not constitute financial, legal, or medical advice. Feel Good Knees is not intended to diagnose, treat, predict, or guarantee any result or outcome. Individual experiences may vary, and outcomes are not assured.
Some links in this release may be promotional in nature and may lead to third-party websites. The publisher or author may receive compensation through affiliate commissions if a purchase is made through these links. This compensation does not affect the price you pay and helps support continued research and content publication.
All statements made about product features, platform strategies, or training content reflect publicly available information, user discussions, or historical trends, and are not endorsed or validated by regulatory bodies. Please perform your own research before making financial, technological, or purchasing decisions.
CONTACT: Email: todd@feelgoodknees.com Phone: (800) 390-6035
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Caregiving is the $600 billion crisis hiding in plain sight
Caregiving is the $600 billion crisis hiding in plain sight

Yahoo

time4 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Caregiving is the $600 billion crisis hiding in plain sight

With a rapidly aging workforce, budgeting time and money for caregiving has become even more crucial for the average American. On this episode of Decoding Retirement, host Robert "Bob" Powell speaks with MIT AgeLab director Joe Coughlin, who shares his unique perspective on the advancements and challenges that await retirees. Coughlin also discusses the impact of unpaid caregiving on family finances, maintaining cash flow after retirement, and the financial benefits of residing in livable communities. Yahoo Finance's Decoding Retirement is hosted by Robert Powell. Find more episodes of Decoding Retirement at Because there is that coming care gap, whether our families are too busy or living at a distance, we're going to need that assistance. Technology is going to be a helping hand to make that happen. So while there are all kinds of science fiction things to creep us out, I am very optimistic that technology is going to enable us to live longer, better, healthier lives. The world is rapidly aging and given that the effects on caregiving, on transportation, on housing, on your retirement plan, they're changing rapidly as well. And here to talk with me about that is Doctor Joe Coughlin, he's the director of the MIT AIDS lab. Joe, welcome. Hey, it's great to be here, Bob. Thanks for having me. Oh, it's a pleasure. So, so two things, Joe. Our goal with with decoding retirement is to make this a person's first and last stop in their search for knowledge about retirement planning. So thank you for being here because you're going to help us accomplish that, that mission. Appreciate it. You're always a delight to work with and you know more than even most of the experts, so great totalk to you. Well, no one knows as much as you, and I want to start here, um, with caregiving and well-being. Um, it has been described at times as a $600 billion problem, especially when you think about all the unpaid caregivers in this country. Uh, you study caregiving, uh, lots to talk about there, right? Yep, no, absolutely. I mean, I want you to imagine this, Bob, in the United States or North America alone, 1 in 4 American families is providing upwards of 20 to 25 hours per week to care for an older loved one. That doesn't count children or people with special needs. So caregiving is, shall we say, a, a in the shadows, that is a right now a personal problem, but should become a public issue. what advice do you have for either people who are caregivers or perhaps even recipients of care? No, absolutely, you know, this is one of the things that retirement planning has, I don't wanna say it's completely dropped the ball, but it has defined it profoundly as only a financial if you are planning for your own retirement uh individually or as a couple, yes, absolutely, you're gonna need the financial wherewithal, the financial security to provide the care you need, even if your loved one is going to provide it. You know, the number one caregiver is typically your spouse, and sadly for you and I are more likely, Bob, sadly for our wives, it is more likely the wife caring for the husband. But after her is the adult so while both those caregivers, the, the spouse and the adult daughter would certainly appreciate and need a sort of robust financial uh plan and and and uh bank account, that's only part of it. In fact, I would even suggest it's only 50% of have to start planning out who's going to be providing the hands-on care. More likely than not, your spouse is going to need her own care, and your adult daughter, typically, even if you have adult sons, are going to be busy or distant or whatever it might be. So how are you?Going to fill in the gaps, everything from adult daycare to healthcare to home care, who's gonna do the little things? Perhaps as it advances to get you dressed to have feed, uh, you know, of food on the table or frankly, just to take out the trash on the simple yeah, financial security is part of it, but identifying, here's a scenario, Bob, identifying the person or service that you would trust to go into your mother's home when you're not there. Mom is 80 something years old, she's not cognitively as sharp as she once was. Physically may not be as well. Who do you trust to go in there to care for her?So it's not just a matter of having a bank account, it's a matter for having the actual service or the face that you would trust to do that. Yeah, um, you, you mentioned, uh, this, uh, notion of it's not a financial matter, but you've written recently, I think that families lose half their wealth in the eight years before a dementia diagnosis. Uh, obviously, so now it's twofold, right? It is financial and all the things that you just mentioned. Yeah, no, uh, some