Should I allow FIRE to burn my healthcare benefits?
How many of us have held back on RE because of uncertainty around healthcare? I’m single (50M) with $4.5mil in investable assets ($1 mil in pretax retirement, $400k in Roth, and the rest in taxable brokerage). My home is paid off and I’ll be able to begin taking a $55k/year pension in five years. I also have about $20k/year in rental income. Factoring in taxes and ACA, my annual spend as an individual will be safely under $140,000/year.
The subject of healthcare is the one thing that prevents me from going full FIRE because I’m clinging onto the dream of one day meeting somebody and having a family. If I can hold out and continue to work for five more years, my employer will provide “lifetime” health benefits for myself and my future (albeit, non-existent) family. No need for ACA ever. ChatGPT tells me these benefits are worth $700,000 to $1.5 million in premiums/bills avoided. Curious if anybody else has struggled with something like this and how you approached your decision making. Thanks!