Sunshine State

I have read the posts, with great interest this afternoon, and can soooo relate to many of you making those tough decisions to return to the UK.
It has actually given me some comfort, not that so many people are suffering, but that I'm not alone in facing Destiny Changing Decsions....as I refer to it!
My story is.........we came to Florida 5 years ago, with unending enthusiasm, hope and energy. It was me, my hubby and two daughter's. At the time my eldest was 5 years old, and my youngest only 9 months. We came on an E2 Visa, my hubby set up his business and for the first few years, enjoyed the big house, boat, jet skies etc etc. My 2 kids settled really well into their School....and I'm so proud of what they've experienced and achieved. I love the freedom of the outdoors lifestyle, I love the climate, I love the fact that the youth are brought up to repsect adults.
BUT.......here it comes, the dream seems to now be an illusion. The business is harder to maintain and sustain due to the tough economy, and it is not good here at all!!! We are very concerned with the fact that we are regarded as semi permanent residents, albeit we have no material assest in England. For us as a family to qualify for a GREEN CARD, we would need to provide $500.000.00, we do not have this kinda money, nor likely to ever have.
I would be willing to try and ride the storm, but my husband fears for our security financially out here........if we were to loose our business, he can't even go and get a job in Burger King, as on an E2 Visa he is only allowed to be self employed.......and I have been looking for work for months now, and haven't even got to the interview stage!!!
I deperately do not want to leave all that we have worked for, and enjoy here, but as far as I know the USA offers no other alternative or options for us. I definitely do not want to continue living here under the umbrella of the renewal of my VISA every 2 to 5 years. And when my kids reach 21 years of age, they will have to qualify themselves under their own Visa. My kids when they get to the age of teenagers, are not allowed to work under the E2 Visa.
I have private medical insurance, that we pay for monthly, but do you know, I also have to exhaust a deductible of $2,500.00 before my insurance will pay anything out. Being sick here...scares me to death. pardon the pun!!!

To me, the UK even in recession looks a little more secure, at least I have sense of belonging and entitlement there.
If anyone has weathered this Green Card storm and got through the other end with a Green Card please e-mail me back, or if anyone has any thoughts I would love to receive your feedback.
On my last note........Well Done all you Brits, that had the guts to go after your dream........it was a helluva ride!!!!!!

Mummy in the foothills

The idea of getting really sick here makes me queasy to think of and we have great insurance with a small deductible.
So what are you thinking of doing. Selling up and going back? Or riding it out and renewing visas?
Also remember that if you plan on taking the kids back for a University education in the future, they need to live there for three years to get UK rates or you'll be paying international student rates.
This one we have found and when Ds#2 goes to Uni I'll be paying through the nose.

onepearlyb

As someone who is unfortunate NOT to be in good health I've definately struggled with the health system here in Oz.Paying financially when your ill is not something I've been used to coming from the Uk, and it has been draining on our funds.

Take yesterday for example - 1 x Mammogram, 1 x Ultrasound and 1 x Consultant check up appointment. Those three things totalled $374.45 plus travel expenses on top. Of this I got $158.95 back from Medicare.

Tally that up alongside other scans and regular Consultant/Dr appointments and it quickly adds up. If I wanted to speak to support staff, no problem - as long as I part with $120 first. That's the one thing that really gets my goat.

It is hard to be ill at the best of times but I find that when your asked to pay for everything on top of that, it makes things a lot harder.

So, we are returning to the Uk where I can pick up the phone and talk to someone who'll help me without asking for payment first! God bless the NHS.
I certainly wont be taking it for granted ever again.

I think anyone who has a chronic condition needing monitoring should really consider this aspect of an overseas move before they make the jump and I can't stress that enough from my own experience.

*pearly*

Sunshine State

We are very much ......I hate to say resigned, to going back to the UK, my husband has a job to go back to, which I am very grateful for. I really do not want to live our future under the cloak of begging the US Immigration to renew our Visa's. It's really hard to plan a future in a country, if you never know whether your application will be granted or denied???? I want there to be a route for us to take to become permanent. We thought in the beginning, we could find a way to get Green Cards and then proceed to Citizenship, but at this this time it just does not exist for E2 Visa holders. I hate to be negative, but I feel the political system in the country, for hard working taxing paying Brits, really stinks, the US is all about the money....and if you haven't got it....bye bye Fair Lady!

