Social Services in Maine (Portland, Lewiston: 2013, how much, lawyer)
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Forgive me, but I don't understand why some social programs - like healthcare - are looked down upon, but others - like public school - are exalted. We're supposed to be rugged and pay our own health insurance, but we're elitist if we pay our own schooling?
Political debate aside, I am moving with my family to Maine at the end of the month (finally) and we are paying our own healthcare. Private health insurance is ridiculously expensive in this country - we're talking a payment on par with mortgage or rent. I would hope that you can get a discounted rate through your job. Good luck!
Did you ever think about the other side of this...why do people want to work in healthcare in this country? Because they can find jobs and make good salaries. How many companies in the U.S. have already applied for exemptions from offering/providing health insurance to their employees as a result of the new health care legislation?
Like the guy in France says his pay is less and it's a trade off for government offering health insurance. In the U.S. his pay would be higher and he would be paying for health insurance for his family. As a university professor, his own insurance coverage could be paid for him as part of his benefit package. Someone has to pay for it. It's not free. Doctors, nurses, and others in the healthcare industry like to get paid too.
You must be one of them...Have you ever heard the expression "You get what you pay for?" Why do you think people from other countries sometimes come to the U.S. for medical care?
Typically the employee is offered health insurance as part of their job in the example I provided. Then to add a spouse and children, they have to pay. Elitest has to do with motive. You're only elitest if the reason why you pay for your child or children's schooling in a private school is because you think your kids are too good or too special to be with others from all socio economic levels in the public school.
Here's something to think about. I went to the doctor and was told if I didn't have insurance, I would be charged $69. If I had insurance, the insurance company would be charged $139.
On the topics of socialized medicine and socialized public schools. Look at the salaries of teachers compared to the salaries of those in the health care profession...
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Originally Posted by mainegrl2011
Did you ever think about the other side of this...why do people want to work in healthcare in this country? Because they can find jobs and make good salaries. How many companies in the U.S. have already applied for exemptions from offering/providing health insurance to their employees as a result of the new health care legislation?
Like the guy in France says his pay is less and it's a trade off for government offering health insurance. In the U.S. his pay would be higher and he would be paying for health insurance for his family. As a university professor, his own insurance coverage could be paid for him as part of his benefit package. Someone has to pay for it. It's not free. Doctors, nurses, and others in the healthcare industry like to get paid too.
I must be one of what?
I'm not debating what's right and wrong, just wondering why it's not consistent across the board.
Also, paying for health insurance is not the same as paying for health care. I buy my own insurance, which is expensive - then I have a high deductible which I have to meet before it kicks in. And I still have to battle my insurance to reimburse me. Why do we let insurance providers get away with that? Why do we have different pricing schemes for the insured vs non-insured? The system is broken.
Kind of on the same topic... why is it ok to pay for a military infrastructure to protect our citizens, but not ok to pay for health care to protect our citizens? Just looking for some consistency, either way.
Hello Friends, (and also hopefully Future Neighbors):
Welcome to the forum
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... Some quick background: I am an American (Cali native) but I currently live in Northern France with my wife (Fr) and our three young daughters 7,5,2.
I am also a California native.
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... I teach university (doctoral candidate in media & philosophy) and my wife is a freelance graphic designer at home. We have been thinking of moving back to the US but only if the region is right, and we think Southern Maine (Portland area) would be PERFECT for us.
There are really only two things holding us back (aside from finding a job at one of the colleges), and that is social services.
I admit, we've become spoiled over here: excellent, near full-coverage healthcare... 10 Euro doctor (of our choice) and dentist visits, free Rx prescriptions and free, excellent kindergartens are just a few of the perks of living in a Euro-socialist country. (Of course we PAY for that– salaries are much lower here than in the US, but still... The peace of mind is invaluable).
As you have already been told Kindergarten is included for 'free' in public-funded education system.
I think your best plan is to contact each of the Universities in Maine and see about a job. Then review their benefit packages. You might land a job near Portland, or you might find one somewhere else. Most University positions include medical/dental. I sell farm produce in a market near the Orono campus, and most of our customers are either students, instructors or staff at that university. My impression from them is that they all get coverage via the university system. I recommend that you focus first on landing a job in Maine, then after your stateside, you can look for ways to transfer to the Portland area.
Each nation, as it moves toward socialism, does the move at it's own pace and in different ways.
We lived in Scotland for a few years; owned a home there, our children attended public school there, etc. At the time my pay-grade in the military was pretty low; though compared to the locals I was rather wealthy, so I had no problem in purchasing a large home. My employer [US Navy] generally provided our healthcare. We were sent to the local hospitals on occasion when our medical issues were beyond the ability of Corpsmen [with 6-weeks of training] to be able to treat. From what we saw of the UK culture, pay was very low everywhere. Many Americans living in the UK had household staff. Household staff [gardeners, nannies, maids, etc] were paid weekly on a level of what many Americans budget themselves for a week of lunches at work. On one occasion I had seven fractures in my hand/arm, I was treated in hospital for setting those fractures as well as physical therapy. Hospitals were crowded, staffing was low, medical equipment was very basic, and it appeared that doctor salaries were also fairly low. It was basically a government job. An individual might earn more by being an automotive mechanic as compared to being a doctor. Salaries were low, taxes were very high, and everyone was accustomed to the government providing many services.