really good work done by my colleagues at the MIT Asia Lab, Luo Quinto, and folks at the AARP, Doctor Julie Miller, uh, came up with this metaphor of the leaky pipe, and years before the diagnosis of dementia, bad happen. Uh, you know, maybe bills are not paid, maybe, uh, crazy things are purchased, if you will, that are well without outside the budget. Sadly, maybe we become more susceptible to scams and seeing that money leak out, shall we say of that euphemistic so as we start to see caregiving as an issue, it starts far earlier than than we think. And it's not just a matter of like, oh, there's an issue, let's intervene. This is profoundly emotional. When do you have the, the, the courage and the opportunity to tell a spouse or a parent that, Dad, you're not quite OK, I need to step know, we fought for our independence as teenagers. We fight even more, shall we say, passionately as we are older. And so that's, it's a very hard spot where families find themselves in the crosshairs of emotional, physical, and financial stress. Yeah, I, I'm often fond of saying that as we age, right, our parents become our children and, and the children become the parents and uh someone needs to take charge of some of these decisions and, and maybe, uh,And, and maybe the places to do that in a family meeting perhaps. Yeah,in family meetings, but I have to tell you, Bob, I don't wanna uh get our, our viewers depressed, but I, I stumbled on some data that that really did depress estimates suggest that one quarter of families out there are estranged from their adult children. So as we talk about caregiving, one of the things that we've done at the labs, we've done research on, uh, who do you think is gonna take care of you? And without question, it's, well, my partner, my spouse, or my adult children. Well, by the way, only of the vast majority who said are going to care for them. Less than 30% actually had the conversation that that person knows they're going to care for them. But imagine where 1 in 4 or maybe even a little bit more than 1 in 4 are estranged, not talking, living at a distance from their loved ones. That means that we have a coming care gap in the United States that is going to make the current issue look, shall we say, like the norm, but the will be not just financial, it will be a profound public problem as well. Joe, I, I, I wanna, uh, let you know that my wife used to ask me how my day was, and she stopped doing that because I would quote something depressing news like you just said to us. And she said, I've had invitedto parties, right? I've had it with your depressing news. Um, talk a little bit about as we think about the future of homes and smart homes and perhaps social robots. Are, are we, are we on the verge of technology helping solve some of the problems here? You know, absolutely. My, my colleague Dr. Chai Wu Lee leads a whole program at the Asia Lab called Home Logistics or Home as Service. What you imagine now your home no longer simply a place to keep the rain off or a place to live, but frankly a platform of services. We found during COVID that all those little services that they crazy kids, the Gen Z younger millennials were doing life by app, became effectively a virtual assisted living for rides, for food delivery, telemedicine, pharma delivery, and the like. So with respect to robots and other technologies, so the so-called internet of things where shall we say,Everything begins to watch and everything begins to talk to itself. Yes, they are already here in small amounts. I would ask everyone listening to ask yourself how many strangers are in your house right now? I, you know, as you mentioned certain names, speakers may light up or that constant familiar face that knocks on your door and drops off a these services are already evolving, and I would suggest to you, Bob, that this is a new cost in retirement that no one is thinking about. It's not in anyone's line item, but yet it is part of the run rate of you mentioned robots, which is one of my favorite topics, because these technologies are shall we say, getting between cool and creepy. So yes, there will be robots out there that will be, uh, keeping you abreast of your favorite recipe, your favorite program, but also reminding you of your medication. Also maybe reminding you that in my case, Joe, you know, put the ice cream away, you might want to try a watermelon dessert also the social robots, some that will engage you in a game or to talk and can tell by the timbre of your voice. Are you well? Are you happy enough?But the part that's going to be coming soon, and I guess I would say soon is in a decade, maybe even less by some estimates, are going to be robots that actually do work around the house. So whether it's the, you know, the usual names like Figu or Tesla and others that are out there, they're envisioning robots probably for the cost of a medium sized car, medium sized will fold the laundry, clean the house, may even down the road be able to prepare your meal. And when I say it's the price of a car, I'm sure a lot of people are shuddering going, where the heck am I gonna get that amount of money? Well, think about the following. When people retire, one of the most, shall we say, popular retirement gifts, it's not just the the new car? I could see in about a decade or so people go, well, I got the car and now I've got the robot, or frankly, I think a lot of this will be by subscription. You may not own any of it, but you'll be paying on a monthly rate, which also has profound implications for your cash flow inretirement. Yeah. So, Joe, speaking of technology in the home, uh, we can't avoid talking about AI, artificial intelligence. Yeah, no, AI these days is the topic everywhere and about everything. It is definitely going to be ubiquitous in your retirement. Now we were talking about technology in the home, so AI is going to be, shall we say, seamless