Interesting. At 71 years old, in Ireland, I bought my first medical insurance ever. It is $135 per month. The law states they cannot penalise you if you haven't had instance before - if you buy insurance within the first 8 months of arriving in Ireland.

In the UK, medical insurance is about £65 for a retired person.

In both Spain and Portugal, a single person can live very comfortably for about $1000 per month.

The problem with living in a non-welfare society is that one is screwed for essential needs by profit-taking companies.