Advantages and disadvantages of living in the USA?

[Angelbaby_01]

I am from South Africa and could have written this myself as it is the same here. haha

I don't feel bad anymore............

I think if we want to move to the US then I might consider California then as it is the same as the Western Cape where I grew up. Mountains, beach, snow and lovely weather. Many things to do and have friendly people.

 

[FarfromHome]

I'm probably going to re-state what a lot of ladies have already written here. Every state is so different and they all have different "feels" per say. I've been to almost all of the 50 states and they each have their own unique beauty. I grew up in Oklahoma... it's beautiful there,cost of living is low, and the people are friendly, but there's not a lot to do ( zZZZ). Now we live in Southern California and while there's SO much to do and the scenery is stunning, it's extremely fast paced living and people tend to be a little more snobby and not friendly ( Not everyone of course... just making a broad generalization here!)

Overall though, I love living in America. I've been very blessed to have had the oppurtunity to travel to many, many places around the world and there is no place quite like here The healthcare IS expensive but I believe the saying " you get what you pay for" is very true! We get to choose exactly what we want for our care and our hospitals/clinics/docs are all state of the art IMO. For example, my OBGYN was worth every.single.penny we paid him. I "doctor shopped" a bit and we ended up switching docs halfway through my pregnancy because I decided I wanted to deliver somewhere else and was looking for a different type of care. It was no problem at all, a quick call to my insurance provider and then I set up a new appt with my new doc. Easy Peasy. Anytime I needed to reach my Dr. I could have him paiged. I spoke with him a few times in the middle of the night when I was having concerns ( once when I thought my water broke and once when I was extrememly sick and was concerned for the baby). I always apologized when he would call me back after being paged at 1 AM =/ but he would always tell me not to worry about it and that he was here whenever I needed him. That is good care. Also, if I EVER had a concern his office would always squeeze me in the same day. Whenever we'd get done with my regular appts he'd always ask if I wanted to see LO and we'd do a quick ultrasound =)

Oh, and this is random but you CAN get good Indian food in the US... just have to find the right spot. We have EVERYTHING you could imagine here and our food is AMAZING!

 

[KJM2]

how much would the average person pay a month for healthcare insureance? just curious

 

[MrsEngland]

how much would the average person pay a month for healthcare insureance? just curious

I was gunna ask the same! And what do you do if you can't afford health insurance and you get sick?

 

[kwood]

how much would the average person pay a month for healthcare insureance? just curious

I was gunna ask the same! And what do you do if you can't afford health insurance and you get sick?

I've been out of the U.S. for 5 years so can't say how much health care is at the moment. If you don't have health care and get sick you get a very big bill. My friends daughter didn't have healthcare and had to have an operation and had a bill for something like $25,000. She had to pay it off in monthly instalments for the next 20 odd years.

 

[erikab922]

I've been in the UK for 10 years now and people always ask me why I don't move back to America. I love my country but there are a couple of really big reasons why I can't justify going back:

1. I *hate* that insurance is tied to your job. It may be different now with 'Obamacare' but here in the UK if I lose my job or just fancy a change and take some time off, my first thought isn't 'shit what am I gonna do about insurance?'. This is true x1000 now that I have a kid - not having insurance can bankrupt you, and I can't purposely put my family in that situation when I have really good healthcare here that will always be available. I don't find the quality of care is any better or worse here in Yorkshire than it was in Chicago.

2. Employment-at-will laws. In the States you can pretty much get fired if they don't like the way you make coffee, as long as they don't fire you for the protected reasons like age, gender, disability etc. Yes here in the UK you have the opposite problem of it being more difficult to get rid of someone who sucks at their job but it's doable. Although it won't seem like it to someone who has been made redundant (and I have several years ago) I feel my job is much more secure here than in the States - and again, with a kid now, this is *so* important.

3. Long working hours culture. Maybe this is just where I lived, but working long hours was like a badge of honour. 'I worked 70 hours last week' etc. Most of the reason why people feel like they have to work such long hours is due to the reason above - if the person next to you works 60 hours, then you have to work 61 hours, because if the time comes to get rid of someone then they're more likely to get rid of the 'slacker' who only worked 55 hours last week.

