That's not necessarily true for countries with national healthcare plans are not going bankrupt. Where did the rise in healthcare costs come from? From the Free Market. Why is there so much price gouging in the drug business? From the Free Market. Why do new hospitals look like expensive resorts where investors make money and the patient gets gouged? The Free Market. Why are MRI machines once paid off still cost the same for the procedure? Continuous overcharging from the Free Market. So no the Free Market doesn't always bring us falling prices. Often it's the opposite. There are also choices in Medicare on which plan you want. With SS you can retire at age 62 or wait until age 70 and make more. That is a choice.