chris23

Ok, so I had always been wondering if the information I had on schools and healthcare in the US was accurate and true.

1. The average insurance premium for healthcare in the US for a 5 person family is $1200. If no then how much are the premiums?

2. The funding for the school system works representatively with the amount if tax that the area pays to the government. i.e if you live in a poor area, you pay representatively less tax, therefore your school is given less funding for teachers and equipment, thus giving the students a poorer level of education than the richer communities.

Just a couple of questions that I had

Thanks all

fatbrit

1/ How long's a piece of string? Healthcare spending in 2008 was $7,681 per resident. Some of that comes from employers, some from the government via taxation and other revenue collections, and some directly out of folks' pockets.

2/ Yes.

Sally Redux

1. The premiums will depend on how much subsidy you are getting from an employer.

2. Not sure, but I don't think it's done totally on that basis, I believe for example that schools in inner LA get some additional funding whereas we're in the suburbs and do not get that. At least that's what our school Principal told us. Also, things like set texts the parents in this area will be able to afford for their children, whereas we give an English teacher from Watts leftover books from our library store so she at least has something to teach with.

chris23

Thanks for clearing it up for me. The reason I ask is that under the information I have those are the two major reasons that im finding it difficult to get around when thinking about immigrating!

fatbrit

I've lived here a decade and I still don't understand US healthcare.

chris23

Not much hope for me then!! I just dont think I could go through that. People who do go through it without health insurance must hold a big burden. Going broke because your sick seems like a 3rd world option!! It seems that people in america have been brainwashed into thinking that the system they have (the only one of its kind in a western developed country) with a fully privatised health system, is the best option. I have experienced the health system there, I had an alergic reaction to something and had to have a shot of anti-histamine, i may have been in the hospital 20minutes, firstly I saw the business manager so he could confirm I had insurance, once that was confirmed I had the shot and left. Later found out that it cost $800 for that visit!!!

With regard to schools, I know the UK system is far from perfect but at least we have a standardised education system that provides a relatively equal education experience across the board.

Mummy in the foothills

I was curious and looked up what our medical insurance would cost last week if we paid for it ourselves (we used to til Dh got his job) so the monthly premiums for us family plan two adults and two kids started at $465 (or something close) that had an annual deductible of $15,000 yes I got the number right. and a charge per doctor visit of $40
the middle plan was a monthly cost of $700 and change with a slightly lower deductible and $30 doctor visits.
The jaw drop plan was $1500 a month $30 doctor visits.
So you get to pick if you are paying yourself, but no guarantees, if I had tried to buy any I now the price would have gone up, I have preexisting conditions.
Also Blue Cross is supposed to be raising the prices this year 65% It was being reported on the local news last night.
Schools I thought were funded from local property taxes. Ours is cut to bare basics right now, class sizes are way up and the teachers no longer have an classroom assistance all laid off, so she scrambles for parent help (I the Monday crazy Mom who helps) her class has 26 kids (kndergarten)

chris23

I think this has only made it more difficult more me to justify moving to the states. It just seems like I would be getting rinsed at every opportunity! Healthcare (a basic human right) costing double a mortgage payment per month!! I know the houses here in the UK are more expensive per square foot in most places but at least with schools and healthcare covered I wouldn't have to make the decision between healthcare or a home.

chris23

maybe a move for a few years before we have kids, get the US passport sorted then have the sprouts and come home for the healthcare and education and bring back my 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500

Yorkieabroad

Insurance - we're a family of 5, self employed so do our own insurance. With a high (10400) family deductible the policy we took out 2 and a bit years ago was 268 a month. Its gone up around 50% per year since then (do the maths), and at each renewal, I haven't been able to find a better alternative.
So we're 5 grand in the hole for annual coverage, and we pay for everything until we hit that deductible. Hopefully our limits are then high enough that we won't go bankrupt if "the big one" hits, but a) thats expensive peace of mind to factor into the budget and b) it still doesn't guarantee it!