I will be the first to admit I work crazy hours here in the UK but it's because I get a direct benefit from it - I get to work from home, I can take time off when I need to without it counting against an allowance, my employer trusts me. I don't feel like I'd get the same opportunity back home, they'd think I was taking advantage.

4. It's SO competitive, and not about things that even matter. (sheesh I know this seems super anti-America, really it's just me venting ) Again this could just be where I'm from, but someone's always gotta have a better job, bigger salary, bigger house, smarter kids, bigger BBQ, etc. In all of my time here I've never been asked 'what do you do?' 'cause I guess it's just not important - here people like you for how funny your jokes are etc and not because of what you do.

5. You are sold to at EVERY opportunity. You know those movies set in 'the future' where there are adverts everywhere? Literally everywhere? That's what America is like, or at least it seems that way when I go home. Everything has a corporate sponsor. Someone, something is always trying to get you to part with your cash. You think it's bad in the UK - it's a million times worse in the States. I want to shade my kid from that for as long as possible.

6. Taking time off from work. So here I have 25 days of holiday ('vacation time') and it's the least amount of everyone I know. My husband has 35 days a year. Plus you still get the bank holidays, etc. And you can actually take your time off! Back home it's like vacation is for wimps. Or no one takes it because they're afraid they'll lose their job. Or they can't afford to go anywhere nice (at least here I can hop on a flight and be in Paris or Amsterdam in an hour for the cost of a train ticket to London).

I'm sure I can think of a million more things (when you've been away for a while and come back, all of the food tastes like sugar, and American news programs are like news for 10 year olds) but HAVING SAID THAT...

You will never meet nicer people than Americans. I know on Fox News they all seem batshit crazy and a lot of them are, but if your car broke down in front of their house you'd be invited in, given a meal, probably a place to stay if you needed it, they'd call their uncle so-and-so who does tires and they'd sort you out and never ask for anything in return. I feel really privileged to have grown up in America because it made me a nice person with a strong work ethic, but there is a lot about the American culture that takes getting used to if you didn't grow up around it.

 

[sheebee]

The amazing food! When I hear UK people describe their dinners and stuff it doesn't sound at all appetizing. But that's coming from a big fat American!

This is the reason I wanna visit the states... I watch all the American cooking programs on telly (sad I know) and I want it all! In fact DH and I were saying that we'd like a pit bbq in our tiny back garden and have a pulled pork party for our LOs 1st b'day!

 

[babybrums]

I guess there's things to love and there's things to hate no matter what country you live in. I'm jealous of some of you with somethings, grateful with others. Like health care. It's expensive but I love the choice. My midwife was awesome. We had our sons 6 month checkup yesterday and his doctor is in the same clinic as hers. She saw us and came out to say hi. It's nice to have that personal touch. That being said, it is expensive. A family plan at OH's work is $1200/month. That's more than our mortgage and utilities combined. The worst part is it doesn't cover everything until you meet your co-pays and deductibles. He has a $2500 deductible and 20% copay. It's entirely unaffordable. I don't know how this "Obamacare" (don't know the technical term for it, sorry) is supposed to work but I'm hoping it really does make health care affordable for more people.

Moving on, I LOVE living in Wisconsin. We live in a small town of about 4000 people. There are only a handful of businesses here - a few bars, storage facility, day care - and a church. I love it. It would be nice not to have to hop in the car and drive 5 - 10 miles to pick up a gallon of milk (although we do have a gas station, forgot about that) but it's nice to be in a quiet, safe area. The weather has it's ups and downs. It's cold in the winter but the snow is beautiful. The fall is absolutely beautiful with all the trees changing color. Fall and spring are my favorite because the temps are usually in the 50/60's. You can wear a t-shirt or sweatshirt. The summer sucks lol. The temps are in the 80/90's and it's disgustingly humid. But I love it. It's home

 

[susannah14]

I live in Maryland. What I love is that I can drive 20 mins to the city, 10 minutes to farmland, 15 minutes to the bay, 2.5 hours to the beach, and 1.5 hours to the mountains. (Well, the Appalachians, if you consider them mountains). On top of that I am one hour from the nation's capital.

