Interesting article. But as a former East German citizen myself, I have to point out a few inconsistencies.
First: health care was completely free, so no need to pay for that. The monthly rent for a small one-bedroom apartment was about 30-50 Marks, so that was not a problem for anyone. The big problem was finding one at all.
In general, one of the biggest problem of the communist economy was not the lack of money, but of goods. Many people had huge savings because if you cannot buy a car (waiting time around 15 years) or a house, what could you do?

Regarding travel within the Eastern block: only Poland and Czechoslovakia were free for everyone to reach. Even for the other countries like Hungary, Romania or Bulgaria, you would need a permit, which could be rejected without any explanation.