Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Jan 27th 2006, 12:35 am
#1
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Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
How do the expats in the US - especially E2 visa holders afford health care? I appreciate you pay insurance etc but what as you get older, do the premiums go up a lot?
Jan 27th 2006, 1:22 am
#2
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Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by UKmet
How do the expats in the US - especially E2 visa holders afford health care? I appreciate you pay insurance etc but what as you get older, do the premiums go up a lot?
Jan 27th 2006, 1:24 am
#3
Pass me the Marmite..
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Atlanta, GA.
Posts: 864
Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
When I wasn't working, I had to get Insurance privately with Blue Cross Blue sheild, the cheapest. We are pretty young at (40) and it cost me nearly $5000 a year PLUS $1000 each (for the 4 of us) deductables.
Average cost per year for us "healthy" bunch was about $7000-$8000
God knows what it'll cost when I'm 70 !!!
Average cost per year for us "healthy" bunch was about $7000-$8000
God knows what it'll cost when I'm 70 !!!
Jan 27th 2006, 1:29 am
#4
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Location: USA
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Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by UKmet
How do the expats in the US - especially E2 visa holders afford health care? I appreciate you pay insurance etc but what as you get older, do the premiums go up a lot?
Look at this document-
http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p60-226.pdf
Last edited by Celsius; Jan 27th 2006 at 1:31 am.
Jan 27th 2006, 1:29 am
#5
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Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by franc11s
When I wasn't working, I had to get Insurance privately with Blue Cross Blue sheild, the cheapest. We are pretty young at (40) and it cost me nearly $5000 a year PLUS $1000 each (for the 4 of us) deductables.
Average cost per year for us "healthy" bunch was about $7000-$8000
God knows what it'll cost when I'm 70 !!!
Average cost per year for us "healthy" bunch was about $7000-$8000
God knows what it'll cost when I'm 70 !!!
Best get ready with a second mortgage
Jan 27th 2006, 1:43 am
#6
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Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
So what do PR and USC do when they retire - even on a good private pension they would struggle to pay there premiums? 
Jan 27th 2006, 1:45 am
#7
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Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by UKmet
So what do PR and USC do when they retire - even on a good private pension they would struggle to pay there premiums?
Jan 27th 2006, 1:50 am
#8
strangely floppy..
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ohio - originally London
Posts: 1,719
Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by UKmet
How do the expats in the US - especially E2 visa holders afford health care? I appreciate you pay insurance etc but what as you get older, do the premiums go up a lot?
Jan 27th 2006, 1:52 am
#9
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,649
Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
I currently pay $486 a month for insurnace. That is by far the lowest price I've found.
Damn not-for-profit employers.
Damn not-for-profit employers.
Jan 27th 2006, 2:04 am
#10
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by UKmet
So what do PR and USC do when they retire - even on a good private pension they would struggle to pay there premiums?
You go to Medicare after 65.
Jan 27th 2006, 2:13 am
#11
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Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by UKmet
So what do PR and USC do when they retire - even on a good private pension they would struggle to pay there premiums?
Jan 27th 2006, 2:19 am
#12
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by tony126
I forgot to mention I am retired. Medicare is deducted from your Social Security prior to your payment being made into the bank. Blue Cross is the secondary insurance I was referring to. If you are self employed it may be different and FB could probably answer that. I have had both hips replaced and other than my payments it has cost me an extra $110 year deductible.
Jan 27th 2006, 2:32 am
#13
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
My friend (aged 38) who is self-employed is paying $300 *per week* for health insurance for herself and her two children!
Self-employed people pay more because they can't benefit from group employer schemes, so she gets no discounts.
She is planning to return to Australia to retire.
We have a good healthcare scheme via my husband's employer.....but no way do I want to be here at retirement age and we will probably spend part of the year in the UK and buy a property in a warm part of Europe and flit between the two.
Self-employed people pay more because they can't benefit from group employer schemes, so she gets no discounts.
She is planning to return to Australia to retire.
We have a good healthcare scheme via my husband's employer.....but no way do I want to be here at retirement age and we will probably spend part of the year in the UK and buy a property in a warm part of Europe and flit between the two.
Jan 27th 2006, 3:06 am
#14
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Posts: 853
Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by UKmet
So what do PR and USC do when they retire - even on a good private pension they would struggle to pay there premiums?
I'm retired (married to USC) and come under my husband's Medicare eligibility. Medicare isn't free, or all encomapssing. As Tony said, to be properly protected one must buy supplemental insurance. Our supplemental is now around $130 a month EACH, which includes the premium for the latest travesty of a scheme which is supposed to help with the cost of medications, it doesn't help at all in our case at present, but refusal to join the scheme would have incurred even higher premiums at a later date - a form of blackmail! Such a compassionate government!
Jan 27th 2006, 3:18 am
#15
Pass me the Marmite..
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Atlanta, GA.
Posts: 864
Re: Health Care.......how do you afford it?!
Originally Posted by Englishmum
My friend (aged 38) who is self-employed is paying $300 *per week* for health insurance for herself and her two children!
Self-employed people pay more because they can't benefit from group employer schemes, so she gets no discounts.
.
Self-employed people pay more because they can't benefit from group employer schemes, so she gets no discounts.
.
