Teacher Retirement System ? (Atlanta: health insurance, townhouse, to buy)

[Teacher On The Move]

I am a teacher in Virginia and I am looking to relocate to somewhere that I can actually afford to buy a single family house. Because I live so close to DC, all I can afford on my teachers salary is a townhouse. My three children are all in middle and high school and we need more space. I have 10+ years in the Virginia retirement system. I can not find any website that compares different Teacher Retirement Systems. If I stayed in Virginia, when I retire in approximately 15 years at age 60, I will receive 50% of my salary from the state and 25% from my county. So I am looking at 75% of my salary if I were to retire from my current county.

How is the Georgia Teacher Retirement System for teachers new to Georgia?

I have looked on line at Cobb and Gwinnett. I can not figure out the Healthcare; I keep running across some connection between the health care plan and the State. In Virginia I pay under $400 per month for my medical premium and it is national, so I can see any doctor in the US. My copay just went up to $20 per visit. I pay nothing for medical imaging and blood work. I have yet to run across a doctor who does not accept my insurance. My concern is that the Atlanta area school districts do not offer a comparable plan and I will have to pay more out of pocket.

How is the Health care plan for teachers in the Atlanta area?

Thank you.

[lastminutemom]

Your healthcare will be higher and your pay will be lower. The TRS stuff really confuses me so I can't speak to that. I will say that state employees (which teachers are) don't have nearly as generous of health insurance as it sounds like you do. And it gets worse every year.

It also may not be so easy to get hired unless you are in a hard to fill field. Inexperienced and cheap is the way many systems like em. Unfortunately.

[CMMom]

I believe that there are bids being placed right now to change the State Health Benefit System from United Healthcare. BCBS is placing a low-ball bid, which (according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) would save some crazy amount like $500 million, "partly by reducing payments to providers."

State to rebid part of health plan contract | www.ajc.com

I'm a healthcare provider, and I've already quit the BCBS panel b/c they drastically cut rates. Others will do the same, and the network will shrink. Mark my words. You won't be able to find providers as easily who are in-network when this happens. BTW, United's rates already stink and BCBS will be even worse if they get the bid.

[DaBurgh]

Try Pennsylvania, you can find affordable housing and your pension is tax-free there