I&#x27;ve become obsessed with living in America. What are the pros and cons?

the poor may be eligible to receive free healthcare, but think of the quality of that healthcare. (we should inquire of our potential doctor's grade point average in medical school prior to making an appointment.)

Reply 122

Delta Usafa

And it's gonna be more expensive for international students no matter what country they go to, really.

Some schools do give good aid for internationals, though!

Reply 123

Delta Usafa

Rainfaery

Yes, they do. Every two weeks on my mother's pay check, she has a certain amount deducted for health care.

I think that depends on who your employer is. My mom is a teacher and she gets all her healthcare provided for free, without any deductions.

Although with recent budget slashings, she does have to pay for half of it or something now.

Reply 124

Bismarck

13

teily

the poor may be eligible to receive free healthcare, but think of the quality of that healthcare. (we should inquire of our potential doctor's grade point average in medical school prior to making an appointment.)

The quality is far higher to that of the NHS. You're making it sound like there are special doctors for poor people. People with Medicaid/Medicare can go to the same doctors as everyone else, which means doctors with more equipment, latest technology, who are getting paid more and who pay their nurses more than is the case in Britain.

Reply 125

faber niger

17

EducatingBrogan

lovely

Thank you for the rep. :yy:

I was going to reciprocate, but I've already used mine for today. :frown:

And, no, I wasn't going to simply return it for returning its sake or because I think you're TSR's sauciest user (which I'll neither confirm nor deny! :ninja:

), but I do genuinely like you too. You're a mighty righty, indeed. :yep:

Reply 126

Bismarck

Anecdotal evidence for the win.

<shrug> I just know that's what happens for my mother. Although, she works for a state owned hospital, so it could be different than for other places.

Reply 127

Cyclone33

bret

Yeah, but how much are Cal and UCLA, let alone Stanford, Caltech and USC, compared to Oxford and Cambridge?

Cal and UCLA are both state schools that cost about $23,000 for California residents. If you're foreign, it's around $60,000

Stanford, CalTech, USC are private schools= around $40-$45 k . I don't know the exact but it's around there

Reply 128

KirstyK

14

ypo

Moreover, a human who likes Washington DC?!

Love it. I'm a freak I know. Whether or not I could live there? Debatable. I'd probably choose Arlington instead. :smile:

Reply 129

Delta Usafa

I think that depends on who your employer is. My mom is a teacher and she gets all her healthcare provided for free, without any deductions.

Although with recent budget slashings, she does have to pay for half of it or something now.

Yeah, I was just thinking it might be because my mother works for a state-owned hospital.

Reply 130

teily

Bismarck

I assume people here don't plan to get a house in Beverly Hills. Houses in parts of California are expensive, but not nearly as expensive as you claim (especially since prices fell by a good 30-40% in the last two years). And generally speaking, housing is cheaper in the US than in Britain since the US has a far smaller population density (more available land).

You're telling this to people who are used to paying $6-8 per gallon...

Anecdotal evidence for the win.

1) never hurts to be prepared.
2) those house quotes were from Sacramento, CA not southern cali which is loads more expensive. also those quotes were based on people with the best credit rating. i can only imagine that it's even higher if your credit is less than perfect.

Reply 131

HyperBrain

8

TSR expat society? :yep:

I want to go too! (Preferably to live in California and work for Google).

I definitely want to travel in the states too: New York, California, San Francisco, New England, Texas, Washington DC etc.

Does anyone know how the green card system works, or how one would gain citizenship and so on? It's a major barrier IMO. I've thought about trying to go to college there too, but that's hardly straight forward either, and the sad reality is that it's just easier and cheaper to study in the UK.

I wanted to do Camp America this year too, but can't, so next year hopefully! That should enable me to travel for a bit.

It's daunting, though, to think you'll have to basically start a new life.

Other places I wouldn't mind emigrating to: Australia, Canada, France, Berlin, Monaco and Switzerland.

Erm, any Americans out there who want to marry me?!?

Hello?

Reply 132

Ooooh: Other benefit for the US!

We generally get more snow! Although, that would depend on where you live.

There is nothing better than making snow angels. I'm going to miss that.

Reply 133

faber niger

17

teily

the poor may be eligible to receive free healthcare, but think of the quality of that healthcare. (we should inquire of our potential doctor's grade point average in medical school prior to making an appointment.)

Do grades always relate to ability to do the job? Is someone with very high grades necessarily a better doctor than someone with good grades? Can a doctor ever reform themselves if they are always going to be judged on their increasingly distant past?

Just thought I'd throw a question or three onto the mountaintop! :p:

Reply 134

Delta Usafa

bret

Yeah, but how much are Cal and UCLA, let alone Stanford, Caltech and USC, compared to Oxford and Cambridge?

Stanford, Caltech, and USC? Those are ridiculously expensive, as well as some of the top schools in the country. That's not fair!

Reply 135

Bismarck

The quality is far higher to that of the NHS. You're making it sound like there are special doctors for poor people. People with Medicaid/Medicare can go to the same doctors as everyone else, which means doctors with more equipment, latest technology, who are getting paid more and who pay their nurses more than is the case in Britain.

Well, not everywhere accepts Medicare/Medicaid. It can depend on where you are, but sometimes the more affluent/better doctors and whatnot won't accept it, because they don't make as much money when a patient is paid for by Medicare/Medicaid.

Reply 136

Bismarck

13

Rainfaery

<shrug> I just know that's what happens for my mother. Although, she works for a state owned hospital, so it could be different than for other places.

Government jobs are different to private ones. They usually have obscure regulations, though government employees tend to make up for it in other benefits.

Rainfaery

Well, not everywhere accepts Medicare/Medicaid. It can depend on where you are, but sometimes the more affluent/better doctors and whatnot won't accept it, because they don't make as much money when a patient is paid for by Medicare/Medicaid.

Ok, so the very top doctors don't accept Medicare/Medicaid. They usually don't accept other forms of insurance either. But we're talking about a tiny minority of doctors (i.e. the ones European politicians end up going to).

Reply 137

Delta Usafa

HyperBrain

Erm, any Americans out there who want to marry me?!?

*Raises hand*

Ah, alas, prop 8.....

Reply 138

bret

Delta Usafa

Stanford, Caltech, and USC? Those are ridiculously expensive, as well as some of the top schools in the country. That's not fair!

Come on. Are you really saying SC is on a par with Oxbridge? Even though the fees are 15 times as much. Justified?

Reply 139

teily