Your story sounds like mine - my brothers could not understand why I stayed where I was when I could have gone to "big tech" and earned a lot more money. But, I wanted to be able to retire by by age 60, with an assured pension (yes, I did contribute quite a lot to it) and consistent health insurance into my old age. It is good fortune that we had foresight - not everyone does.

After watching the difference between my Mom, with her good, continuous insurance and her sisters and friends, with their Medicare & costly care, I knew I was making the right decision. Now I am watching my brothers and several friends pay 2-3 times more for their (less robust) insurance than I pay for my old employer's plan - and deal with much more restriction and sky-high copays. And with my pension, I don't have to panic every time the stock market takes a downturn, or savings interest rates are below inflation - my income stays the same, even if it doesn't match the rate of inflation very well...
Sue