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Kentucky is a great place to live. We lived there 17 years in all--from Campbellsville (college) to Louisville to Lexington. Surely enjoyed the Bluegrass State and became a life long college basketball fan.
BUT, you really need to look into healthcare which is NOT free in this country unless you have next to no income and enjoy spending half your day or night sitting in an Emergency Room waiting area.
The UK has a terrific system where you pay virtually nothing at anytime for anything in healthcare. Not so in the U.S. If you have top of the line healthcare insurance you are still will be paying deductibles for office visits, co-pays for medications, and a substantial amount if you go into a hospital until you meet what is called your "out-of-pocket" expenses that can run anywhere from $1000 per year to $5000 per year or more depending on your health plan.
It is a shocker for many Brits and mainland Europeans coming here for the first time.
Not necessarily true. I have top of the line insurance. My hospital is 100% with no out of pocket expenses, my copays for doctors and prescriptions are $5. But once again my husbands insurance is some of the best out there. My point is if you can get great insurance its well worth the move here because the healthcare is better.
I now quite a bit about socialized medicine because I have family from Italy. And yes, things are free but the healthcare is terrible, the hospitals and nursing staff are sub standard and there is the notion that once you reached a certain age your not "worth" saving. For instance , a child may get alot of treatment but a 55 year old man might get the attitude "well, youve lived a long enough life. We are not paying" This isnt good healthcare to me. Most Italians come to America if they have a terrible illness because you are literally left for dead with socialized medicine in Italy. I know this first hand. Maybe its not like that in the UK but in Italy their socialized medicine is, well lets say, lets hope you NEVER get sick there.I know all this for a fact. But yes I do agree it will be shocking for someone who doesnt pay. Also, not sure about the UK but in Italy you dont pay for car insurance either, but here you do.
Not necessarily true. I have top of the line insurance. My hospital is 100% with no out of pocket expenses, my copays for doctors and prescriptions are $5. But once again my husbands insurance is some of the best out there. My point is if you can get great insurance its well worth the move here because the healthcare is better.
I now quite a bit about socialized medicine because I have family from Italy. And yes, things are free but the healthcare is terrible, the hospitals and nursing staff are sub standard and there is the notion that once you reached a certain age your not "worth" saving. For instance , a child may get alot of treatment but a 55 year old man might get the attitude "well, youve lived a long enough life. We are not paying" This isnt good healthcare to me. Most Italians come to America if they have a terrible illness because you are literally left for dead with socialized medicine in Italy. I know this first hand. Maybe its not like that in the UK but in Italy their socialized medicine is, well lets say, lets hope you NEVER get sick there.I know all this for a fact. But yes I do agree it will be shocking for someone who doesnt pay. Also, not sure about the UK but in Italy you dont pay for car insurance either, but here you do.
I dont know about Italy, but I've been reading a LOT of healthcare posts and I haven't found a single Brit that prefers our system over their own. In addition, we have the best equipment and the best research but only affordable by the rich or the few people who are fortunate enough to have the disappearing insurance that you and your husband have.
And here is a real shocker for you that I discovered just today by googling "quality of VA healthcare". The VA system, government owned and run, has the most efficient and generally the best quality care of any health system in the United States.
A quote from a Rand Corporation spokesperson in 2010: You're much better off in the VA than in a lot of the rest of the U.S. health-care system," she said. "You've got a fighting chance there's going to be some organized, thoughtful, evidence-based response to dealing effectively with the health problem that somebody brings to them."
Whenever you have a health system based entirely on ability to pay, its flawed.
But this thread is about Kentucky, and Kentucky is no more flawed than the rest of the nation with regard to healthcare. So, OP, if you got the dough to buy the healthcare, Kentucky is a great place to live, and relatively inexpensive compared to many other areas in the United States.
Kentucky is a great place to live. We lived there 17 years in all--from Campbellsville (college) to Louisville to Lexington. Surely enjoyed the Bluegrass State and became a life long college basketball fan.
