Employers say they’ve told retirees what to expect onout-of-pocket costs for their medical coverage.

But if you ask the retirees, they’re singing a differenttune.

Surveys conducted by Towers Watson indicated a large disconnectbetween what employers say they did, and what retirees rememberbeing told about their medical benefits before theyretired.

While 43 percent of retirees surveyed said their employers tookno steps at all to help them understand and manage the cost ofretiree medical benefits before they retired, just 9 percent ofemployers acknowledged they offered no help.

Barely over a third (34 percent) of retirees said theiremployers communicated with them about the out-of-pocket costs of their medicalcoverage—costs that aren’t covered by an employer subsidy.

But more than half of employers—53 percent—claim to have doneso.

In addition, only 19 percent of retirees said they were offeredfinancial planning resources and decision-support tools to helpthem understand the role of medical coverage in their retirementplanning, but 41 percent of employers that said they provided suchresources.

“These results show a significant mismatch between whatemployers told us and what retirees said they experienced inpreparation for health care costs, which are a significantretirement expense,” John Barkett, a director for Towers Watson’sIndividual Exchange line of business, said in a statement.

Barkett added, “While the difference in employers’ and retirees’opinions may be closing slightly, it’s evident that employers cando a better job of educating employees about retiree medical costsand benefit options as well as explaining more clearly the supportretirees can expect with benefits after they’ve stoppedworking.”