kodokan

Yes, best to just get it out of the way in the first week or two, regardless of the rules. We found hubby's company was very tolerant for the first few weeks of 'I need to take a morning off to do banking/ drivers license/ SSN'. Your state will have an online Highway Code-a-like; read that in advance for US-specific rules and road signs. There's probably a free app or two with mock tests you can do, too.

Don't skip the parts for teens thinking they don't apply, as the test will almost certainly contain questions about alcohol/ texting/ number of passangers rule and so on, as applied to 16-18s. Blood alcohol level always seems to come up, as does at least one question on stopping for school buses.

jjmb

The one thing that will surprise you once you move here, is how backwards the US is. I have lived here for 16 yrs now and its still shocks me. When did you last write a check for groceries? Really annoying getting stuck in line behind a person writing a check and then searching for their drivers licence for ID. Then they usually stand and watch while their bags are packed!
One question no-one has asked. What does your fiancée do for a living? If she plans to work, it would be a good idea to find out what the job market is in her field and if her skills translate over here.

charlas

Aaah so you can do it online, makes sense. Make sure to remember that.

kodokan

It must be area specific as I don't think I've ever seen anyone write a check in a supermarket; it's always card or cash. And the supermarkets I go to mostly have people with learning disabilities bagging the groceries, so you can't really pitch in and help due to lack of space and the potential to cause confusion.

petitefrancaise

I did... but I think it got lost.

particularly if she is a "professional".

Charlas, get your fiancee on here asking questions. Promise we won't tell her that Elvis will be officiating at your wedding

kodokan

Charlas, just wanted to say you're doing a great job of calmly taking on board all the information we're throwing in this thread, and working out what the next questions are. I think you'll manage this move fine!

Owen778

I agree, though I'd argue $160/m is still a significant cost.

We have three plans to choose from, and it's only because of financial reasons specific to our family that we use the most expensive of the three options available from my employer. If those were not there, we'd save thousands a year from the reduced premiums, plus the tax benefits of an HSA plus employer incentives.

If you can afford it, the HSA is often better treated as if it's a retirement account, rather than a healthcare account, though treating it as a retirement-only healthcare account probably gives the most financial advantage.

kodokan

Based on our experience, it's a raging steal. Our current employer insurance is $170 a month, for family of four, HSA plan with deductible of $2.4k max. Company bungs $1k pay into the HSA for us.

Previous employer was $550 a month, HSA plan with deductible of $6.5, no HSA bung. Brief period of ACA last year was $715, HSA plan, deductible of $12k.

So for the OP, as someone explained US company-provided healthcare isn't a freebie like BUPA, or very rarely, at least. You'll be paying a premium via your paycheck, and the amount can vary considerably depending on the generosity of your company - the cost to the company is probably in the region of $1k a month and it depends how much of the cover they'll pick up for you.

Dental and vision insurances are separate - our prices for these are about $32 a month and... um, can't remember the vision but it's under $10, and more than pays for itself in free eye exams for all and contributions towards glasses for me.

The plus side is that the amounts are paid before tax, making the money 'worth more'.

Bob

Definitely do a risk assessment, but if one has a couple of kids and lives in a snowy/cold area that does winter sports, better plan is also a good idea. If the OP is in Texas, it won't be much of a issue though, so your plan would probably work better if it is offered, but if they opted for Chicago, it might not be.

Pulaski

Maybe, maybe not. BOTH my colleagues have had one of their children break a bone and STILL concluded that the HD policy was the better choice. .... Remember your "exposure" is mostly the annual deductible, so it makes virtually no difference whether an injury costs $5,000 or $10,000. And for the rest of the year healthcare for that child is almost effectively free (the deductible has been fully used up, so only copays might be due).

kodokan

Whenever I've run the math, it works out that I can get the expensive plan and DEFINITELY pay out X per year in premiums regardless of how much I use the service. Or I can get the cheaper high deductible plan, and worst case pay out the same X amount in premiums and out of pocket charges if I have a bad healthcare year and max out the deductible and cost sharing. So there's no difference in the worst case outcomes; best case, we don't get sick or injured, and just pay the low premiums

Charlas, for information I've found a doctor consultation to cost around $100 - 10 minute visit for a kid ear infection, say. My kid has broken her wrist and ankle since being here, and each one has cost us about $1100 all told for specialist Ortho consult, X rays, casting/ walking boot, crutches, follow up visit.

Pulaski

Exactly this! It took us several years to realise that the worst case outcome was about the same, but that most years we could just accumulate the HSA money, which we have done ever since. The alternative (high premiums) was effectively flushing about $1,000/mth down the toilet.

Also bear in mind that even a high-premium policy has a deductible, so that you could likely pay for at least a couple of visits to the GP before the insurance kicks in.

Bob

I suppose it's all down to the policy and network coverage. If your policy has a very small in-network compared to one with a large in-work and if that changes a 90/10 to 60/40 level of coverage.

You're both probably right, that it might make more sense, but it's best to be aware of both pitfalls and what to look out for in the level of coverage being offered so one can make the best decision.

Might all be moot if a HSA plan isn't even offered.

Owen778

My experience with our high-premium insurance is that doctor visits are a set co-pay ($15, I think). The deductible is only relevant for services like operations.

themadpooper

Mobile phone provider is definitely one you should be careful with, I'm on Sprint which is great where I live but can be crap in other parts of the country. T-Mobile might be what you're used to in the UK but it's not the best here. Coverage wise, Verizon is by far the best provider in the US