There's so much variety, every state is different. I agree with one of the PP about southern hospitality...if I didn't have family here I would pick up and move to the Atlanta, GA area for sure!!

I travel around the US for work...Maine is absolutely gorgeous (the rocky shoreline), Arizona and New Mexico have beautiful rolling landscapes, lots of rocks and cacti, and fascinating Native American culture. The canyons are amazing!

 

[jd83]

I guess there's things to love and there's things to hate no matter what country you live in. I'm jealous of some of you with somethings, grateful with others. Like health care. It's expensive but I love the choice. My midwife was awesome. We had our sons 6 month checkup yesterday and his doctor is in the same clinic as hers. She saw us and came out to say hi. It's nice to have that personal touch. That being said, it is expensive. A family plan at OH's work is $1200/month. That's more than our mortgage and utilities combined. The worst part is it doesn't cover everything until you meet your co-pays and deductibles. He has a $2500 deductible and 20% copay. It's entirely unaffordable. I don't know how this "Obamacare" (don't know the technical term for it, sorry) is supposed to work but I'm hoping it really does make health care affordable for more people.

Moving on, I LOVE living in Wisconsin. We live in a small town of about 4000 people. There are only a handful of businesses here - a few bars, storage facility, day care - and a church. I love it. It would be nice not to have to hop in the car and drive 5 - 10 miles to pick up a gallon of milk (although we do have a gas station, forgot about that) but it's nice to be in a quiet, safe area. The weather has it's ups and downs. It's cold in the winter but the snow is beautiful. The fall is absolutely beautiful with all the trees changing color. Fall and spring are my favorite because the temps are usually in the 50/60's. You can wear a t-shirt or sweatshirt. The summer sucks lol. The temps are in the 80/90's and it's disgustingly humid. But I love it. It's home

Holy crap!!!! I will never again whine about cost of health insurance! For the poster who asked about how much it costs, this just goes to show how varied the cost can be depending on what you do for a living. I work in healthcare at a hospital, and my health insurance is about $300/month for family plan, $40/month for dental, and $7/month for vision. Its entirely unfair how much of a difference their is in how much people have to pay, especially given that lower paying jobs tend to cost you more for insurance, when those people obviously can't afford it. I don't know how anyone can afford that!

As far as living in America, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love living here THere is such a variation in culture everywhere you go, even within a state. The food is FANTASTIC. We have every type of food you can imagine. Yes, you might have to drive a bit if you are craving something specific and you don't live in a real urban area. I live in a suburb of Cleveland, and the most I would have to drive to get any type of food (Indian, Italian, French, Burgers, Pizza, Chinese, Japanese, etc) is maybe an hour.

Cost of living varies depending on where you live in America. The midwest is probably the cheapest, but also will lack a lot of the city life offered on the east and west coast. But its also more relaxed and beautiful, if you like that lifestyle. The south offers amazing food, the most amazingly friendly people you will ever meet, and tons of southern culture. Now that I am back in Northern Ohio, we have all 4 seasons, which is both good and bad I suppose, lol. We often joke that we can get all 4 seasons in one day, which has definitely happened plenty of times!

 

[Samiam03]

It depends on where you live. I live in South Carolina and it sucks. We have one of the worst school systems and a very high drop out rate. People are very ignorant and close minded here too. They are as rude as it gets and hide behind their bibles. We are looking to get out of this state soon. I grew up in Pennsylvania and loved it there and my husband is from Long Island, ny originally and he liked it there better too.

The government as a whole is dysfunctional but I've heard some things about parliament that lead me to believe they aren't much better. Health care sucks...I know many people who can't afford insurance and are suffering because they can't afford to see a doctor. And the middle class is always screwed over.

America has some of the best tourist attractions...las vegas, Hollywood, NYC, Disney world, ECT. And things are cheaper here than other parts of the world.

