Episode 3 of 6
The Healthcare Cliff
Fiona's employer health insurance costs her $180/month. An ACA marketplace plan for a single 42-year-old in Portland is $680/month — and that is before dental and vision. She models the full healthcare cost of early retirement through age 65 when Medicare kicks in.
Key Insight
Healthcare from 42 to 65 could add up to a substantial cumulative cost in premiums alone over those 23 years, depending on the plan she chooses and premium inflation — enough to meaningfully raise her effective withdrawal rate. That could push her FIRE number up by roughly $200–300k and add over a year to her timeline.
Model This Scenario