So I guess that's it? With a whimper not a bang? The extra

[DFW]

85. My wife retired at 60 for medical reasons. I had to pick up her health insurance til she turned 65

It was well worth the €450 (about $500) a month, since she came down with a rare and deadly form of cancer at 64. It was that one case out of ten thousand where it was discovered by accident and in time to save her with a huge, complicated operation and a month in the hospital. If we hadn't been able to cover that, we probably would have been looking at a half million dollars in bills, probably double that in the USA.

My insurance situation is not even that good. When I moved my legal residence to Germany, I made an appointment to get German health insurance. Since my employer is still in the USA, it was more complicated than if I were employed by a German outfit. I was quoted a premium of €2500 a month, or about $35,000 a year, and that was nearly ten years ago. Pre-existing conditions count there, and they are not shy about taking them into account when quoting a price. People who spout off about how everything is free in Europe need to live there for a few years for a cold reality shower.