 

[jd83]

It depends on where you live. I live in South Carolina and it sucks. We have one of the worst school systems and a very high drop out rate. People are very ignorant and close minded here too. They are as rude as it gets and hide behind their bibles. We are looking to get out of this state soon. I grew up in Pennsylvania and loved it there and my husband is from Long Island, ny originally and he liked it there better too.

The government as a whole is dysfunctional but I've heard some things about parliament that lead me to believe they aren't much better. Health care sucks...I know many people who can't afford insurance and are suffering because they can't afford to see a doctor. And the middle class is always screwed over.

America has some of the best tourist attractions...las vegas, Hollywood, NYC, Disney world, ECT. And things are cheaper here than other parts of the world.

I'm surprised to hear this! I did my masters degree in Charleston and absolutely looooved South Carolina. Still miss it now. One of the things that I was jealous of the state natives for was that they are given $5k a year toward college if they do college in state. Unless that has changed since I moved back to Ohio? Anyways, I would have loved to have had that kind of money towards college given to me, and always thought that was one of the best advantages SC had for their state natives. I also loved the weather, the beach, the food, the culture, etc...

 

[Samiam03]

how much would the average person pay a month for healthcare insureance? just curious

We pay 2000 a year for health insurance because my husband's employer provides it...his company pays a majority of the cost leaving us with 2000 for the difference. If your employer doesn't pay for it, good insurance can cost upwards of 10000 a year sometimes for a family.

And my insurance still makes us pay 15 dollar co pays for dr visits and more for medicine...and my natural birth where I only stayed overnight in the hospital still cost us 700 out of pocket...if we didn't have insurance it would have been 7000.

 

[Samiam03]

It depends on where you live. I live in South Carolina and it sucks. We have one of the worst school systems and a very high drop out rate. People are very ignorant and close minded here too. They are as rude as it gets and hide behind their bibles. We are looking to get out of this state soon. I grew up in Pennsylvania and loved it there and my husband is from Long Island, ny originally and he liked it there better too.

The government as a whole is dysfunctional but I've heard some things about parliament that lead me to believe they aren't much better. Health care sucks...I know many people who can't afford insurance and are suffering because they can't afford to see a doctor. And the middle class is always screwed over.

America has some of the best tourist attractions...las vegas, Hollywood, NYC, Disney world, ECT. And things are cheaper here than other parts of the world.

I'm surprised to hear this! I did my masters degree in Charleston and absolutely looooved South Carolina. Still miss it now. One of the things that I was jealous of the state natives for was that they are given $5k a year toward college if they do college in state. Unless that has changed since I moved back to Ohio? Anyways, I would have loved to have had that kind of money towards college given to me, and always thought that was one of the best advantages SC had for their state natives. I also loved the weather, the beach, the food, the culture, etc...

I have not heard of anyone getting 5000 toward college. I graduated high school here and went to college here and wasn't offered that...nor we're any of my friends so I don't think it exists anymore. We have a lottery scholarship available to poorer people who have good grades but not everyone gets it. And idk how charleston is...I've only lived in Greenville and people here are awful.

 

[stella26]

I have visited various parts of USA from Florida, Vegas, Pennsilvaynia, Ohio, Virginia, Buffalo, Washington all nice places but for me there is no place like home. Canada (Ontario) ROCKS. We have great medical system and one year paid maternity leave, people are SO nice and it's safe for the most part, very clean too. Hey that is just my opinion I live here so I guess I'm being biast.

 

[AC1987]

I'm not an American but I live in NC, its nice here the driving is a TON better compared to say Canada(where I'm from) but its so freaking expensive to have a baby without maternity insurance, like so far paid about 10,000 and still getting billed $1000's

 

[AllyTiel]

how much would the average person pay a month for healthcare insureance? just curious

In the US, I believe anyone who budgets correctly and works hard can afford health insurance. Incentive not to slack but work hard IMO. Example: When my husband was in college, we both worked at a restaurant as servers part time. (There are ALWAYS jobs open for restaurant work) We were not provided insurance there but bought it for 100 a month per person. We still had enough for our rent, bills, food, and even treats and going out to eat at times. (Now this is living in north Alabama. Cost of living is very cheap there.)
Now that my husband is out of college and has a full time job, his company pays our insurance. I absolutely love private healthcare and hope we do not get government healthcare anytime soon. When I was having my baby in the hospital, I got the most amazing care. No one told me to wait on getting an epidural or getting pain relief. Noone influenced me in any way because they weren't the ones paying for it. The doctors have incentive to be good here, because we can choose to take our business elsewhere and get another one. My recovery care was incredible in my private room and I cant believe how caring everyone was.