and as Arthur C. Clarke said, the best technology is that which is invisible and seemingly works like magic. Well, AI will be there to remind you of your meds. It'll be there to monitor. Are you sleeping late because you were out partying the night before, or you're not?Sleeping very well. Are you having your coffee later than usual? It'll enable your caregiver and a formal and family, if you will, to be able to intervene, to be proactive before there's an issue such as your gait has changed, your walk is a little different, you're likely to fall rather than having a house that says, oh my gosh, help, he's falling, he can't get once you're on the floor, we frankly have other issues. So AI is gonna be there to, shall we say, be a, a caregiver's aide, and augmented intelligence to age well. And of course, robots, when we talk about robots, most people think about the the physical nature of robots, but behind that physical thing of whatever they're doing is AI. Yeah. Uh, Joe, I, it, it would probably fair to say that you don't fear the future of technology. Uh, should average people, us mere mortals, fear this notion of a robot telling us to take our meds and whatnot, or should we relish this opportunity? I, I, I think, I think we should relish it on a number of fronts. One,Technology moves quickly for a few, but by the time it gets to most of us, many of the bugs have gotten out. Most of the time it's gotten more affordable, not always affordable, but more affordable. But the other issue is is that because there is that coming care gap, whetherOur families are too busy or living at a distance, we're going to need that assistance. If we want to stay in the homes where we that we love, you know, so-called the aging in place where our marriage, our mortgage and our memories are, technology is gonna be a helping hand to make that while there are all kinds of science fiction things to creep us out, I am very optimistic that technology is going to enable us to live longer, better, healthier lives. One thing, Bob, as a footnote though, we should start preparing for that being a new cost in we've never thought about it before, but suddenly start thinking of your subscriptions, your cell service, your speakers, your smart devices, and all the subscriptions you've signed up for for your refrigerator to talk to your toaster, to talk to your car, to have the food delivered. That's an invisible thing on your credit card that now needs a line item in your retirement plan. we're gonna take a short break and when we come back, we'll talk more about retirement planning, longevity planning, and transportation and livable communities. Don't go back to Decoding Retirement. I'm talking to Doctor Joe Coughlin. He's the director of the MIT AIDS lab and one of my favorite people in the world, because among other things, Joe, you get to see the future in ways that most people don't, so it's always a pleasure to talk to you about what we can expect and what we should be doing, you spend a lot of time thinking about transportation. I've had an opportunity to go to the MIT AI lab and drive Miss Daisy, although poorly, I must admit, I think I had a number of, uh, animated children as their balls went into the road. But, uh, transportation is a big issue. I, I think I might have mentioned in the past that I'm the, I'm the chair of our local senior center and, uh, by golly, it is, I think our number one issue is getting people to medical appointments or hairdressers or the grocery store and whatnot. So,What can we expect in the future as it pertains to transportation? Now, transportation, as you know, Bob, is one of my favorite topics. In fact, it is the very topic that got me into aging and retirement in the first place. I, uh, became a, shall we say, a sex in older drivers, an issue, uh, trapped somewhere between humor and horror in many transportation is one of those overlooked issues that people simply take for granted. Let's give us some context. Do you know that 70% of Americans over the age of 50 live either in suburban or rural areas where alternatives to driving either do not exist or they're just too difficult to use?Here's another little factory that few people think about, and by the way, even financial advisors get this wrong. What are the top three costs for a couple over 65? And immediately people yell out healthcare and housing. Well, they're not incorrect, but they are incomplete. Number 1 cost is housing, number 3 cost is health care, number 2 is so one of the things we also forget is that transportation is not just about getting you where you need to be, it is a vital part of quality of life. It's about getting to the things you want, the things that make you smile. You will get to the doctor's office. You will somehow get food delivered or you will get to the grocery as you know, Bob, one of my favorite uh uh stories I like to tell us, will you get an ice cream cone? Will you get the thing on a hot summer night that makes you smile that you don't need, you don't want to bother your adult daughter or a neighbor that you don't talk to on a regular basis, saying, hey, will you take me out to Dairy Queen for a saucer? That's not going to happen. But those little things are the things that make quality of life in older adulthood possible and so is one of the great missing links to a quality retirement plan and frankly in many of our communities. Yeah. Uh, so I want to turn my attention to, uh, my favorite topic, retirement and longevity planning, and obviously you spend as much time thinking about this as the other topics, so, uh, give us the brain dump. Well, I, I, I, this is gonna sound a lot to the audience like a word game, but I, I, I think if you think about it, you realize that it is not. There are many examples of very wealthy people out there who have not done very well in retirement. That is, they've not done very well in terms of caregiving