I think we've lost the gist of saving for a rainy day? When I think how my Grandparents had a tin for every eventuality because they didn't trust Banks ……. electric, bread, milk, eggs etc.; I was taught to put money away 'in case' which is why I have been able to retire and not worry. I also love watching my pennies growing whereas my sibling/s spend, spend, spend 
. Granny came from an age when a Doctor's visit had to be paid for so there was often a tin with a little 'extra' for any of the children that needed health care. Then came the UK NHS System which made us 'lazy' and of course, no one could foresee how technology would enable/not different aspects of Life.
I think too when we feel well and when we are younger we don't imagine far enough ahead - chronic illness happens to others or older people; including menopause . So maybe the populations need to educate the younger peoples to put away rather than indulge in the 'throw away' mentality we have cultivated?
Aw I think it also depends on how one's life pans out as well ... I started doing short term contracts (it was what was on offer) in the 80's and rented in the UK and was never able to save much on my salary. I got married and supported my then husband's career and we moved countries for it. Then I found I couldn't get work myself easily - in fact, when I look back now, most of my life has been doing contract work. Then when I finally did get decent paid work in Canada it damaged my arms - so that ended that career.
I've since split up from my husband, and I'm now doing another qualification in the hope of getting a reasonably well paid 'steady' job to be able to save more but I have to say that, when I look around, precarious work seems to have become the 'norm' almost so I think that, while there are stories around of folks who don't save, I think there's a lot of folks that would like to save but are living pay cheque to pay cheque - both in the UK and here in Canada. I spend less on rent here than in the UK but I spend more on health care.
In Ontario precarious work (0 hour contracts) has really grown. The other thing employers do here is that in order to avoid paying health benefits, they employ people p/t - there's a lot of p/t work with people trying to string several jobs together. It's a sad state of affairs. If the UK ever sorts it's rental market out (giving tenants more protection and longer leases) I would, I think, probably return to the UK because the UK health system is second to none and, while 0 hours contracts are more prevalent in the UK they are still not as pervasive as they are in North America.
The other thing I think (for me) is that I had no idea that one could get so ill from menopause - and I hear stories of people who have had to give up work or switch work or whatever and I wish I had known so much more about this when I was younger - at least then I would have had an inkling of what might possibly happen. Instead it was like being run over by a Mac truck!
And I'm still recovering from the experience of it!
BTW in terms of cost, I'm very fortunate that, at the moment, I'm covered both by my student health insurance plan and my ex's health insurance plan (which I won't be from next year) and so I can get my HRT fees covered. But here in Canada - in Ontario - 25 caps of Prometrium 100g costs around $61. And the Estrogel I've just been prescribed I think was around a similar amount - so you're looking at $120 a month (£60). I often wonder what poor women who are working (and have no health insurance plan) do in North America if they cannot afford medications for menopause - it must be awful.