Schools - yes, thats my understanding round here. It also has a knock on effect on house pricing - if you're in a good school district, your house is going to be more expensive than a similar house in the next school district over which isn't so good....

Bob

Where would you be living that a mortgage payment would be so low?

And healthcare, the insurance could cost you nothing, or as much around around $1500 a person a month, all depends on your medical background, the type of work you do, what kind of risk you are willing to put up with regards deductibles etc.

Yorkieabroad

I've said it before and I'll say it again - medical industry here is not far off organized crime. Son had a wart removed from his knee last year - dermatologist charged $200 insurance discounted rate. When the paperwork came thru several weeks later from the insurance co, they should have only charged $100.....been fighting to get the refund ever since. Dermatologist claims they made a genuine mistake initially, but also admitted they are struggling to make the refund as they don't have a process in place as no-one has ever needed to be refunded before. I simply do not believe that!

MsElui

often - the 'poor' areas as you describe are within cities and have more densely packed housing - and thus it does even out a bit. Plus to live in the school district you will either be paying a larger property tax (or larger rent as your landlord will be paying the tax) on your property to take advantage of it. The nicer home you have means the more property tax you pay - as its assessed against the perceived value.

Also - a highly rated school district will attract a larger percentage of families with school kids - and thus the school district can have a growing student number each year and that costs more to operate - so its not like the smae number os kids just get more and more spent on them. I live in one of the best regarded school districts in Ohio and the annual spend per child is lower than the state average - largely because of good management.

chris23

But does it not seem like legal robbery? An easy way for the health companies to snatch up people's hard earned cash, if you dont do it, then when you do go for treatment, they also take you to the cleaners with scans for this, and jabs for this, and pills for this and................ oh look thats $1000 please

With regards to the mortgage post above, it could quite easily be double a mortgage payment. A 3 bed 2 bath apartment in Orlando is priced at $60,000 to buy, a mortgage payment on that would roughly work out at say $700 a month so yes double your mortgage payment on the basis of something "may" go wrong, but you're almost forced to do this as the consequences of not having it could prove disastrous. Just seems like a really easy way to steal peoples hard earned cash. And it seems like there are ALOT of stories out there about the insurance companies wriggling out of paying large hospital bills by using their lawyers to find technicalities in the t&c's to get them out of forking out the hospital bills. Luckily my fiance has health insurance through her job but this was only recently and before that her family could not afford insurance so they went without. I even worried incase something happened to her, and how we would pay to get her better!

penguinsix

Hi,

Like everything here, it a) varies greatly depending on where you live and b) is a bit more complicated than an 'average' or 'general' statistic would indicate.

Health Insurance. I think the average American family of 4 is paying about $14,000 a year, which is a combination of health insurance premiums and a deductible of about $1000. However, in certain professions, often lower income professions, they could be paying quite a bit more as their employer doesn't subsidize their costs or even worse, they have to buy it independently direct from the health insurer. In some higher paid professions (tech, law, finance) health care is 'free' in that it is paid entirely by the company (although the number of companies offering this benefit is declining). Many people have some level of subsidy but don't even know it.

Schools. A great deal of the money for schools comes from local governments, and that is primarily through property tax revenues. Areas with more expensive houses pay more in property taxes, giving that local government more funds to pay for services.

However the percentage of school funding that comes from property tax varies by state. In some it is 40% (or even less) with state and even federal funding making up the remainder. In other states it's 60% from the locals.

Some schools in New Jersey pay 2x per student in costs vs. a school in say Utah. Expenses vary too. A teacher in NY City costs more than a teacher in Arkansas. An urban school that has to pay a security staff of 12 has an expense a suburban school doesn't need. A rural school needs to pay for dozens of buses to bring kids in from the farms, whereas a city school can have the kids walk to class.

Like everything here, it varies a great deal depending on where you live.