or social connection or their, their health uh uh did not fare very they had a really strong bank account. What I'd like people to start thinking about is not simply retirement planning, but retirement preparation. So absolutely maintain that dedication and that discipline, if you will, to saving enough for financial security and advisors, employers and whatnot can help you with what that secret number might the difference between planning and preparing to make it always relate, in my case, Bob, as you know, always back to food, is kind of like grow is writing a shopping list. A shopping list is a until that food is in my cart, in my cabinet, or frankly on the stove, I'm not eating. So I would ask people to start connecting the money to what they're going to need. So if it's transportation, have you identified what those alternatives are going to be, who they're going, where those services are going to be, and how much they're going to cost? If you think about caregiving, having a long-term care plan or self annuitizing long term care makes infinite now that you got the checkbook, who's going to do it? What kind of services will you need? Do you even know what a geriatric care manager is to be able to integrate those things together to make it possible? So the difference between planning is the shopping list and having a checkbook. The preparation is actually having everything ready at the time of need, long before you need it. in retirement, Joe, and I think you've written recently about this topic about how to pivot when your retirement doesn't go as planned as as you've prepared for it. What, what do folks need to do? I mean, I look at retirement and I thinkUm, it's sort of like flying a plane, right? You just don't go from one point to another without making adjustments along the way. So whether it's an adjustment because of something that happened that was unplanned or something that happened that, uh, you just need to make adjustments for, but it's the unplanned things, the unexpected things that people really needed to prepare themselves for, right? Like yesterday won't be the same as tomorrow, uh, per se, right?Or tomorrow won't be the same as yesterday. You know, what's really funny, Bob, is if you think about the whole area of people that are entering it soon or already in there are frankly uh uh on a new frontier of retirement. Our parents, our grandparents, uh, not only had different financial strategies either uh because they, you know, they had uh defined benefits or or the like, frankly, they didn't live as long either. So this next generation is going to be living a much longer period with shall we say, relatively more uncertainty in that time that they're living, they're gonna have many different changes. We have, we have, uh, marketed a falsehood that retirement is somewhere between cruises and crutches. But in between, there's going to be so much more. There will be health events, there will be births of grandchildren. They'll be the desire and the demand to have to move. I would suggest that there will be more changes than all the previous life stages before challenge will be is that you may not be physically, emotionally, or maybe even cognitively uh is capable to, shall we say, be able to manage and pivot in those moments. So part of being prepared for retirement is having lots of plan B's and plan C's, which will also include having conversations with your partner, your spouse, your family, so they have a general idea of what, what is it that you would like or be on the, shall we say on standby for when you want to make the moves that you need to do. Yeah, you and I have talked a lot in the past about livable communities, about the age-friendly, uh, sort of, uh, uh, notion of having the eight domains all in place, whether it's housing or economic security or uh or uh community etc. Tell us, should people think about moving to communities that are quote unquote livable versus not so livable? Absolutely they they shouldn't, you know, the, the home is very important, but like the real estate mantra it says, it's about location, location, livable communities basically is not just is it have transportation alternatives, access to health care, cultural amenities, and the like, is it a place that will support you as you age? And there are tools out there. Yes, there's the designations of livable communities, but AARP also has a great website where you can punch in a zip code and it will give you scores out of fronts as to how livable or how age friendly a community might be. At the end of the day, it's up to you if you uh and your partner or if you're living solo to weigh which of those variables you think are the most important and how you'll be able to manage for transportation, housing, access to work. Frankly, don't ever forget the F word, access to fund matters. And access to a Dairy Queen with soft serve perhaps as well, huh? Got it. All right, Joe, uh, we've run out of time. We can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge and wisdom with us. It's greatly appreciated. We'll have you back on a future episode for sure. Great. Thanks so much, Bob. Great being here. So that wraps up this episode of Decoding Retirement. We hope we provided you with some actionable advice to plan for or live better in don't forget, if you've got questions about retirement, you can email me at yfpodcast@yahoo and we'll do our best to answer your question in a future episode. And lastly, remember you can listen to Decoding Retirement on all your favorite podcast platforms. This content was not intended to be financial advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional financial services. 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A cancer diagnosis can cause out-of-pocket costs to surge, even for those with insurance
A cancer diagnosis can cause out-of-pocket costs to surge, even for those with insurance

