Here is my main question: How the hell can anyone afford to retire?
Seriously.
mmm
The insurance company has run the numbers and figured out that on average, they will spend less money on treating flu and its complications among their members than they will spend by paying for flu shots and Starbucks gift cards for their members. One person hospitalized with pneumonia pays for an awful lot of Starbucks gift cards.
Compared to regular medical insurance Medicare is a great deal. Even the worst plan offers better coverage than 90% of available plans to people under 65 and costs are generally pretty low.
On the best plan you essentially have no medical bill other than your premiums and prescriptions.
Careful Financial Planning. Start this when you are young. The younger the better.
Agreed. But I think the majority of folks who are retirement age now did not do that, so my question stands.
mmm
Live in a country with comprehensive, universal and free (at the point of delivery) healthcare.
Along with everyone else in the UK, I paid for the NHS through taxation. (As I recall, I paid 6% of my salary and my employer paid 9%.)
I retired at 55.
I get free consultations with doctors (though I do pay something for prescriptions.) I also pay very little for optician and dentist appointments.
When I had suspected bowel cancer, all the extensive tests and hospital visits were free (just what you want in times of stress - and I’m cancer-free! 
)
Great idea. We’ll be over shortly. Please make room for 300,000,000 of us. 
Oh, John Mace, you should know. California has the birthday rule which is fairly unique and beneficial to you. Every year on your birthday month you have a free pass to change your Med Sup with no medical underwriting. So you are not as locked in as people who live in other states.
Have a frugal lifestyle. The people who say “When I retire I am going to travel the country/world” are the type of people who have financial issues.