tony126

Reading all this makes me feel rather lucky. I am covered by the insurance here and being retired I have to pay monthly for my Medicare and Supplementary Insurance. This costs me about the equivalent of 80 pounds sterling/month. I am having a total hip replacement op this Thursday and this has taken only 10 weeks to achieve as I had to have clearance from the Cardiologist first. I would not like to be in the UK at this time as heaven knows how long it would take to have the op. I personally had to use the NHS more so than most and have no complaints about it but I feel it is crumbling around their ears. I count myself fortunate to be in the position I am in.

martlet

We too have excellent coverage. Company insurance pays 80% of covered conditions, and then military retirement picks up 70% of the remaining 20%. But most don't enjoy the benefit of two insurance policies and the patient's co-pay can be devastating if they have a serious condition.

Without company coverage, it's an impossible situation. The adult son of a neighbour couldn't get a job since he suffered panic attacks following an auto accident. But he couldn't afford the meds to treat his panic attacks until he could get a job. He was in a downward spiral until a local psychiatrist treated him pro bono and medicated him with samples. Now, he holds down a job and no longer suffers the attacks. Friends of ours, in their early sixties and out of work due to health reasons (!) are having to pay $1000 per month for medical insurance until they reach retirement age. There goes their life's savings.

The NHS is bad on elective conditions, but as a friend in the UK discovered when her son was diagnosed with leukaemia, when a serious and immediate need is diagnosed, doctors seem to appear out of the woodwork and no expense is spared.

Swings and roundabouts, IMHO.

CalgaryAMC

What insurance? I am intrigued, since you're retired.

NC Penguin

Perhaps Tony126 is a retired vet(eran)?



NC Penguin

tony126

Let me explain first I have Medicare which picks up 80% and Blue Cross picks up the other 20%. Blue Cross is around $70/month. My annual deductible for Medicare is $100. There are other insurance companies like Blue Cross.I do not know if this is going to help you but it is worthwhile trying.

CalgaryAMC

I see. I thought you were referring to some sort of employer-related insurance, perhaps a retirement benefit of some sort.

tony126

Yes I am happily retired.

snowbunny

I'm waiting for that damned teleporter on Star Trek, I mean, didn't it come out ages ago? but I've not seen it in the stores!

tony126

Yes Fleet Air Arm, 1960. Seriously I married my American wife April 2002. She was a divorcee of many years and her ex-husband died. This meant when we married that she was covered by his Social Sevices entitlement I was then covered by her Socisl Servives entitlement, which in turn meant I was covered for medical insurance. We could not have lived here without it for some of the reasons previously mentioned. To top it all I also becoame entitled to a US Pension. I would point out that my wife worked for a great number of years prior to retirement.

MattOR

Hi All,

I'm new to this site but have been following this thread with interest so I'll toss in my ten cents for good measure.

I moved to the US from the UK right after graduating from Uni to marry the woman that I couldn't live without. Initially had no real desire to move to the States but I quickly fell in love with it. As many have pointed out the US is more than just a country, it is a continent with as much geographic, political, and economic diversity as Western Europe. Chances are if one part does not suite you then another might.

I've spent most of my time in Portland, Oregon so I can't speak for Pennsylvania but I have a cousin who moved to Philadelphia from England and loves it. As for Portland, I'd recommend it to anyone. It has all the amenities of a large city but with the laid back attitude of a small town, has a temperate climate (it doesn't rain all the time), friendly locals, world class restaurants & microbreweries, and strict planning regulations that seek to prevent the mindless sprawl that has blighted so many American cities. Plus, it is situated within easy driving distance of some of the world's most beautiful scenery. As with anywhere there are downsides. Income and property taxes are high (but most people don't mind as unlike the UK you actually get to enjoy some of the benefits), the cost of living is fairly high compared to salaries (but still lower than the UK and other west coast cities), the public school system is a mess (but then the UK school system leaves a lot to be desired), and it sits atop a major fault so I don't rate it's long term survival very highly. As also previously mentioned the cost of health care and education in the US is high, and most employers are stingy with their vacation (two weeks per year the norm).

Having never had to deal with 'real' life in the UK I can't compare it to the US but it seems to me that the quality of life here is generally better. Okay, so quality of life is highly subjective and depends on your personal circumstances but seriously, how can anyone on an average income afford to live in the UK anymore?

Matt

ukmancoll

Hi Matt,

I hope you dont mind - I have sent you a PM, some questions on Portland!

Thanks a lot.

Matt

Wintersong

Hope this wasn't you

Foot fetish in Pittsburgh

AdobePinon

Good choice, MattOR. Portland is always on my list of places to move. My biggest complaint is the way they stacked up I-5 and I-405 all over the place. (Oh, and driving down Burnside in rush hour is a right barrel of laughs, eh?) Poeple often overlook Portland in their efforts to get to Seattle, but IMHO Portland is a much nicer place. Now, if I could find a decent job....

MattOR

Yeah, Portland beats Seattle any day (in my highly bigotted opinion). The traffic sucks but then still nothing compared to Seattle or Frisco. Can't understand why more people don't take advantage of the excellent public transportation system... There was some talk about covering over portions of I-405 but I can't see that happening anytime soon as the city's coffers are empty.
How do you like living in New Mexico? I met a couple in India recently who were from Taos and they raved about it. Are you familiar with this town?

Franklin

*bangs own head* ... that's the jimmy! Marry an American senior on a pension and with medical/medicare tied up. *bangs head* Y didn't I think of that? Mental note to self: get my mother married off to a retired ex-USA army guy with full benefit entitlement. *bangs head* ... God, I could kill a British banger ... mixed with some black pudding, and some proper bacon.

An aside, sometime back a Native American Indian was a bit keen on me, but I was not keen on marriage back then. She lived on a reservation in Nebraska; I met her while she was doing a teaching degree in the mid-west. Visited me in downtown Chicago. She got a LOT of benefits - help with medical, school tuition ... a lot of help, she had a flying doctor fly visit her (her home was miles from anywhere (mental health issue)); she was raped when she was very young by a close relative and the trauma had a lingering impact on her, she suffered from recurring bouts of severe depression. I liked her, but not enough to marry her. She was in her mid-twenties, but acted like she was still a teenager. I wanted her to have career interests of her own and not be subsumed by mine. Perhaps I was a bit stupid, she was very homily and sweet. Maybe I should write her, but DC is a bit far for a w/e visit and I don't like raising a girl's hopes, and if I write her and invite her to visit that would raise her hopes - ?

I know another Native American (Cherokee) here in the DC metro area, she told me she gets a lot of benefits too (her home reservation is up north ... maybe towards the Canadian border, not really sure). She likes people to call her Cynthia. Cynthia is married and got kids, but is planning to go to school (college) and like my Native Indian gf Cynthia will get some pretty good breaks with tuition mostly paid for. I have to say that I pretty much love Native American Indians and if I got a chance again I would probably marry into a tribe. Maybe I could marry my mum off to a Native American Indian and that will take care of her medical bills. *half joking* But something to think about.

Oh, the downside of life as a single-British-expat stuck in the good old USofA.