Reply #4: if I had a black and white choice

[sui generis]

absolutely would pick universal healthcare, without a doubt. But that's a response to predatory healthcare pricing by pharmaceutical companies, doctors, laboratories, and other health care practitioners.

One caveat: you have to count nursing home care and hospice care as universal healthcare, and not social security care.

If you knew that every penny you saved and invested would go to paying for your living and food, and not be consumed by arthritis and kidney and liver and heart and cancer and broken hips, you would certainly have more confidence in putting money towards that end.

As it stands, most seniors play that "what if" game every time they decide whether they can afford to take a full dose of their medications or to patch the leaking hole in their ceiling.