Debating between these two countries. Which is better to bring children up in?

[Mixedfeelings89]

England or America. I am from England, Husband is American. We are not rich, nor poor therefore we would be living a average lifestyle. My only concern is which country will be better for the children? If we didn't have children I wouldn't really care which country either way. I just want the best for the children. Children are not yet school age, if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance.

I am genuinely curious to know what happens about healthcare if you don't work or you stop working or you don't have "a job" as such.
In the UK there are lots of people who don't work or work in what used to be an unconventional pattern - SAHPs, carers, part timers, in the gig economy with more than one small job, early retirers thanks to inheritance or downsizing etc etc. it sounds like all the good healthcare packages mentioned in the USA are attached to work

I've lived in both and I'd picked US. Many more opportunities, better education and infrastructures, more space.

There is subsidised coverage available for large numbers of people. The Affordable Care Act (Obama Care), Medicare, CHIP, etc. all help provide coverage for the unemployed, senior citizens, children, etc. The US government spends more money per capita on health care than the UK but the medical care market is so screwed up that medical care is exorbitant and this doesn’t necessarily bring costs down enough. Medical issues are the cause of the vast majority of bankruptcies in the US and plenty of people simply avoid getting care because of costs.

Thanks for the info. I'm just curious that all the "good healthcare packages" in the USA seem to be dependent on fairly standard employment. Do people keep these packages when they retire if they've worked for years?

After the Wade v Rowe result today, for me USA would be out.

*Roe v Wade stupid auto correct

I would not raise my children in a country that doesn’t respect my right as a woman to have autonomy over my own body. I want my sons to have more respect for women as a sex class and I’d also like to be able to send them to school without worrying they might be shot dead.

England over America 100%.

@Davros When you retire, assuming you’ve paid your social security (like National insurance stamp in the UK) you qualify for reasonably good options under Medicare - this is where most of the US’s government funded healthcare expenditure is focused.

Under a federal law, COBRA (no idea what it stands for), if you leave or lose a job you have to be offered the opportunity to continue with your insurance plan for 18 months but paying the premium yourself (which may well be too expensive if you aren’t working). If your partner has coverage at work, you losing your job is considered a “qualifying event” which means they can add you to their coverage (adding family to your coverage or swapping plans is normally only allowed for a few weeks a year during “open enrolment”).

To be fair, the UK doesn’t provide a constitutional right to abortion either. It’s only recently been legalised in NI and that’s only because the local executive was too fucked up to govern.

You can still currently get abortions in the US. It just isn’t a right protected by the federal constitution.

It is a sad day for sure but it is not fair to say that this is a country that doesn’t respect women and their rights, the current President and the majority of the population do not hold this view. This decision simply allows states to make their own laws so at best we can say that certain states don’t respect women’s rights. Unfortunately for OP Florida is one and it would make me second guess moving there. But we are also a democracy and the voters in those states will have the chance to address this at the ballot box so let’s hope they get out and do so.

Does the UK have a constitution though?

You can still currently get abortions in the US. It just isn’t a right protected by the federal constitution.

Well tell that to the trigger states that have just been on the news following abortion clinics, who as soon as the result came through have had to close down and turn women away.

She’s just trying to clarify. A lot of people are under the impression that this has banned abortion at the National level which is not the case. Scary day in red states though.

We are trying, Gyles. I'm volunteering with a coalition of nonprofits that have been preparing for years for the fall of Roe. We've been working with the clinics that have had to close and a bunch of other organizations in those states trying to ensure that women there can still access abortion. And I'm campaigning to try and get those laws changed, just as I used to campaign in the UK to try to change NI's laws. Didn't see people up in arms about lack of abortion as a sign of how awful NI was for women 3 or more years ago, though.

Actually, Florida's own constitution protects the right to abortion there. It isn't immediately banned by the fall of Roe.

erhhh is this really a question????

It is however one that is being viewed as will ban or at least heavily redact, even though it isn't an automatic trigger state.

I'd choose Scotland

It depends on the circumstances. Sahp are usually covered under their dp health insurance as are dependent children. The elderly have Medicare plus any retirement plans (eg police retirement plans). Poorer people especially children qualify for Medicaid. There is also piecemeal provision eg free clinics, free emergency care. Many states also have quite comprehensive state cover like Massachusetts.

What everyone has already said about the US - healthcare, guns, erosion of women's rights, lack of holiday entitlement etc

Aside from that....if you were to split would you want to be in the U.K. with your children or the US? If it's the former I suggest you have your children and raise them in the U.K.

Me too!

Not a chance I'd ever live in America. UK isn't perfect I know, but definitely the safer option.

I used to think that but no longer.

They have similar drills in the UK for terrorists..my children had them a few years ago when we lived in the West Mids..

No they don't. There is nothing in UK schools that compares with shooter drills.