BUT, you really need to look into healthcare which is NOT free in this country unless you have next to no income and enjoy spending half your day or night sitting in an Emergency Room waiting area.
The UK has a terrific system where you pay virtually nothing at anytime for anything in healthcare. Not so in the U.S. If you have top of the line healthcare insurance you are still will be paying deductibles for office visits, co-pays for medications, and a substantial amount if you go into a hospital until you meet what is called your "out-of-pocket" expenses that can run anywhere from $1000 per year to $5000 per year or more depending on your health plan.
It is a shocker for many Brits and mainland Europeans coming here for the first time.
Excellent point ! *rep*
Education too . . .
Healthcare relative to what a civilized country is used to is virtually non-existent --and education for the sprogs will be 100x more than a "maintanence fee" a UK'r might be expecting to pay.
Also, guns and cars are our gods. We worship them and will kill you for them. If you are civil, freethinking and openminded, research how the omnipotent reality of the USA's guns>cars=gods religion factors into your expectations and how that mindset might impact your quality of life overall.
Also, before considering moving to the U.S., you need to be aware of what it takes to obtain a "green card", which will allow you to work here. Basically, you need to have a job which cannot be filled by an available American, or for which there is a demand which exceeds the number of qualified Americans - you need unique skills, experience, background, and/or knowledge which are needed in as field in which there is a job demand, in order to get a green card.
An English friend of mine moved here a number of years ago because of her background in a rather obscure area of biology, which led to a job working with natural enzymes to be added to locally-made Bourbon whiskey. She remained a UK subject and never applied for US citizenship, but because of her unusual background and education, was able to remain here for several years before moving back to England.
Currently, there are a number of Irish people working in the horse industry in various capacities - again, this is an area of esoteric knowledge and high demand for workers.
Good post, Craig, I forgot about the green card thing.
Now that I'm retired (and my wife about a year away), I thought about moving to Canada (hate the hot weather in Dallas and I've lived in Colorado before), but they are even tougher on Americans trying to immigrate there. Old folks would probably overburden THEIR healthsystem which has its own brand of problems.
The UK has a terrific system where you pay virtually nothing at anytime for anything in healthcare. Not so in the U.S. If you have top of the line healthcare insurance you are still will be paying deductibles for office visits, co-pays for medications, and a substantial amount if you go into a hospital until you meet what is called your "out-of-pocket" expenses that can run anywhere from $1000 per year to $5000 per year or more depending on your health plan.
It is a shocker for many Brits and mainland Europeans coming here for the first time.
Well, nobody really has free Health Care! In the UK Healthcare is government-run, and free at point of access to users (though not ‘free’; the NHS is paid for through taxation). I've heard some great stories about their healthcare, but also personally know of at least one nightmarish ordeal one woman went through when she had to wait month upon month suffering in pain, waiting for her operation.
Your financial figures don't hold true for everyone, last year my family paid under 100 dollars all year for all "out of pocket" expenses. $4 copay for RX, and my husband employer has a health saving plan,tied into Blue Cross's Blue Advantage so going to the Doctor and all blood tests were all covered and we owed no copays each time we went...so we only paid the $4 for each prescription as our out of pocket costs. So, if you have a good job and good insurance it's nowhere near that expensive.
our health care is good and its free we dont even pay for prescriptions anymore the goverment changed it i think last year. if i get the chance to emigrate then i know i would need to really consider all these facts as my son has had a few medical conditions and i know id have to pay in the u.s but the way i see it, loads of other people have done it and are happy so its possible to do if you work hard and have a relatively sensible head on your shoulders! plus always keep emergency money wouldnt be a bad idea!!
our health care is good and its free we dont even pay for prescriptions anymore the goverment changed it i think last year. if i get the chance to emigrate then i know i would need to really consider all these facts as my son has had a few medical conditions and i know id have to pay in the u.s but the way i see it, loads of other people have done it and are happy so its possible to do if you work hard and have a relatively sensible head on your shoulders! plus always keep emergency money wouldnt be a bad idea!!