Sunshine State

I so know what you mean. I hope your condition whatever it maybe, will turn out well for you.
It's funny, but when I lived in the UK, I moaned desperately about the NHS, now I think fundamentally....how lucky and fortunate we are to have it.
When we first settled here, and my kids went out to play, as a mum I would always warn them to be careful, as I did not want them to hurt themselves.....now I stress to them about being careful, as I know a trip to the ER dept can cost a few hundred dollars.
Don't want to bore you, but a couple of years back, my husband hurt his leg in a boating accident on a lake. He required 6 stitches, oral antibiotics & a tetnus, if he paid on the day at the ER dept in the Hospital, he would receive a 30% discount, so he did. The bill came to $1,500.00.
One month later we received another bill, for nearly the exact amount, it was $1.550.00. So hubby called the hospital to confirm we had already settled the account on the day of the procedure. The hospital confirmed, that the bill was not from them, BUT THAT WAS THE DR'S BILL FOR PERFORMING 6 STITCHES!!!!! Where is the justice in that?????? And if you don't pay them, they screw with your credit score, so basically your stuck between a rock & hard place.
It's definitely been an eye opening experience!!!!

Mummy in the foothills

I defiantly agree that I will never complain about the NHS ever again.
Today I took Ds#2 to have a lump removed from his brow bone, it's been there forever since he was a baby (he's 14 now) and it's growing along with puberty. So I called the insurance to see what will be covered. God forbid I end up out of network It'll break the bank. Turns out the surgeon is covered 100% but the outpatient surgical place is only covered 80% and then I suppose we'll find out what the anesthesiologists bill will be when the bills start rolling in. I suspect we will be in for a few hundred dollars at least, and we have wonderful insurance for the first time in our lives here.
Used to be we had a $5000 deductible just so we could afford the monthly payments.
If I could move back today I would.
If Dh ever looses his job we would never be approved for health insurance unless it was through a group at work. Too many pre existing conditions (stupid things like Migraines, anemia, etc) even though we are all healthy and fit.

Fleaflyfloflum

I am so with you Pearly. These last few months have rammed it home for me.

As mosthere know, I was in London only one week and was struck down with pnuemonia. The good old NHS literally saved my life.
Not only did they save my life, but i am diabetic, which obviously made things worse, but not once was money mentioned. When i was in the hospital, they arranged for the diabetic team to come see me and i was offered a ground breaking new drug to transform my life... it did! Although i was sick in other ways, my diabetes was better than it had been for years... the bad news?
I had to rush back to Aus because my husband also became ill and was still in Sydney. Now i am here i am not allowed to have this drug bcause Australia refuse to pay for it The result? I am back to square one until i get back to UK.
On top of all this it has caused side effects and all sorts of problems.

I have vowed that every time i hear someone in UK slag off the NHS, i will make it my business to put them straight and let them know how lucky they are to have it.

jumping doris

Well, we weathered the green card storm but we started with a different visa (H1B) so it was easier for us. Still very stressful though.

Getting our GC hasn't altered the health care issues here though. We have OK insurance but if my OH lost his job we would have no health insurance.

Even with it we cannot afford to be ill....how can they justify charging $58 for 2 tylenol

My OH can't understand why I worry about things like this...he lives for the day.

Plus...we pay an arm and a leg for health care here and we have never had a good experience. Dirty hospitals, rude staff, bad treatment..the list is endless.

atlmburns

The reasons we are leaving are the reasons you mentioned above, I thought we were the only ones that felt this way.

We arrived on an H1b and after almost 5 years we are still awaiting or Green Card and yes we still feel like outsiders, if my husband lost his job here and couldn't get another one we would be homeless and left with nothing as he is restricted to what work he can do, we can't claim unemployment here even though we pay huge amounts of Medicare and Social Security every pay check, and we have two children we need to think of also.

And don't start me on Health Care, when we first got here my husbands company would only cover him there leaving us to pay for health Insurance for myself and my two daughters which was a lot of money even with a $5,000 deductable, and the cost of emergency care is horrendous, my youngest had a febrile seizure and needed an ambulance, we were charged $1200 for the ambulance alone and thats with Health Insurance.

I used to knock the NHS, but after seeing life here in the USA I have a new found appreciation for everything the NHS does and it really didn't cost us that much in NI Contributions either.

USA is supposed to be a 1st world Country, but at times it feels like a 3rd world Country, unless your poor (free ) or super rich (can afford it) then you have to forgo medical treatment because of the cost. I currently have sciatica in my left leg and can only go to the Physio one a week if that, because of the Co-Pay, when i really need to be going at least 3 times a week, which means my health suffers.

Looking forward going home to a place we belong.