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sigfubar

So, old age for me boils down to two options: waste my savings on "medical care" designed to swindle me, or eat my gun.

Not a difficult choice at all.

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Or work on having the means to move to a country with a more sensible health care system before you reach that point.

And you can move before reaching that point. It'll be a lot easier.

Well, you need the means. Not just the cost of moving; the residency or citizenship.

Isn’t that basically a matter of paying for it in some form?

No, a lot of countries require that you take tests and show that you're looking for a job in that country. Of course it'll also cost money.

For my country the following applies:

* Must have residency permit, permanent or temporary with intent to be permanent

* Must pass residency exam (tests language, law, etc.)

* Must be living in country for 8 years minimum

* Must have independent source of income that isn't social welfare or unemployment benefits

* Sufficient knowledge of local language

* Must not have been convicted of a crime

* Must pledge to the democratic order laid out by the constitution

* Annulling or otherwise revoking your previous citizenship

Most people can get away with a work visa. It's usually much simpler.

That I know of, both Germany and Ireland are very quick to issue work visas if you have a sponsoring company and both Berlin and Dublin have huge tech ecosystems.

I forgot Canada. They have a points system for some professions. They penalize age, so, the sooner you move, the better.

At 34 now, I hope to.

Can anyone recommend countries that are easy to move to? With urban environments and culture, without being too expensive for cost of living? I have tech skills but am not one of the trendy rich engineers. I commit my free time to art, as it brings me life. Unfortunately, it is increasingly unable to bring me survival.

Assuming you're American, look up the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty.

>Unfortunately, it is increasingly unable to bring me survival

It's only gotten easier and will continue to get easier to make a living off of art.

China?

None of those countries will have solvent healthcare systems when I'm old, so what's the point? By 2060, Germany's working age population, for example, will be 30% smaller than today. Who is going to bankroll their welfare state?

I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that none of those countries will have solvent healthcare systems. There are steps they can take to improve the currently dire future. And I would imagine that pretty much any projection will show a more favorable situation than the US over the next 30-40 years.

Given the choice between a system that looks unsustainable in the future versus one that is currently unsustainable, I'll bet on the future one.

Hemingway did

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