“What are you going to do for health insurance?” is the next most common question and it is a good one. With the ridiculousness of the American system of attaching healthcare to employment, we will have to turn to the marketplace. Healthcare in early retirement is one of the big considerations since it can be an additional chunk of money you didn’t notice you were paying since it came out directly form your paychecks.

The cheapest plan without looking at any details and receiving zero subsidies costs $754/month. It stings a bit knowing that a few days of work each month just goes straight to maintaining insurance.

Starting next year, based on our decreased earnings from “as needed” work, we should be eligible for some ACA subsidies. For example in 2025, on Healthcare.gov it estimates if we were to make $100,000 this year, we would qualify for a $300/month subsidy. Since our annual spend is less than that, we should qualify in 2026.