How stressful is your life? (health insurance, mortgage, house)

[Repubocrat]

I was wondering if life in Europe and other countries is as stressful as life here in the USA? Right now, I am very stressed because my employer has threatened a couple of my co workers with termination due to performance and although I am doing good, the possibility of losing my job is real.

Also, because the economy is so bad here, I may not be able to find a job at all if I am let go. My girlfriend works 2 jobs just to stay afloat, 1 during the week and another one Sat and Sun and she is always stressed, she never has time to travel and she is always tired. I have a co worker that works 3 jobs because she has a mortgage and she does not want to lose her house, she has not had a day off in about 5 months. There is got to be something better out there

[bale002]

In my view, Europe is less stressful because, even if you lose your job, you still have access to health care with no out-of-pocket cost. Also many big cities and even provincial towns in Europe have adequate public transport and a car is not a necessity, one less expense to stress out over.

However, well-paying jobs are scarce for those who are not well-connected. For most people, however, that is not a great problem because they live at mama's house with no qualms, and some even live off grandma's pension. Having said that, and taking into account that university education is heavily subsidized (like health care and public transport), you can imagine that there are also a lot of frustrated young people well into their thirties.

Also in this context, take into account that if you have to secure housing based on your own resources, you may be unsatisfied with the size and other circumstances of your dwelling.

On the positive side, then, if you can manage to secure employment and housing in the right place, you can enjoy what Europe has to offer culturally within walking and public-transport distance, while at the same time have relatively uncomplicated access to health care.

Europe can be very stressful if you are a young, ambitious entrepreneur because, among other problems, taxation will asphyxiate you to death before you can even get a business to the walking stage.

Best is if you come from a nice family in which everybody more or less gets along, you have your own room, and you are not too ambitious.

[ozzie679]

Originally Posted by bale002

In my view, Europe is less stressful because, even if you lose your job, you still have access to health care with no out-of-pocket cost. Also many big cities and even provincial towns in Europe have adequate public transport and a car is not a necessity, one less expense to stress out over.

Agree 100%. Health care is a joke in the US. For millions of Americans, it's stress #1.

[qbanamamii]

Yesssss indeedy I agree healthcare in the US is horrible..I lost my job here and I still have bill collectors calling me over the bill from having my baby which was almost $3,000 bucks without insurance it would have been over $24,000!

Plus on the news there is always talking about layoffs ; everyday on the news tons of people are losing their jobs here in my city alone not talking about the US as a whole. We are getting screwed here.

Im totally stressed out with my life here in the US && I am already ready to leave it!

[Teak]

I went to the doctor yesterday for some cold medication: anti-histamine, anti-diarrheal, anti-fever and oral rehydration salts. Total cost, visit, medicine: RM25 (US$7.14). So, in Malaysia, there is little to no stress in the health care department.

[hurley89]

My life's pretty stressful as well. It seems to never end. There's always something I have to get done, and I rarely get time to sit and do nothing....


I have health insurance, so the US way of doing it doesnt bother me so much, but at the same time if everyone recieved free health care from the government then I'd have to wait if I needed an operation or transplant..etc. I really don't think theres enough doctors and nurses to accomodate every american. We don't have enough as it is.

Maybe lower the costs of healthcare but don't allow it to be absolutely free. we're not socialists...yet.

[bale002]

Originally Posted by hurley89

if everyone received free health care from the government then I'd have to wait if I needed an operation or transplant..etc.

Maybe lower the costs of healthcare but don't allow it to be absolutely free. we're not socialists...yet.

Unfortunately too many are fooled by this spoon-fed propaganda about waiting for services and its being absolutely free.

The US spends twice as much on health care as a percentage of GDP as the average European country, for about the same level of service.

I pay 3% of my gross income in insurance which basically covers only a disaster situation after a very high deductible. In Europe, I would pay about 5% of my gross income for virtually full coverage, including maternity, which is almost impossible to cover in the US, it's considered almost a fatal disease.

So, for two percentage points more of my gross income, I would receive at least three times worth of service.

In the US, it is nigh impossible to know a transparent price for virtually any health service, a situation that is the exact antithesis of a free market.

The US health system is an oligopoly, geared towards generating profits for the executives of health insurance and pharmaceutical companies, who shamelessly spoon-feed the population with their self-serving propaganda.

Believe me, I ain't no socialist, I'd rather have a fully free market system, but we are so far away from that, it is hopeless: a full-fledged government run system, with all its foibles, would cost less than the scam of a system that we have now, it's empirical.

[Cornerguy1]

As interesting as every discussion about US health care is, that is not the topic of this thread.

Members who wish to discuss US issues are directed to do so over in the Politics forum.

[jacq63]

People often think life in Oz is laid-back, which pretty true in a rural area..unless of course, you're on the land trying to cope with the paradoxical flood/drought/fire conditions to make a living.

As a city-dweller most of the time, I've found Sydney life to be increasingly stressful as I've become older. When my partner and I moved here we were in our 20's, now in our mid 40s we have a different take on 'excitement' and 'stress'. But, we choose to live how we do right now..which kinda adds to the stress. We've got committments (sp) but no-one's forcing us to be where we are. So we stress ourselves thinking 'why don't we just get outta Sydney?'

I think any large city will seem stressful at least some of the time to an individual, no matter where in the world it is. Rural areas have their problems too of course, and I don't think it's so different here to the U.S. Just my 0.02 of course.

[pigeonhole]

There is a big minus to Europe in my book : save in its southernmost part (Southern Spain, Southern Italy), the weather is simply rotten.
I do not value Art, culture and "life without stress" (the latter part is absolutely false, visit the big European cities and you'll see how people are stressed) under grey skies (and freezing cold or rainy winters), but that's just my personal taste.