USA- Healthcare: Millions of Americans Flood Into Mexico for Health Care

The US's "dental refugees" flock to Mexico in the thousands every day, seeking affordable care.

Read more at: Millions of Americans Flood Into Mexico for Health Care

EU Pension Legislation: Older and wiser?—when governments get it wrong on pensions reform - by Steve Coulter

Europe is turning grey. By 2060 over a quarter of the EU’s population will be over 65. Ageing is accelerating as the baby-boom generation retires and average life-spans continue to increase.

But while most of us are celebrating the fact that people are living longer, healthier lives, demogaphers and officials in finance ministries fret that, on current trends, more of us could be eking out our longer retirements in poverty. The problem is that we are not saving enough. Aviva, an insurance company, estimates that Europeans needs to save an extra €2 trillion each year to close the ‘pensions gap’—the difference between what people need to save to ensure an adequate retirement and what they are actually saving.

With most people still reliant on state pensions to make ends meet in later life, ageing populations will have profound consequences for the fiscal positions of member states, as working taxpayers shift into retirement and begin claiming old-age pensions in increasing numbers. Action is therefore needed to ensure that a decent retirement is affordable and available to all.

Read more: Older and wiser?—when governments get it wrong on pensions reform • Social Europe

The Digest Group                   
Almere-Digest
EU-Digest
Insure-Digest 
Turkish-Digest 

For additional information, including advertising rates:
e-mail:  Freeplanet@protonmail.com

Retirement: Europe’s Top 5 Affordable Retirement Havens

Imagine the smell of freshly-baked croissants wafting through the air, or the satisfying swallow of wine made from grapes grown just down the road. Perhaps you muse about living on a sun-drenched Mediterranean beach or tucked down a cobbled lane savoring the cosmopolitan delights of a history-rich city…

A retirement in Europe is a dream for many folks. And it can easily be a reality. If it’s culture, history, and variety you’re after, Europe has it all, and at a cost much lower than you may think… Here we explore the five best low-cost options for enjoying your perfect European retirement.

Here you’ll find properties to rent for less than $600 a month or to buy for under $110,000. A filling three-course meal in a local restaurant can be had for $10, while a bag of fresh produce grown locally can be got for under $6.

In all five countries you’ll find fabulous beaches, idyllic rural retreats, and cities where history is thickly layered with stunning architecture and grand museums. For each country, our experts have nominated an area they think is particularly worthy of your interest, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide what type of lifestyle you’re after.

Not surprisingly, Europe delivers strongly on healthcare; in each of our five picks, you’ll find healthcare professionals and facilities of a world-class standard. But perhaps more surprisingly, the care on offer in these countries won’t leave you counting pennies. Many of these nations benefit from universal coverage and strong public healthcare systems, and even their private healthcare can be accessed for a sliver of the cost in the U.S. Doctors’ visits, for instance, can run well under $100, and other services are similarly reasonable.

You’re guaranteed to find an ideal place for yourself in Europe. Though a small continent, it packs in so much diversity that the perfect retirement for you is bound to be hiding somewhere.

Read more: Europe’s Top 5 Affordable Retirement Havens

European Auto Industry - Electric Renault Zoe will generate mass-market appeal with affordable price tag:- by Iain Dooley

Renault Zoe

With every new electric car that’s launched, you could be forgiven for thinking that we’re getting closer to an environmentalist’s dream of carbon-free motoring.

Of course, there’s still the dirty little secret that the electricity used to charge the cars has yet to be generated entirely from rainbows, but with each new arrival comes fewer and fewer everyday compromises.

A prime example of this is Renault’s Zoe, an electric alternative to the likes of its maker’s own Clio supermini. Cars like the Zoe herald the introduction of products designed form the outset as full electric vehicles, not modified existing cars complete with all the inherent compromises.

Visually the Zoe is as sensible as they come and, in truth, puts some of its engine-powered rivals to shame in the looks department. Inside, the Zoe’s light and airy cabin is a welcome attribute. Clearly influenced by the latest generation Clio, the Zoe’s main controls and displays offer a no-fuss approach to motoring.

And then there’s the driving and ownership experience, which has been the downfall of so many electric cars in recent years. Regarding the former, the Zoe drives very much like a conventional supermini with an auto gearbox.

Acceleration from rest is brisk and the overall experience is a smooth one, with modest acceleration available instantly for the occasional bursts of speed when maintaining pace with rush-hour traffic. Predictably the car feels perfectly at home around town - all in all, a good effort.

Renault Zoe, affordable and fun to drivw

The potentially thorny subject of living with, and charging, electric cars is dealt with neatly by the Zoe; the charging hardware is stored in the car’s easily accessible nose, while the charge time can be reduced to just a few hours if you opt for a domestic wall box to supplement the ability to take power from a conventional outlet.

Officially the Zoe’s range is around 130 miles, but even Renault admits the real world figure will likely be lower depending on driver behaviour and outside temperature - the latter can influence range if it’s very cold.

As far as the current crop of electric cars go, the Zoe appears to be one of the most conventional in the way it looks, drives and integrates into your life. The car’s Ford Fiesta-esque price tag is certainly attractive, although to get down to such a figure Renault has decided to separate the battery from the car in the overall financial equation.

Average mileage drivers will pay an all-inclusive monthly charge of £70 to lease the battery, with that figure rising or falling slightly if you decide to rack up greater or fewer miles respectively. Along with this worry-free charge there’s also the prospect of modest regular running and servicing costs. It’s expected that major component wear - brakes and suspension for example - will easily be less than for a conventional car, while the zero-rated road tax should please you as much as the presence of a generous government grant to take the sting out of the purchase price.

There’s little any car maker can do to hurry along the expansion of the public charging network, but making its products more appealing will go a long way to increasing the take-up of such vehicles, in turn, encouraging that expansion. That the Zoe delivers a cost-effective, easy-to-live-with and aesthetically pleasing proposition could be the shot in the arm advocates of electric motoring are looking for.

Read more: Renault Zoe will generate mass-market appeal - Offaly Express