Reply #125: I hear you

[magellan]

We've been considering moving back to the UK (my husband is British), but it's been halfhearted...We realize we'd just be trading one set of problems for another. Economically we're better off here, although most months we still only manage to just scrape by. In the UK we were being killed by taxes on the necessities: 70% petrol tax, rising poll (property) tax, 17.5% sales tax, rising tv and car tax...It all adds up very quickly and there's little room for avoidance. There often seemed to be a confluence of taxes working against us all at once. At those times I liked to remind hubby that this was why we kicked their butts outta the USA. Twice. lol

Being covered by the UK's National Health Insurance is one thing we miss. The NHS is undeniably underfunded and mismanaged; many times people are rushed through their GP's office without having their questions answered, only to wait months for a required surgery or specialist consultation. We've all heard the horror stories. But there are obvious benefits to being fully covered. The main one is people don't hesitate to see their GPs when something's wrong.

For instance, if we'd been in the UK I would have gotten myself to a doctor before my appendix ruptured. I held out too long because we couldn't afford a $200+ doctor's visit just to find out I had gas!! We lost the roll on that one. But the point is, we shouldn't have been forced to make that decision in the first place. Having to weigh one's financial situation against seeking proper medical care is a positively barbaric way to handle healthcare. It could have killed me. I'm sure it kills others.

The failure of our democracy alarms me no end. But we don't have children to consider, and in our case moving back to the UK just to escape this regime would be tantamount to cutting off our noses to spite our faces.