It's not perfect, but maximum annual out-of-pocket for an individual ACA plan is $8550, plus premiums. If that's your entire savings, you were certainly not FI.
I think the author is going to require expensive care on a yearly basis for the rest of their life. if you can't absorb $8550 one time, yeah you're definitely not FI. but if you end up maxing out your out-of-pocket every year until you die, that is really going to mess with a $30k/yr spending target.
Right; an extra $8550 per year might not be hard to absorb if your budget (supported by a larger nest egg) is already $150k per year, but when it's $30k per year, that's a good 30% increase. Not small.