CBS News

time6 minutes ago

  • CBS News

A cancer diagnosis can cause out-of-pocket costs to surge, even for those with insurance

A cancer diagnosis increases privately insured patients' monthly out-of-pocket costs, which also rise as the disease progresses, new research shows. Out-of-pocket costs jumped by $592.53 per month for the six months after a diagnosis, according to a recent report published in JAMA Open Network. The study underscores the financial toll a cancer diagnosis can take on individuals, even for those who are insured but don't yet qualify for Medicare. While cancer tends to strike later in life, when most patients in treatment are receiving Medicare benefits, a cancer diagnosis can pose an undue financial burden on younger people with private insurance, the report found. Those out-of-pocket costs highlight the need for policy reform, the report said. The research "underscores the need for policies such as paid sick leave that address both insurance continuity and financial assistance, especially for patients with more advanced cancer," the report states. Out-of-pocket costs increased based on a patient's cancer progression, the analysis found. Patients with stage 0 cancer saw their costs rise by $462 per month compared to non-cancer patients, while stage 4 cancer cost people with private insurance an additional $719.97 per month in out of pocket costs. Costs rise as the disease progresses because patients typically require more treatment during cancer's later stages, leading to greater medical expenditures. "This result seems straightforward; later-stage disease is associated with more intensive workup and treatment that can drive higher medical expenditures," the report states. Researchers analyzed medical claims records from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry to compare the out-of-pocket costs of privately insured individuals under the age of 65 who were diagnosed with breast, colorectal, and lung cancer, to those without cancer. New research from the American Cancer Society shows that as more people aged 45-49 undergo screening for colon cancer, more early stage diagnoses are being made.