Ten years later, we lived in Italy. It took a while to get used to the way that corruption is at the heart of each level of society there. Again US military pay scales put us far above the local nationals. At that time I was doing Law Enforcement duties. The US military does not send servicemembers to Italian Ospitales. However with traffic accidents, hit-run incidents, muggings and turf-war shootings US servicemembers [or their dependents] do get hauled into Ospitale on a regular basis for immediate treatment. As Law Enforcement my duties included trying to ID patients sometimes when they were unconscious and staff had reason to suspect that the patient might be American [often from manufacturers tags on underwear]. Italian Ospitales do not serve food to patients. Family is expected to bring food to each patient, as well as change bed linens and bedpans. Italian doctors smoke while treating patients. Their white smock coats are only changed for clean ones at the beginning of their shift. It is common to see doctors with 'stains' on their smock from their previous patients. Ospitale staff are union, for example janitors sweep/mop once a day. There are cans with saw dust used to sprinkle on the floors to absorb bodily fluids dropped on the floor between daily janitorial services. Ospitales were crowded, staffing is low, medical equipment was extremely basic, [I suspect that any 'new' equipment would be stolen and sold on the black market]. It appeared that doctor salaries were also fairly low, as it was commonplace to see them accepting cash bribes. Many US servicemembers living in Italia have household staff.
I am not saying which form of government is better or worse. They are simply different.
I have visited France a few times, though I have never lived there. My visits were limited to Brest. My Dw drove to Paris a few times when we lived in Italia. She really likes Paris. I liked France
My exposure to European culture was limited to living in the UK for 3 years and in Italia for 3 years, vacationing all around, and exchanging fire a few times in Kosovo with Christian Forces.
I wish you luck in finding a job in Maine, and with your future move stateside.
I'm not debating what's right and wrong, just wondering why it's not consistent across the board.
Also, paying for health insurance is not the same as paying for health care. I buy my own insurance, which is expensive - then I have a high deductible which I have to meet before it kicks in. And I still have to battle my insurance to reimburse me. Why do we let insurance providers get away with that? Why do we have different pricing schemes for the insured vs non-insured? The system is broken.
Kind of on the same topic... why is it ok to pay for a military infrastructure to protect our citizens, but not ok to pay for health care to protect our citizens? Just looking for some consistency, either way.
Hi I thought you must be one of the elitests based on your comment...like I said, to me it depends on the reason why kids are put in private schools. I am aware of the differences between health care and health insurance. Do you know of any doctors who want to go back to the days of bartering for their medical services with payment for their services consisting of eggs and food items, etc. maybe we could keep health care and health insurance costs at record lows. I think I read about a doctor in Blue Hill who doesn't accept insurance for office visits. He just sets his prices and people pay him.
Military vs. health care...well now let me see...Isn't protecting our country from an invasion by another country one of the jobs of the federal government mentioned in the Constitution; if the country is attacked/invaded and all the people are killed, I guess health care and health insurance will no longer be an issue.
Back to the topic of socialized medicine and socialized (public) education as I think you referred to it....Do you know any doctors who would be willing to work for $30,000 for their first year of employment? In Maine, that's what teachers get for a Bachelor's degree (4 years of college) and zero years of on-the-job experience--first year of teaching. I guess one could argue that since doctors are in "training" for about 12 years, their starting pay would be acceptable at $90,000(?) How should we compensate a first year teacher who has a masters' degree or a doctorate? The more I think about this thread, the OP would be probably be better off if his doctorate was in psychiatry. Most likely, he could command a higher salary. What could he expect to make? $80 or $100 an hour or more? but if he did this and was in private practice--owning his own business, he'd be back at square one having to pay for his health insurance rather than it being part of a benefit package if he were working for someone else in the public or private sector....decisions....decisions....
Did you ever think about the other side of this...why do people want to work in healthcare in this country? Because they can find jobs and make good salaries. How many companies in the U.S. have already applied for exemptions from offering/providing health insurance to their employees as a result of the new health care legislation?
Like the guy in France says his pay is less and it's a trade off for government offering health insurance. In the U.S. his pay would be higher and he would be paying for health insurance for his family. As a university professor, his own insurance coverage could be paid for him as part of his benefit package. Someone has to pay for it. It's not free. Doctors, nurses, and others in the healthcare industry like to get paid too.
good post
if something is free, someone else is(usually) paying for it
As far as purchasing one's own medical insurance; I recently did yet another price comparison of CA vs ME. We currently buy our own coverage, and the same approximate policy with about the same deductible and coverage limits costs 140% more in Maine compared to California. For example, a very modest policy with high annual deductibles for two in CA runs $300/month, compared to about $720/month in Maine.
