Retirees — private health insurance vs relying on the local public system, what did you choose?

This really depends on your residency status and whether any reciprocal healthcare agreements apply between your home country and destination — that changes what you're actually entitled to under the public system, sometimes substantially. The Health & Insurance section of your destination's guide should clarify what applies specifically to retirees/pensioners, since eligibility rules there often differ from working-age residents.

Generally, private supplementary cover is worth strongly considering if you have any pre-existing conditions or want faster access to specialists, even where the public system is genuinely good.

Younger, working non-EU mover here so different situation, but I went private from day one mainly because I didn't yet qualify for the public system as a new arrival. Worth checking if there's a waiting period before you're eligible for public coverage at all — that timing question matters as much as the private-vs-public one.