Wealthy’s No. 1 concern Health care costs, survey finds

Worried about health care costs? So are the wealthiest Americans.In a recent Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Investor Pulse Poll, 94 percent of high-net-worth investors from the New York area were concerned about health care costs, and a majority of those were women.

Of the 1,000 surveyed, 58 percent of women said the costs were their top concern, compared with 39 percent of males.

The large majority of these concerns stems from the simple fact that the baby boomer generation is now in the empty-nesting period and looking ahead at its retirement plans, according to Scott Mahoney, executive director and wealth management financial adviser at Morgan Stanley in Morristown.

He asks his clients whether or not the benefits from their employer extend into retirement, which determines who is the most concerned — state employees are typically in a better position.

The added monthly expense of health coverage, along with ever-increasing costs associated with health care services and elderly care, is worrying these high-net-worth investors, Mahoney said.

The other high-ranking concerns from the poll were terrorism, at 91 percent; war, at 84 percent; energy prices, at 83 percent; and Social Security solvency, at 80 percent. The survey also asked about infrastructure investments, overseas investments and optimism about the economy.

The questions took into account political affiliation as well.