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I know many/most of you are aware of how bad this is, but I'm still gonna bitch here.
I lost my job as a result of the Trump administration's policies. While I had other options for health insurance (ex: COBRA), getting an ACA plan made the most sense to me at the time. It was shittier in comparison to what I had at my job (and what I would have retained access to via COBRA), but mostly comparable in the easy to measure ways (i.e. out of pocket costs and coverage of necessary meds) and cost much less than COBRA even without considering those tax credits / subsidies.
Honestly, it was so much work just to figure out which plan made the most sense, I had no idea I needed to check to see if there was a ticking time bomb ready to go off. The new 2026 rates are so much higher with poorer coverage and higher out of pocket expense -- worse in pretty much every way you could think. While I may still opt for one of the low tier plans that's basically catastrophic only + the minimum required coverage, at that price point and for what it provides, I'm sure a lot of people will go without even if they technically could afford the premiums. I know I'm still weighing my options, but it does feel like they took my job then took my access to health care, what next?
COBRA is not a reasonable option for anyone who has just lost their job. It's fucking insulting.
No shit got that offer after being laid off. Fucking 700 a month, was only getting 1000 in unemployment a month. How the fuck could pay 700 for Cobra.
Bro emmigration is the only escape from that hellhole. It's simply not worth it for the middle class, they're getting sucked high and dry, and the Dems only response will be corporate subsidiaries vs billionaires, and "we're not trump" while nothing meaningful actually gets done and costs rise across the board, and quality of life goes to shit for the average folks. The headlines say it all, either continual infighting leading to nothing, the fall of democracy, or an actual civil war that will be bloody.
Get the fuck out while you still can. A few years into living in another country, you will despise your new home. Then you might visit your family in the USA, and realize holy hell, things actually got worse and your new home is exponentially better, even with all its failings.
Which countries are we able to gain Citizenship? I know some people gained Canadian citizenship through their job. We can't all move to Canada.
I'm waiting for the next 90 day fiance where some white dude from Florida is trying to marry a south American girl for a green card.
Agreed. Wife and I have been in Germany for a year and a half and we love it. When we were unemployed and taking language courses, health insurance was 100€ per month for both of us. And our coverage was way better than our mid tier insurance in the US at $600 a month.
I'm curious, what have you noticed as large improvements? Less time going between providers, insurance hospitals and doctors? Less paperwork 😂(Germany 😋). Or what about excluded services, or included with the insurances?
I'm no stranger to the bureaucratic paperwork nightmares of Germany but this hasn't really applied to us with healthcare related stuff. Wait times at walk-in clinics has been relatively short and the care has been thorough and good. We have more coverage, prescriptions and overall out of pocket expenses are way cheaper. We are getting older and my wife was having some anxiety about her health so I told her get all the testing you want, we'll submit it all for reimbursement and just pay out of pocket for what they wont cover. She got a full physical, blood/stool/urine work, and a full body ultrasound. All of it was reimbursed(we are on private insurance, but we go to facilities that also provide care for public insurance). That's just a bit about my limited experience in Frankfurt but overall we have been much happier with it.
It's a reimbursement model?
Not always. We have a private insurance plan that is reimbursement on certain things. Public option plans for example, the insurance providers are billed directly by the health care provider.
Just curious, what is the one thing you love about living abroad/ Germany, and the one thing you hate, or miss?
Do you think you could, or would move back to the USA?
I love not having to drive anymore. Public transit is sometimes a little longer than driving but it's so low stress and if you do have to drive, the massive public transit infrastructure helps alleviate traffic on the roads and thus speeds things up. Win/win. I realize it's not for everyone but for me it's a huge reduction in stress, anxiety, and the extra walking was a contributing factor to losing 25 lbs in my first year here.
I hate that government stuff is painfully slow here. I lived in one of the big cities before I got a job. I booked an appointment with the immigration office in the middle of January and the earliest they could see me was mid July. 2 Months after my visa expired. It took 2 months to get an appointment for my german driver's license. We're in a smaller city now and it seems a lot faster but I haven't been here long enough to get a good idea of how much faster it is for everything.
Something that I really miss is mexican food. If you are from an area of the US with good mexican food, you'll be missing out on that here. There are some decent taco places around but otherwise I think most "mexican restaurants" here have just seen pictures of mexican food and guessed how to make it. But Döner is awesome and everywhere, so I suppose I traded Burritos for Döner.