K-1 Health Insurance

[Mrs Ryan Carreras 247]

1 minute ago, Magician50 said:

Yes, I know, the whole thing sucks. This issue alone may cause us to move back to Italy. 

Yes, we have considered London so I completely understand 

[Nitas_man 3,100]

6 minutes ago, Magician50 said:

2800 a month? Like I said in my previous post. U.S. health care is run by a bunch of gangsters. 

It was COBRA coverage.  Before I left the company it was $275/mo LOL.  

It was cheaper than the incremental income tax you pay for “free healthcare” in Italy

[Loren Y 2,755]

11 minutes ago, Magician50 said:

Yes, it's nuts here with health care. Sorry about the spider. Those are nasty things. One thing is for sure, and that is I am retiring to a country that has national health care.

Good thought, but realize you have to be a citizen to take advantage of it, and usually have contributed to it by working there a minimum number of years. That's my plan to, but it's going to take me 5-7 years to get citizenship after I retire there. So I'm paying cash until that point. You just don't get the healthcare because you are living there. so, not sure of the country you are retiring in, but so your research to make sure you can even get it. 

[Magician50 2]

44 minutes ago, Nitas_man said:

I was paying COBRA.  Between jobs

Or a better job.  Now I pay about 450 for family.

Or win the lottery!

[Magician50 2]

44 minutes ago, Nitas_man said:

It was COBRA coverage.  Before I left the company it was $275/mo LOL.  

It was cheaper than the incremental income tax you pay for “free healthcare” in Italy

I disagree. My money went much farther in Italia. Groceries are about 1/3 the cost and it's better food, no property tax, excise tax, rents and mortages are cheaper. That's why we plan to retire to Italia. My future wife said on her pension she can live like a mafia don there. Of course we live in Massachusetts, one of the most expensive states in the union (rents are nearly 3 grand a month in Boston, for the same place in Italia I would pay 400 a month, and enjoy a much better climate). Don't get me wrong I love America, but the costs in this region are insane. You gotta make 75 grand a year just to get by. 

[SalishSea 17,833]

1 hour ago, Nitas_man said:

 

Or a better job.  Now I pay about 450 for family.

This.  Like I said, health insurance can be given equal weight with salary when it comes to selecting an employer/job.  I work for a major cancer center in Seattle, and the coverage for myself and my husband is excellent.  I think I pay $350/mo for our medical, dental and vision, and that includes vision for one of my kids.  Low annual deductible and low co-pays.  

 

I am an oncology nurse, and in talking to patients, I have come to the conclusion that the very best coverage locally is through the large software company that originated here in Seattle, as well as the company that manufactures airplanes....  Our patients who work for those two are completely taken care of as they navigate the complexities of cancer treatment, even right down to the time off they need.  

[SalishSea 17,833]

16 minutes ago, Magician50 said:

You gotta make 75 grand a year just to get by. 

That is a very moderate salary.

[Highmystic 234]

2 hours ago, Magician50 said:

2800 a month? Like I said in my previous post. U.S. health care is run by a bunch of gangsters. 

Wow, insane! You must be on that Affordable Health Care Program that cost more for the website alone than what is spent on the boarder wall! LOL  I guess I am lucky.  I'm on Medicare and VA, so rarely have to pay anything, but then again, I take care of myself the best I can.

[Nitas_man 3,100]

5 hours ago, Highmystic said:

Wow, insane! You must be on that Affordable Health Care Program that cost more for the website alone than what is spent on the boarder wall! LOL  I guess I am lucky.  I'm on Medicare and VA, so rarely have to pay anything, but then again, I take care of myself the best I can.

I’m in oil and gas.  I don’t know anything  about obamacare or how it works.  I was carrying COBRA for a few weeks.  It was to avoid coverage gaps.

[Nitas_man 3,100]

 

 

7 hours ago, Magician50 said:

I disagree. My money went much farther in Italia. Groceries are about 1/3 the cost and it's better food, no property tax, excise tax, rents and mortages are cheaper. That's why we plan to retire to Italia. My future wife said on her pension she can live like a mafia don there. Of course we live in Massachusetts, one of the most expensive states in the union (rents are nearly 3 grand a month in Boston, for the same place in Italia I would pay 400 a month, and enjoy a much better climate). Don't get me wrong I love America, but the costs in this region are insane. You gotta make 75 grand a year just to get by. 

Mine wouldnt.  

 

At italy’s 39% tax rate between $40k and $120k and 45% rate over $120k I’d be better off paying COBRA much less the few hundred dollars a month we pay on an employer plan.

 

Summary:  it’s often cheaper to pay for US health insurance than pay double the income tax rate for “free” healthcare.

[Nitas_man 3,100]

7 hours ago, Magician50 said:

Or win the lottery!

Getting a decent job does it for me

[Nitas_man 3,100]

8 hours ago, Magician50 said:

Good idea. No preexisting conditions, so that is good. I'm finding the health care system in the U.S. incredibly bulky and complicated. Really not that efficient. 

You need to get on an employer plan soonest but purchase short term gap until you can.

[JMK_IT 134]

19 hours ago, Magician50 said:

My money went much farther in Italia.

Mine didn't. 

I believe you're at a very premature stage to draw all these conclusions. Get your EAD, find yourself a job, experience American life while working, and see for yourself. 

75k/y is a pretty ordinarily achievable salary and you can aim much higher than that, if you work towards it. 

There will be mentality switches you will need to turn on and off to adjust to the new system, but hey, you chose to move here. Plan your life in advance and soon enough you'll feel more financially secure than you've ever felt in IT. Comparing and complaining will not really take you anywhere. 

In bocca al lupo!

[Magician50 2]

3 hours ago, JMK_IT said:

Mine didn't. 

I believe you're at a very premature stage to draw all these conclusions. Get your EAD, find yourself a job, experience American life while working, and see for yourself. 

75k/y is a pretty ordinarily achievable salary and you can aim much higher than that, if you work towards it. 

There will be mentality switches you will need to turn on and off to adjust to the new system, but hey, you chose to move here. Plan your life in advance and soon enough you'll feel more financially secure than you've ever felt in IT. Comparing and complaining will not really take you anywhere. 

In bocca al lupo!

Not a complainer at all about any other thing except health care here. Everybody knows it sucks, including most Americans. I'm just repeating the obvious. 

[Magician50 2]

16 hours ago, Nitas_man said:

 

 

Mine wouldnt.  

 

At italy’s 39% tax rate between $40k and $120k and 45% rate over $120k I’d be better off paying COBRA much less the few hundred dollars a month we pay on an employer plan.

 

Summary:  it’s often cheaper to pay for US health insurance than pay double the income tax rate for “free” healthcare.

If it was an employer plan it would not be so bad. The fact is though you cannot legally work until you get a green card, which takes years (which is why you guys have such a problem with illegal immigration). I obey laws, so therefore have to pay out of pocket the full amount while not working. The system seems to reward those breaking the law, while those that do not get hit with with massive fees and bills. I do hope one of the smarter candidates that wants to overhaul the system gets elected.