Affordable Health Insurance for Early Retirees
Affordable Health Insurance for Early Retirees

Forbes

time7 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Affordable Health Insurance for Early Retirees

If you're contemplating early retirement before Medicare eligibility at age 65, you're going to need a good health insurance plan. Such a plan can help prevent catastrophic medical costs for anyone, including people who are currently vital and healthy. Before you turn in your retirement notice, it's critical that you explore your options—and their costs. If you've been covered by a health plan at work, you may find that your situation can change significantly when you retire. For one thing, it's very likely that your monthly premiums will increase significantly for any new policy you find, maybe $1,000 per month or more. You might also face higher deductibles or copayments, and you could be limited in the doctors and health care providers you can work with. Here we'll explore seven possible ways that an early retiree can obtain the health insurance they need, and then we discuss how to explore your options. 1. Work For An Employer That Provides Insurance For Part-Time Employees One significant advantage of semi-retirement is that your employer might offer health insurance coverage for part-time employees. If you're thinking of continuing to work for your current employer, see if they offer this coverage. If not, you may want to consider looking for a new employer. The advantage to health coverage provided by your employer is that they've shopped around for health insurance coverage and have hopefully negotiated lower costs and better features than you might obtain on your own. They also typically offer wellness programs that have the potential to improve your health and longevity. 2. Obtain Coverage Through Your Working Spouse If you're married and your spouse is still working, a plan offered through their employer might cover you as well. These plans have the same advantages as described above, though they often charge a higher premium for spouses compared to employees. 3. Elect Retiree Health Insurance From Your Former Employer, If You're Lucky A few employers still offer retiree health coverage for employees who meet certain age and service thresholds when they retire. Examples include attaining age 55 or older when you retire and requiring 10 or more years of service. In this case, you might be able to continue the coverage you had as an employee, although your monthly premium might increase. If you're eligible for such a plan, you'll want to investigate both the coverage offered and the premiums required. 4. Continue Coverage Through COBRA When you leave employment that includes health insurance, a federal law known as COBRA requires that your employer allow you to elect continued coverage for up to 18 months. Four states (California Connecticut, New York, and Texas) have laws that allow continued coverage for periods that range from 24 to 36 months under certain circumstances. With COBRA coverage, you'll pay the full cost of the insurance, so it's very likely that your monthly premium will increase significantly. COBRA can be a viable option for people who retire within 18 months of attaining Medicare eligibility at age 65. But here's one trap: If you were covering your spouse through your health plan at work and he or she is younger than you, their coverage will stop after 18 months, leaving them with a coverage gap until they're eligible for Medicare. 5. Buy Insurance From The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace The ACA Health Insurance Marketplace offers insurance plans to individuals, families, and small businesses. Each state sets up their own exchanges, or offers an exchange hosted by the federal government. There is typically a large variety of plans that have different costs and features. Through 2025, the ACA offered subsidies for the premium costs for people with limited income. These subsidies are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. They were not extended by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to help pay for the tax cuts in that bill. As a result, in 2026, most people will be paying for the full cost of any health coverage they purchase through the ACA. You can explore the full costs of ACA insurance on the website Health insurance for early retirees can easily cost $1,000 per month or more per person, depending on the type of plan. While you're investigating this option, be sure to do your homework regarding monthly premiums and build the cost into your budget to make sure you have enough retirement income to live on. 6. Purchase Short-Term Insurance You may be able to purchase short-term health insurance coverage for a period of three or four months. These types of plans typically have lower costs and reduced benefits compared to plans on the ACA Marketplace. Many of these short-term plans have restrictions for pre-existing conditions and are best used to bridge an insurance gap between work and eligibility for other coverage, such as Medicare. They aren't a long-term solution for most early retirees. You can learn more about short-term health insurance on the website 7. Apply For Medicaid Medicaid offers health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. Medicaid funding has been shared by the states and federal government, although it's likely that federal funding will decrease in the next few years due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Each state administers the program for its residents; as a result, the eligibility requirements, benefits and costs vary by state. Starting in 2027, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will implement work requirements for able-bodied adults under age 65 to be eligible for Medicaid, so it remains to be seen if Medicaid will be a viable option for early retirees. How To Move Forward You'll want to determine which of the options you're eligible for and then explore their costs and features. For many early retirees who are already completely retired, the ACA Marketplace may be their only option. For any plan you're considering, here are the bare minimum questions you'll want to ask and find answers for: As noted, these questions cover the bare minimum information you should gather. There are additional questions you can ask to do a more thorough job, and you'll find one list here. If you're serious about early retirement, you need to explore your health insurance options before you retire. You don't want to ride out into the sunset and then learn that you need to come back with your tail between your legs because you can't afford to pay for health insurance.

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