[grecy]

>How do you handle health care issues?

I live in Canada / Australia so it's no issue.

If you live in a country that doesn't have health care for all, you need to move.

Take note that I moved from Australia to Canada 9 years ago. It's a long process. It's a lot of paperwork. It's worth it if you get healthcare, no doubt about it.

> And how do you plan for times when you're more likely of not being able to do physical work anymore (in your 70 or 80s)?

Government pensions in both Canada and Australia are actually more than I usually live on, so I'll be fine if that's all I have, but I'm also putting money into retirement savings accounts that will supplement that (which also means I pay extremely little income tax when I am working).

I also won't be surprised if I wind up doing "reverse retirement" as my brother calls it - live life now while my body allows it, then work more when my body is giving up and I'm not so excited to be outside hiking/biking/snowboaring.

[jrk_]

I live in Germany, and health care at a bare minimum is around 150-200€/month, which is the "social" tariff. We also have a pension system, but you also need to pay a monthly contribution, depending on your income. There are many elderly people who barely get along with the government pension right now. I think it'll only get worser in 30+ years. The idea of "reverse retirement" is appealing, but I don't know if I'd have the motivation to go to work in my 70s, when everybody around me is retiring. But it's probably a very subjective issue and I'm a bit torn about it.

[grecy]

> I live in Germany, and health care at a bare minimum is around 150-200€/month, which is the "social" tariff. We also have a pension system, but you also need to pay a monthly contribution, depending on your income.

How much do you pay into those if you're not earning anything?

Do you still get health benefits when unemployed?

[jrk_]

> How much do you pay into those if you're not earning anything?

Afaik (and I really don't know for sure, because luckily I had never the misfortune to need it) it is paid by the welfare system. However, there are many rules and obligations to be edible and honestly, I wouldn't want to have to deal with the bureaucracy. There are several steps towards this. First, after becoming unemployed, you'll receive unemployment support, but only if you've worked before! They also demand that you use your own savings and securities to support yourself. After that runs out, you'll receive the bare minimum monthly allowance, which is around 300 to 400 Euros per month. You don't get that easily. As long as there are relatives, the state is very likely to get the money from them first. You'll also get free housing, but that's also far from what one desires (bad neighborhood, very small, etc.).

> Do you still get health benefits when unemployed?

Very likely, because health insurance is mandatory for everyone. So the system is built upon the idea that those who are able to pay also support those who are unable. However, it is very frowned upon to "abuse" this system and rest in the social hammock (that's a very literal translation, sorry). That's because the whole social system is regarded as a safety net, but not for individuals who don't want or can't contribute.