I may be going out on a limb here, but I doubt many Mainers would consider what you describe as giving peace of mind. Mainers in particular pride themselves on being rugged, independent individualists who don't expect the government to take care of them.
Mainers don't like to admit how reliant they are on the state. We're one of the most welfare dependent states.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeneric13
Political debate aside, I am moving with my family to Maine at the end of the month (finally) and we are paying our own healthcare. Private health insurance is ridiculously expensive in this country - we're talking a payment on par with mortgage or rent. I would hope that you can get a discounted rate through your job. Good luck!
Think we're still a year or two from opening the borders. I could be wrong, but last I checked Maine had laws restricted crossing the borders for health insurance, so there's a bit of a cartel going. It's planned to remove those restrictions in 2013 or 2014.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeneric13
Forgive me, but I don't understand why some social programs - like healthcare - are looked down upon, but others - like public school - are exalted. We're supposed to be rugged and pay our own health insurance, but we're elitist if we pay our own schooling?
It's the failure of public schooling.
To the Op...
If you're bringing your kids to Maine for cultural experiences... Coming from France your probably better off looking elsewhere. Portland and surrounding area might be okay, but visit first. I've found small towns in other states with more culture than the whole state.
As you have already been told Kindergarten is included for 'free' in public-funded education system.
I think your best plan is to contact each of the Universities in Maine and see about a job. Then review their benefit packages. You might land a job near Portland, or you might find one somewhere else. Most University positions include medical/dental. I sell farm produce in a market near the Orono campus, and most of our customers are either students, instructors or staff at that university. My impression from them is that they all get coverage via the university system. I recommend that you focus first on landing a job in Maine, then after your stateside, you can look for ways to transfer to the Portland area.
Hi there, Submariner! Thanks for the welcome. Where are you from originally in Ca? (I was born in Long Beach but have also lived in LAguna Beach, Santa Barbara, LA, San Luis Obispo and SF.)
A few thoughts:
1) You sound like a cat who has lived many lives! I read some of your posts in other threads talking about the jet-stream in CA vs ME and you said that you made your living on the seas, I guess you were refering to your job in the Navy(?)
Also, as a side note, I have a theory; at all the open air markets we go to here in France, I find that the Fruit/Veg vendors are consistently the most cheerful and happy... Am I right?
Butchers, can also be pretty friendly, (although I don't eat much meat.)
2) I think that is very good adivce to just apply to schools all over Maine, then I can always transition to the Portland area (where we really want to be).
3) I have a question for you: You have lived in Scotland, so you know how horribly dismal and grey winters can be here (I'm in Lille which gets the same weather as Brussels).
And you come from CA so you know what a sunny winter is. So how difficult are the winters in Maine? I don't mean the cold, so much as the GREY. The grey winters here kill me! But my feeling is Maine is cold but often sunny... Is this true??
PS- I love Brittany. We spend our summers there at my wife's family house near Morlaix. It has a real sea-faring, New England vibe/charm to it.
Hi there, Submariner! Thanks for the welcome. Where are you from originally in Ca? (I was born in Long Beach but have also lived in LAguna Beach, Santa Barbara, LA, San Luis Obispo and SF.)
A few thoughts:
1) You sound like a cat who has lived many lives! I read some of your posts in other threads talking about the jet-stream in CA vs ME and you said that you made your living on the seas, I guess you were refering to your job in the Navy(?)
Also, as a side note, I have a theory; at all the open air markets we go to here in France, I find that the Fruit/Veg vendors are consistently the most cheerful and happy... Am I right?
Butchers, ironically can also be pretty friendly, (although I don't eat much meat.)
2) I think that is very good adivce to just apply to schools all over Maine, then I can always transition to the Portland area (where we really want to be).
3) I have a question for you: You have lived in Scotland, so you know how horribly dismal and grey winters can be here (I'm in Lille which gets the same weather as Brussels).
And you come from CA so you know what a sunny winter is. So how difficult are the winters in Maine? I don't mean the cold, so much as the GREY. The grey winters here kill me! But my feeling is Maine is cold but often sunny... Is this true??
ive got to agree with that statement- butchers are very friendly and helpful over here-too !!
if something is free, someone else is(usually) paying for it
Actually this is just a play on semantics, not the real issue. When I said "free" I mean it's covered as a taxpaying citizen.
Think of it like this, mainebrokerman, do you consider public schools free?
Forgive me if I get a bit uppity, but this topic often comes up with folks from home and inevitably the "nothing is free" argument comes up, as if people who use socialized medicine are leeching off the system, when it's no different from any other social service such as schools, libraries, police forcem etc.
Last edited by ejlorge; 09-15-2012 at 06:10 AM..
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but this topic often comes up with folks from home and inevitably the "nothing is free" argument comes up, as if people who use socialized medicine are leeching off the system, when it's no different from any other social service such as schools, libraries, police forcem etc.
