> So even the romantic idea of retiring in quaint village is predicated on not getting sick.

Grew up in a village. What you do is... drive to another village / town. There are always doctors to be found - and less queues than in big cities.

Yeah. That worked before when most villages had a doctor or a clinic. In France (and my native country too) at least the situation is getting bad. You can look up medical deserts.

Driving to another part also often implies having someone to drive you.