 

[marron]

I have insurance through my work. Costs about $48 week for my LO and I, but the care is excellent. I went over my due date by two weeks and my doctor never rushed things along, it was all about what I was comfortable with.

I love living in So Cal. I wish the cost of living wasn't so high, but I wouldn't trade the convenience for anything.

 

[Reidfidleir]

If you consider a move to the us keep in mind one thing tha hasn't been mentioned yet.
The west coast and east coast have totally different attitudes and priorities. A person will definitiely prefer one over the other especially depending on where they grew up.
I grew up in Massachusetts and have also lived in Arizona for a while (four years). I much prefer the east coast!! Cost of living was a little better in Arizona. The cost of our one bedroom apartment there ( in a brand new complex with amenities) was about $700. For the same apartment in Massachusetts we would have to pay about $900-1100 depending on the area.
Arizona is one of the poorest educations in the states. A few years ago they ranked 50th out of 50. Massachusetts is one of the best. Not number one but its up there. Sad to say, but you can tell. I work with the public for my job and there is a Huge difference between kids in az versus ma in educational level
I was able to go on a trip last year to Europe for the first time and I have to say as much as I loved the time there I was so glad to be back home! I missed the food and variety of food. I missed the fresh fruit and vegetables. The cost of food is much cheaper here too. (The countries I visited were England Italy Romania and Germany. Romania ended up having the most variety and fresh food out of those countries. I was so surprised. )
There's so much space here. You can actually drive out to the middle of nowhere even in the most populated of states. There's so much to see and do without worrying about crossing borders or languages.
The cost of health care is high though. And in Massachusetts it's the law to have health insurance. Or else they'll fine you.
As a single healthy 20 year old I was paying $300 per month out of pocket with no prescription coverage. If I wanted that it would have been $400 per month. If you work part time you get 0 benefits. No paid vacation no insurance.
Thankfully my husband has a job now where we get insurance. I think $400 a month is taken out of his paycheck. But the total cost for what we have would be $1700 a month. That is more than a mortgage and we would never be a me to afford that. There are still copays and deductibles though. But I consider our insurance excellent compared to others.
In any case if you were to move here think carefully about your priorities even down to the silliest things. What do you want weather wise? Are friendly people important to you? Do you care if people are friendly but shallow? What about people who seem a little colder but are very loyal? Is education important to you? Do you want a city or suburban or rural? Do you like cultured or uncultured? Do you want to own a decent amount of land at a reasonable price? Or are you more content with being closer to a city? Do you want access to activities mom groups playgrounds etc or are you content not beig around a lot of that? Do you want a big spacious house for less money or is the area surrounding more important than how big the house is?
All these factors and more will narrow your choice to the area that will be ideal for you.
Feel free to pm me about New England living and southwest living if you have any more questions.

 

[babybrums]

Family coverage is $1200/mo and that's with OH's employer picking up part of the tab. We're far from lazy. OH works 60 hrs a week. I'm a SAHM and full time student (doesn't pay to work just to turn around and give it all to a daycare center). We work hard and we stick to a budget but $1200/mo?! How do you budget for that and still live the "American dream"? Like I said before, it's more than our mortgage and utilities combined. And to top it off we still have to pay a deductible and co pays. Having insurance would cost us over $16k a year when you figure that in.

ETA we don't have insurance. OH does because his employer picks up the tab for single insurance, not family. God forbid something happened, we'd be screwed. After I finish school and work we'll hopefully have it. Hopefully my employer will offer it at a better price or again, I'll be working just to pay for daycare and health insurance. Chances are it will cost me $$$ to work. That's sad.