Originally Posted by
Pontius Navigator
Remember though, in UK, NI pays for much more than your pension. It is also funding some of the NHS bill.
Just as with the US for Medicare (retiree's healthcare coverage) and Medicaid (55 million low income healthcare users). But yes, not to the extent of the single payer scheme coverage in the UK. The US is great while you are working, but terrible when retired or ill. It would also be true to say that most seniors still pay for additional healthcare insurance beyond the basic coverage offered by Medicare, so it's never a true "apples to apples" comparison.
My father was a government employee in the UK and never worried about retirement, he had a non-contrib works pension and his full state pension, and after retirement he and my mother actually saved money each month and wanted for nothing, all with minimal savings. I suspect that younger generations will find it more difficult.