Elaine, I'm happy for the posters above who have such great health insurance through their employers or spouses' employer. But none of them mention what THEIR portion of the premiums are which they pay through said employer.
I worked for 30 years in the insurance field as an underwriter, ratemaker, and compliance officer. Even worked a few years for the defunct Kentucky Central Insurance Company that was located in downtown Lexington right across the street from Rupp Arena. Like the actuaries I'm about to quote, I deal in averages and suggest to most that they are far more likely to find the average than the exception. Unless, perhaps, some of these good people can help you get employed by their employers
From Milliman:
Healthcare costs for American families in 2012 exceed $20,000 for the first time The annual Milliman Medical Index (MMI) measures the total cost of healthcare for a typical family of four covered by a preferred provider organization (PPO) plan. The 2012 MMI cost is $20,728, an increase of $1,335, or 6.9% over 2011. The rate of increase is not as high as in the past, but the total dollar increase was still a record. This is the first year the average cost of healthcare for the typical American family of four has surpassed $20,000.
Our family of four is insured by an employer-sponsored PPO plan, which includes certain out-of-pocket costs such as copays and deductibles. The plan’s premiums are paid jointly by the employer and by the employee via payroll deductions. Healthcare benefits are a substantial portion of the employee’s compensation.
Our family of four may be surprised to learn that their annual healthcare costs are nearing $21,000, because their own out-of-pocket costs, at an average of $3,470, are the portion of the cost of care most visible to them.Some employees may also be acutely aware of the $5,114 in payroll deductions. This brings the employee’s total share to $8,584."
end quote
So it's important that you have a clear understanding of how different healthcare operates in the U.S.
If you have money, or are one of the rapidly decreasing minority with excellent benefits, the overall care may be okay. If you google "quality of healthcare in VA (Veterans Administration) hospitals, you will discover that a VA system that gave the poorest care in the 70's and 80's actually is given high praises as perhaps the best in the nation thanks to it's current leader's overhaul of the system to resemble a more European type of organization. Unfortunately, unless you are a U.S. veteran with a service related injury or illness, or can prove you are a virtually destitute veteran, you cannot utilize their services. (I'm a Viet Nam Marine Corps vet who does not qualify).
My wife is a middle manager in a non-profit hospital system in Dallas. Her monetary compensation is in six figures (I'm retired), but our health insurance is closer to the average. This year she had foot surgery (bone spur) and I had back surgery (disc). Besides our premiums, our out of pocket health costs this year -- and we MET our out-of-pocket maximums, has been over $7000 from our check book and $4500 from a health spending account (HSA). HSA's are set up so that employees can choose a voluntary amount (limited in 2013 to $2500) into which they can deposit money purely for medical expenses and pay no taxes on the money in the account. If you dont spend it all, you don't get any of it back.
So grand total, what came out of our relatively substantial earnings is to date close to $12,000 not counting premiums we pay through her employer or employer paid premiums.
Healthcare in the U.S. is EXPENSIVE and don't be fooled by the "exceptions" to the rule unless you are absolutely certain you will be one of those exceptions.
All of that said, if you move to Kentucky, the only other thing that you won't understand is the absolute MAD passion for basketball. Think of some of your favorite football (we call it soccer) teams and you will have some idea of the obsession. Seventeen years in Kentucky and I went from being a baseball fan (I was an umpire in Little League, high school, and small college ballgames) to being an avid basketball fan, following both Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals.
And to this day I still get a tear in my eye when I hear a rendition of the state song, My Old Kentucky Home!!!
Good luck
Last edited by Wardendresden; 12-20-2012 at 09:39 AM..
Reason: spelling
We dont pay for our insurance but my husband is a police officer in a major city so insurance is different for them. His insurance is provided by the employer and paid for by his job.We are a rarity though. We are one of the lucky ones and thank God because one of our children has a very serious illness
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