Medicare covers about half of all health care costs for those enrolled in the program

Looks like this is at least part of the reason lower-income people's life expectancy has not increased much.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/7-retirement-planning-myths-debunked-1C7480802

7 retirement-planning myths debunked

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Myth No. 2: Medicare will take care of almost all your health care needs.
Medicare covers about half of all health care costs for those enrolled in the program. For the rest, yes, you're on your own. That means you'll be on the hook for out-of-pocket costs for uncovered services such as long-term health care as well as dental, hearing and eye care, along with supplemental insurance costs.

A 65-year-old couple retiring this year is estimated to need about $240,000 to cover medical expenses throughout retirement, according to a study of retiree health care costs by Fidelity Investments. Much of that comes in the final years of retirement.