Curious....

[rebeccajo 14]

My employer pays for my health insurance, and the quality of healthcare here

beats the NHS any time of day (or night.)

You should be thankful for that. There are many Americans, myself included, who aren't covered at all. And we are growing at an alarming rate every day.

I am thankful for that. But if they stop paying for it, guess what? I'm going to find another job that will.

Working on that. As I said, it's not so easy as it used to be.

And when it does happen, I'll still be mindful of those back there where I came from. There are agencies who could use the volunteers.

Edited October 2, 2006 by rebeccajo

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I've had NHS and I've had an HMO -- not much difference if you ask me, the HMO just costs more

[rebeccajo 14]

I've had NHS and I've had an HMO -- not much difference if you ask me, the HMO just costs more

I wasn't happy with the asthma treatment Wes tells me he received in the UK. What I don't know is whether it would have helped had he been more proactive on his own behalf. The drugs he is treating with here were available to him in the UK - for some reason they just weren't prescribed.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I had problems with the NHS when I had iritis, an eye infection - I had to be a lot more aggressive in asking for what I needed, at least in that instance.

But then, in the US, when I was diagnosed with a lazy eye (as a child) they insisted it needed to be operated on straight away to the tune of many $$$. A second opinion revealed that all I need was eye exercises (my eyes had to benchpress 100 lbs).

I guess the moral of that story is sometime you have to take healthcare matters into your own hands, no matter where you are.

I'd also add that "getting another job with better health insurance" is also an option in the UK -- a lot of companies offer private healthcare, such as BUPA. Mine did, and it cost me not one extra pence.

Edited October 2, 2006 by robinklake

[rebeccajo 14]

I had problems with the NHS when I had iritis, an eye infection - I had to be a lot more aggressive in asking for what I needed, at least in that instance.

But then, in the US, when I was diagnosed with a lazy eye (as a child) they insisted it needed to be operated on straight away to the tune of many $$$. A second opinion revealed that all I need was eye exercises (my eyes had to benchpress 100 lbs).

I guess the moral of that story is sometime you have to take healthcare matters into your own hands, no matter where you are.

Absolutely. It's especially an issue with the elderly. My experience is many never question the physician's authority - probably out of respect (a more polite generation) or perhaps it's a feeling of helplessness. It's something my family struggled with as regarded my Granny, and amazingly an issue I see with my parents.

[Jonesie 1]

I did live in JA, but hubby lost his job so I came back to US and we started our visa process. The goal is to return back to JA within the next 5-10 years.

[shakysgirl 1]

My husband and I MUCH prefer the UK to the US. There are good and bad points to both places, and at the end of the day wherever your loved one is ends up being home, but where you feel the most comfortable is really important. For us, the British lifestyle is our comfort zone. We make a lot of effort in making our small spot in the US our "little Britain" ie. downloading our favorite British tv shows and putting them onto dvd so we can watch them on tv at night, listening to BBC radio programs via the internet, getting our favorite newspapers and magazines at home such as the Daily Mail, my OK magazine, and his Volksworld, having our family send us the foods we can't live without ie. PG Tips and Tesco Salt and Vinegar crisps. It's not the same, but we're dealing til we can move back "home". Someone else mentioned hoping to someday own a home in both countries- that is our major goal- to be able to buy even a small flat in the UK so that we can get back onto the property market over there. My husband's biggest regret is selling his house in Scotland a few years ago. Wish more than anything we'd kept his house in the UK and my house in the US. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20. Like a lot of people on this forum, we are in the US for my daughter's sake and will remain here until she graduates from high school in 10 years.

Edited October 3, 2006 by shakysgirl

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I wish I could have the best of both worlds all in one perfect place

I, too, wish we hadn't sold the house -- though paying 2 mortgages wasn't really feasible (or paying rent here, since getting a mortgage without hub's greencard while FBI checks are pending is a tall order) and renting it out was more trouble than it was worth.

[rebeccajo 14]

My husband's biggest regret is selling his house in Scotland a few years ago. Wish more than anything we'd kept his house in the UK and my house in the US. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20. Like a lot of people on this forum, we are in the US for my daughter's sake and will remain here until she graduates from high school in 10 years.

That's us. My son was the reason for Wes' move here. As I told him when we first met - "I'm planted here".

This will make you sick - we could have purchased his rental house (3 bedroom semi) for - sit down first - 15000 quid. Granted it needed a boatload of work, but at that price it would have been worth it.

[CarolineM 0]

Stewart was living with his parents and had no "real" job.

I had my own place and a great job...

I guess that made the choice for us....but I would so much rather live there...my parents are getting older and I can't leave them...I'm pretty attached to my familly and Australia is REALLY far away....

one day

[Fandango 1,439]

My husband and I MUCH prefer the UK to the US. There are good and bad points to both places, and at the end of the day wherever your loved one is ends up being home, but where you feel the most comfortable is really important. For us, the British lifestyle is our comfort zone. We make a lot of effort in making our small spot in the US our "little Britain" ie. downloading our favorite British tv shows and putting them onto dvd so we can watch them on tv at night, listening to BBC radio programs via the internet, getting our favorite newspapers and magazines at home such as the Daily Mail, my OK magazine, and his Volksworld, having our family send us the foods we can't live without ie. PG Tips and Tesco Salt and Vinegar crisps. It's not the same, but we're dealing til we can move back "home". Someone else mentioned hoping to someday own a home in both countries- that is our major goal- to be able to buy even a small flat in the UK so that we can get back onto the property market over there. My husband's biggest regret is selling his house in Scotland a few years ago. Wish more than anything we'd kept his house in the UK and my house in the US. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20. Like a lot of people on this forum, we are in the US for my daughter's sake and will remain here until she graduates from high school in 10 years.

Sirius satellite radio has a Radio One channel it's time delayed to wherever you are, but it's a regularly streaming channel.

[Welshcookie 17]

This will make you sick - we could have purchased his rental house (3 bedroom semi) for - sit down first - 15000 quid. Granted it needed a boatload of work, but at that price it would have been worth it.

Good grief ..... that is a steal we are about to buy a house for 200,000 pounds ..... and it ain't nothing special

[rebeccajo 14]

This will make you sick - we could have purchased his rental house (3 bedroom semi) for - sit down first - 15000 quid. Granted it needed a boatload of work, but at that price it would have been worth it.

Good grief ..... that is a steal we are about to buy a house for 200,000 pounds ..... and it ain't nothing special

Tell me about it. On days when this immigration/adjusting ####### gets me down, I wish we had waited till I could have moved over there, lived there about 5 years, sold it and come back to America with a wad of cash.

It could have been a nice home. I like the small efficient european homes. I know I could have scrubbed her up and made her shine.

Hindsight is a terrible thing.

Edited October 4, 2006 by rebeccajo

[homesick_american 1]

This will make you sick - we could have purchased his rental house (3 bedroom semi) for - sit down first - 15000 quid. Granted it needed a boatload of work, but at that price it would have been worth it.

Good grief ..... that is a steal we are about to buy a house for 200,000 pounds ..... and it ain't nothing special

Hehe, ours was valued at 192,000 and it's a four-bed semi at a whopping 1,000 square feet. It isn't anything special either. (Hope we sell it fast.)

[tmma 467]

I would have moved in a heartbeat-either to The Netherlands or back to the UK. We at least plan on buying property there later.

...Becca: 15000?????