[njohnson]

Heres how fair our health system is. I had an accident 5 years ago (not my fault) and had a herniated disk in my neck. It happened as I was moving from my parents healthcare to my own. Now I can't get healthcare because everyone has blacklisted me and I am forced to pay for business health care at nearly $300/month for a 28 year old. As soon as I hit 30 it goes up to around $350/month. I haven't had any problems in the last 3+ years and work out and do everything I can to help my neck and they still see me as though I was just hit. This also includes no dental and 1 checkup for vision a year.

[skytrekker]

NJ

The health care system is NOT fair. I am in excellent health - eat a great diet- and at 6'4" tall and 180- hardly overweight. Do not smoke- take my supplements. Go the gym 5 days a week- but I suffer from elevated BP and take a med for that plus an anti anxiety med- Blue cross bumped me from $361 a month last year with a $250 deductible to and 20 co pay for generic and 50 for non generic- this year the same plan is$545!!- I upped the deductible to $1500 (I better not get an infected hangnail!) but still pay nearly $400 a month- and no med support- I now buy from Canada. And I have no dental either.

I feel for your situation- and understand. We need heath care reform badly. I am not looking for free health care- just fair and affordable.

What happens to the poor man or woman who looses a job at 55- can they afford health care? NO- they get sick they end up in the streets-loose everything they have worked for-

[njohnson]

Exactly, we lag far behind the world in terms of reasonable healthcare. Your rates are REALLY high! I am looking into the Solo healthcare plan now from Connecticare to replace my business insurance but I may just feel the wrath of the blacklist once again.

I was told to look into a healthcare savings plan by my insurance agent but the deductibles are really high so it's almost as though the plan would be any good only if I was really injured badly where it would be more costly than my deductible. It really sucks.

[QMC/SS]

We are leaving Connecticut in 405 days after my son graduates high school. We came from Hawaii where the pay is better and the cost of living is cheaper. No businesses want to come here. Just look around. The Navy will move the Submarine Base in Groton within the next five years. Norwich and Preston ran Utopia out of the area.

Originally Posted by skytrekker

I would seriously consider quality of life issues when comparing Arkansas with Connecticut. Arkansas might be cheaper-however when comparing quality of life between the two states it is like two different worlds. Another words in life you get for what you pay. That axiom seldom varies by much.

As for foreclosures- Connecticut actually ranks lower then Arkansas- states in the south and Midwest have a much higher rate of foreclosures. States with lower incomes tend to have higher number of foreclosures. For instance last year 1 in every 435 homeowners went into foreclosure in Arkansas , for Connecticut it was 1 in every 525.

New England in general also is considered one of the best areas of the country for traffic safety and lower mortality rates.

Carnegie Mellon University researcher who co-authored a major new U.S. road risk analysis. _New England is the safest region for drivers — despite all those stories about crazy Boston drivers. New England's No. 1 ranking for lowest death risk on the road.

[QMC/SS]

Taxes are crazy in Connecticut. The rich get richer and the middle income, 75000-100000 just barely make it. What is going on up here. Businesses are leaving like rats leaving a sinking ship. On my block alone in Norwich, their are seven empyy houses in my neighborhood. My son graduates in 395 days and we are out of here.

Originally Posted by rodger craig

i know that soon enough there will be smart people leaving ct. look around, taxes are at an all time high, electricity is the highest in the union, god forbid that you have to travel the highways. the reason ct is ranked so high in truck safety is due to the fact that traffic traveles so slow. have you been to realty trac and seen all the foreclosures? it will blow you away. i came back here 20 years ago and soonit will be time to sell and go to ......mabe arkansas where you can actually buy a house for less than $200,000 and the taxes would be all of $1500 a year if that. i think that ct is going to come upon some real hard times

[BigHouse9]

Best of luck to you. Can't wait to get back to CT as it is just a great place to live.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by QMC/SS

We are leaving Connecticut in 405 days after my son graduates high school. We came from Hawaii where the pay is better and the cost of living is cheaper. No businesses want to come here. Just look around. The Navy will move the Submarine Base in Groton within the next five years. Norwich and Preston ran Utopia out of the area.

Hawaii has a lower cost of lving? BWAAAHAHAHA What color is the sky in your world?

As for all the business leaving like rats - can you provide some examples of recent large corporations that left? Thanks.

We have issues here for sure but it's just like anywhere else.

[skytrekker]

Hawaii is extremely expensive; most of their economy is based on low paying tourism jobs- food has to be shipped from the mainland, over 2000 miles away or more, making it expensive, same with oil. Housing prices- for a crappy starter home over 600K.

If someone thinks its cheaper; either they are delusional or uninformed.

[JayCT]

As we know from some of the posts on these boards, some people live in their own little world.

[maggiemay]

The cost of living in Hawaii is astronomical!! However, it may be worth it; on our one trip out there I fell in love with the place, although I don't know if I would feel the same "trapped" on an island 24/7/365. Aloha and Mahalo.