To think about emigrating to the USA? 🇺🇸

[Rainbow1234]

I have posted in living overseas but don’t get much of a response so thought I would look for some opinions here.

So my dh is originally from Texas but moved to London 15 years ago when he was 16. We have 2 dc aged 4 and 7 (both have dual nationality). He assured me when we got married that he wasn’t bothered about ever moving back to the US and that he preferred England. Now he has been offered a really good job in California where his family live and wants me to think about us all moving out there but I’m so unsure, the job pays almost double what he is earning here but the area we would need to live in is more expensive than where we are now so financially we would be about the same. I was born and brought up in London, my mum dad and sister all live within 30 minutes of me and they are the only family I have in the whole world and I would feel so guilty about leaving them especially my mum, she’s 70 this year and in very good health (works full time) but I know she won’t be around forever but I can’t help thinking life could be better for my kids out there, anyone?

It is a huge misconception that health insurance doesn't cover stuff, while there are always random stories, for the vast majority of people their health insurance pays for whatever they need. In my state if you don't have insurance for your child it is available for free. No one is turned away from a hospital or refused treatment because they can't pay. You can get things like hip and knee replacements whenever you need them.
Also food is not that expensive, in California especially fresh fruit and vegetables are very affordable because they are locally grown. I have never paid over $8 for a bottle of salad dressing! And a lot of comments about tv being terrible, so many commercials, no one I know watches regular tv anymore, its all streaming and netflix (and the internet isn't terrible!)

No wait heart valve replacement? She must have had decent insurance then!

She had the insurance provided by our blue-collar town's school system to their employees. She got to see someone who is a world-class specialist in the field - but that is more a factor of living where we do.

My neighbour had a quadruple heart bypass in the biggest hospital in Maine. Difficult recovery, in ICU for several days. Fine now.

His bill was zero because at the time he was unemployed and his income was below $18k.

This hospital mainehealth.org/patients-visitors/billing-insurance/financial-assistance/free-care

@Shesalady. New Orleans and Louisiana (lovely ) . Vegas (it’s an experience 🤑) , New York ( iconic, but basically just another nice city. ) Orlando (outside the theme parks it’s depressing)

Not that it has any relevance to the original question. The op didn’t ask for opinions from people that have visited.

I hope this satisfies you. Do let me know if you want any details of my other holidays.

Agree that there isn't enough money in the world that would make me wanna live in the USA.

I was about to say, I've had a cough for 5 weeks so today am off to get chest X-rays and blood work done.

We are in Maine with no insurance and above the threshold for Mainecare (free healthcare which people on low income get.)

I will add it to my no interest payment plan that I pay back over a number of years.

Nobody in Maine at least is 'left to die' or 'bankrupted.'

@Kursk I'm at a loss to work out why you would renounce your UK citizenship. I can only think of disadvantages and absolutely no benefits!

I'm at a loss to work out why you would renounce your UK citizenship. I can only think of disadvantages and absolutely no benefits!

I am perfectly happy with my life in the US, and want to embrace it fully. I see no benefits of keeping my British citizenship.

Embracing it fully means buying an arsenal of guns.

To be fair it really doesn't, I know some really anti-gun Americans. That is just a lazy generalization.

Embracing it fully means buying an arsenal of guns.

That is a stereotype really, We don’t need loads of guns.

@Kursk Which is great that you're happy (and Maine is an amazing state!) but none of us have any idea what the future holds. I can't get my head around renouncing your UK citizenship when you can have dual US/UK. What if years down the line you have a drastic change of circumstances and wish to come back?

What would worry me the most would be claiming on my health insurance and then being refused, at a later date.

If I understand you correctly, this would not be allowed in the US. You can't be refused coverage because you have made prior claims. As someone pointed out earlier, health insurance is heavily regulated in the US.

What if years down the line you have a drastic change of circumstances and wish to come back?

What would their be to back to? I really cannot foresee any change in circumstances that would mean we would want to go back.

Of all the people I know three own a gun. A shotgun for hunting.

The other few hundred I know are very anti gun.

When someone here has a baby, or operation, or is down on their luck they end up getting lunch and dinner delivered every day from neighbours and friends.

When I was ill a while back I had people I'd never even met come to my house to drop off meds I needed, food, stuff they'd baked. A girl I didn't even know walked my dog for me.

The community here is unbelievable.

My friend's husband got cancer and fought for 5 years. His first treatment was available in the US and the UK and it failed. After that in the US, he had such cutting edge treatment, trial drugs, immunotherapy that was available in 2 hospitals worldwide (neither in the UK, one of them a mile from my house in Texas) and lived for another 4 years. He had over $1 million in treatment and it cost them a couple of thousand.

I have an annual well woman check (smear, 3D mammogram, full bloods, pelvic ultrasound) all for free and within a week of making my appointment. My DD needs glasses, full exam including dilation (took 90 minutes) and glasses with anti glare, anti fatigue etc cost us $150, the rest is paid. A normal doctors trip costs $20 and the rest is covered.

We are insured by my dh's employer and it's pretty standard insurance.

Don't get me started on postcode lotteries in the UK and the fact that my dad is paying GBP 5000 a month in the UK for cancer drugs not available on the NHS. If he was in the USA on insurance, they would be free of charge.

My DH also had heart valve surgery. Insurance covered all but the deductible which was 1200. If you have good work provided insurance you are mostly fine. If you are poor you are given treatment free. It's those in the gap who are in trouble.

Well obviously your circumstances may be very different to mine. Personally I can imagine that if something happened to my husband I would want to go back. There is no way I could afford to bring up two children and pay the healthcare premiums on any salary I might earn when the cost of living is so high. It would be much more affordable in the UK.

I just feel that it is always good to have options in life and why cut off an option that is open to you and costs you nothing to keep?

There wouldn't be enough money in the world to make me go live in America at the moment. Or visit for that matter.

It is a huge misconception that health insurance doesn't cover stuff, while there are always random stories, for the vast majority of people their health insurance pays for whatever they need*

That's just not true. There are tens of millions without any insurance at all, and many more tens of millions that are chronically underinsured. Medical bankruptcy is an enormous problem.

There seems to be a big element of downplaying a very real issue because you personally are alright. It's ridiculous to attest that everyone is just fine health care wise in America!

The ACA made this (and many other things like not covering pre-existing conditions and charging sick people more) illegal

For now. It's already been chipped away at and Trumps intent is to get rid of it all. I wouldn't be betting my future health on the ACA!

Without insurance and under insured, yet. Untreated and turned away, no.

Shesalady - I have the same experience in my community. When someone undergoes chemo, loses a spouse or a child etc everyone rallies around you and signs up to bring meals etc. The kindness of people towards neighbors they don't even know is amazing and very touching.
Another factor that people forget about when it comes to guns is a lot of the US is very rural with dangerous wildlife. I know people in Texas who keep a gun only for the purpose of shooting rattlesnakes that are trying to get into their house. I am extremely anti-gun in general but if there was a risk of a rattlesnake getting in my house I would change my mind mighty fast!

QueenCity

If something happened to DH, I would stay here, I would have to wind down my business and get s job with heath insurance for me and the kids.

I find the cost of living much lower here