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My problem is I mostly agree with the piece, it's very possible to live cheaply when everything goes smoothly and most things are routine. The problem is thing

My problem is I mostly agree with the piece, it's very possible to live cheaply when everything goes smoothly and most things are routine. The problem is things very often don't go smoothly, especially once you have a family. For example, my daughter took a small fall on a jungle gym, so small that I didn't even think she really got hurt but she landed really unlucky and broke her arm. We went to urgent care but she needed surgery to put pins in. Modern medicine is amazing. Totally healed, not even scares from the pin, but it is not cheap. Expect to pay at least $17K [1] for this w/o insurance, our was significantly more. And with insurance, you're not living on $400/month anymore... Cars break down, pipes back up, etc. etc. etc. [1] https://www.talktomira.com/post/how-much-does-a-broken-bone-cost-without-insurance https://www.talktomira.com/post/how-much-does-a-broken-bone-...

sarchertech 1y ago
In New York you could make 5x the amount of money the article is talking about and still qualify for free healthcare.
- hnfever 1y ago
  You'd qualify based on income but probably be excluded for having too many assets. The limit in New York is $32,396.
  - sarchertech 1y ago
    Looks like that goes up to $44k for a couple, a vehicle is exempt, and home equity is exempt up to a million and change. There’s also ACA credits that don’t have an asset test.
  - laurencerowe 1y ago
    MAGI based Medicare doesn’t have asset limits.
- throwaway2037 1y ago
  Woah, I had no idea. This rebuts one of my main concerns from the original article: They did not include healthcare costs. But you are right. A little bit of Googling found this plan: "New York (State) Essential Plan". Details: https://www.nyhealthinsurer.com/new-york-essential-plan/ https://www.nyhealthinsurer.com/new-york-essential-plan/ > Frequently Asked Questions > Who qualifies for the Essential Plan? > Residents aged 19–64, living in New York, with incomes 138%–250% FPL (e.g., $21,597–$39,125 for a single adult in 2025), U.S. citizens or eligible immigrants, not on Medicaid or Medicare. This is pretty wild. I'm not saying the coverage will be amazing, but if you are a "starving artist/writer", this is pretty good. You can buy that little log cabin and work 20 hours a week pumping gas (or working at a supermarket). The rest of the time, you can do your art/writing.

sarchertech 1y ago

In New York you could make 5x the amount of money the article is talking about and still qualify for free healthcare.

hnfever 1y ago
You'd qualify based on income but probably be excluded for having too many assets. The limit in New York is $32,396.
- sarchertech 1y ago
  Looks like that goes up to $44k for a couple, a vehicle is exempt, and home equity is exempt up to a million and change. There’s also ACA credits that don’t have an asset test.
- laurencerowe 1y ago
  MAGI based Medicare doesn’t have asset limits.
throwaway2037 1y ago
Woah, I had no idea. This rebuts one of my main concerns from the original article: They did not include healthcare costs. But you are right. A little bit of Googling found this plan: "New York (State) Essential Plan". Details: https://www.nyhealthinsurer.com/new-york-essential-plan/ https://www.nyhealthinsurer.com/new-york-essential-plan/ > Frequently Asked Questions > Who qualifies for the Essential Plan? > Residents aged 19–64, living in New York, with incomes 138%–250% FPL (e.g., $21,597–$39,125 for a single adult in 2025), U.S. citizens or eligible immigrants, not on Medicaid or Medicare. This is pretty wild. I'm not saying the coverage will be amazing, but if you are a "starving artist/writer", this is pretty good. You can buy that little log cabin and work 20 hours a week pumping gas (or working at a supermarket). The rest of the time, you can do your art/writing.