The sound of guns being cocked is what you will hear when certain segments of the population have a life expectancy 2x greater than the rest. Technology is getting to the point of extending life beyond anything dreamed of in the past. Somehow this tech must be made available to everyone. Even now maximum longevity is denied to thousands because it cost too much to keep them healthy.

As you say, medical expense used to be like car repair, expensive but manageable. The cost of health care is out of control and it must be fixed. I have no great ideas on how it should be done. If it was once manageable it can be again.

Maybe the medical profession should be redesigned to bring it in line with other technical careers instead of a automatic ticket to the upper 2%. Frankly, the MD's that have treated me over the years have not immpressed me as towers of knowledge and wisdom. Maybe the drug companies should be less regulated and able to rely more on foreign research to allow them to market product without the astronomical profit required to offset the R&D. The laws of supply and demand tend to get screwed up when the supply is a matter of life or death.

On the stupidity issue. It is not stupidity but it is human nature to be the grasshopper, not the ant. If SS were eliminated in favor of tax credits for voluntary investments, millions would be destitute at retirement. It would not be because they are patently stupid. Saving is just a difficult concept for many.

We can live with great differences in life style and retirement can be comfortable or meager but health must not be a class privilige.