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Early retirement can bring individuals a sense of freedom, but with most health care tied to employment, early retirees can find their carefully constructed financial plans in jeopardy once they leave the workforce.
That’s one of the reasons why Lynn Frair, an early retiree and hospice nurse, created “FI Healthcare,” a website dedicated to helping Americans find the right health care coverage when they pursue the FIRE movement, short for “financial independence, retire early.”
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Frair left her employer of 14 years in January 2019, but has remained active in the community — working flexibly, especially in the midst of the global pandemic. The hospice nurse, who lives in the Seattle area, was around the first epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S., when an outbreak occurred at a nursing home in Kirkland, Wash., in February. “FI Healthcare” is her passion project — she pays to keep it running, as opposed to making money off the site — but she knows health care coverage is essential and many people entering early retirement have questions about it. The research behind the site has taken thousands of hours of work, but it’s “rewarding” to share that with others, she said.
“One of the biggest challenges is it is such an unknown expense,” Frair said. “We have some level of control of our food budget, our housing budget, our cars to some degrees. But health care for most people is this big unknown expense outside of traditional work.”
Navigating the health care system alone can be confusing, and a few wrong decisions or lack of knowledge in the field could be costly. Already one in five people receive a surprise medical bill after an elective surgery, and patients and doctors don’t always discuss finances of treatment or financial struggles.
On “FI Healthcare,” readers can enter the “Knowledge Base” page of the site and gain access to a spreadsheet of coverage options for early retirees, including High Deductible Health Plans, short-term plans and Individual Marketplace plans (also known as Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act). Frair lays out the pros and cons of each option, as well as notes about eligibility and related links.
Health care is expensive — and it only gets worse as a person ages. Medical expenses can amount to at least $280,000 for an average couple retiring at 65 years old, according to 2018 estimates from Fidelity Investments, which does not include long-term care coverage. Meanwhile, a family of four — two adults and two children — can expect to spend $20,000 a year on health care, Frair said. COVID-19 has increased people’s interest in their health coverage, Frair said, especially because individuals are worried about losing jobs or unexpected health crises.
“People are feeling vulnerable,” she said, and they’re turning to early retirees to see how they navigated health care coverage without a traditional job. “Right now, people are going through a lot physically, financially and emotionally.”
