usa v ireland

juanveron45

Because its very hard to attain a green card, I have to ask what does america have as far as standard of living is concered that ireland doesnt , I mean if i was given a green card tomorrow would i be better of going to the usa or staying here,what are the pro and cons?(im single so ive no ties) Im asking in terms of standard of living?

dSTAR

You ask as though a certain standard of living is automatically bestowed on you as soon as you enter the country.

You standard of living is usually determined by your ability to sell your time or expertise in return for financial reward.

FatherTed

It's a very open question... Is the standard of living higher or lower? It depends. It can also vary if you are in Ireland. Different factors come into place e.g. income, location, environmental. For me, I think my standard of living is higher because I earn more here in the US than what I would in Ireland, some things are cheaper plus there are so many more things and opportunities to do here.

greenteaicedtea

How do health care costs compare, between the US and Ireland? As far as I know, in the US if you don't have insurance, you have to pay for everything.

Captain Trips

US Health Insurance is more expensive than Ireland - to get say VHI plan B equivalent for a family it is around US$9-10k/year. Of course there are much more expensive and cheaper ones depending on what you want. Prescription drugs tend to run around 2-3 times of Ireland. The Medicare system is not as comprehensive as Ireland's public health care system.

However, note that there are significant differences from state to state, just like in the EU, so you might pay expensive private insurance in NY, but Vermont could be totally different, as is Mass. whcih just recently proposed a "mandatory" health insurance act, to reduce the amount of people going without health insurance as costs have been increasing significantly in recent years, and as such the numbers dependent on Medicare. .

In Ireland, we have a more comprehensive and accesible public system and the private system is at the moment much more easy to get care from (e.g., inpatient stays in Ireland by VHI will be signed off automatically, whereas there are HMO and PPO care liaison people who will encourage discharge ASAP, but again, it varies hugely from state to state). Bizarre things can happen, such as your local family doctor not signing up to be part of one HMO's group, so when you want to attend, you find he doesn't see you as the HMO might pay him sqaut, and the HMO tells you you have a choice of e.g., 4 others in your area, who may not know your history. Likewise, you may be treated by varying levels of professionals at many stages, some with medical training and some without, if that makes a difference to you.

If you read some of the threads at Studentdoctor.net's forums you will find a lot of useful info from the horse's mouth, so to speak, and some of it sounds great and some of it sounds awful. It really can vary from state to state and city to city by large amounts of money can quality of care.

FatherTed

Health Care cost has risen sharply in the US in recent years. I currently pay $166 for a family of 5 per month for health and $21/month for dental. Also, my employer pays roughly the same amount for me. Not a bad deal for me I guess, but then again, it depends on the company and thankfully my company pays a big portion of the premium. My copay for office visits has risen this year from $20 to $25. I pay $20 per prescriptions. A few years ago I paid about $100/month premium and had a $10 copay for office visits and prescriptions so it has risen but I still think it is a good deal.

Practically all doctors and specialists in my area are covered by my health plan. In the rare case that they are not, I would have to pay the doctor myself and then get reimbursed by the insurance company. But this can be easily avoided by checking before hand if that doctors is covered. It is in the doctor's best interest to make sure that all insurance companies cover him as this will lead to more business for him.

I truely believe we have the best health care in the World in the US e.g. my 4 year old niece in Ireland who has diabetes has had to wait 4 months for a test to find out if she has celiac disease. Here there would be no wait. * As long as you can pay.

shortys94

Plenty of recreational activites which are very diverse, lots of choice. Lots of GAA clubs in New york state if you need one :P

Materialisticly cheap but taxes, healthcare, expensive. You gotta have the money to "Live The Dream".

Hells_Belle

It is much, much, much better to be poor in Ireland than in the US. There are levels of poverty in the US that simply do not exist in Ireland. And while healthcare has been mentioned, it is also worth noting that there is no functioning social welfare system in the US.

Ruu_Old

Argh, I had a medical issue that had to be sorted and the only place I could go to was a "convenient care" place, that charged me $117 right off the bat and would "bill me for the rest later".

Ajos

Hells_Belle wrote:

It is much, much, much better to be poor in Ireland than in the US. There are levels of poverty in the US that simply do not exist in Ireland. And while healthcare has been mentioned, it is also worth noting that there is no functioning social welfare system in the US.

This is true. If you're planning on being poor, stay in Ireland. If, on the other hand, you want to be challenged and opened up to a whole new world of opportunities, testing yourself in competition with some of the best and the brightest, then you should come to the US. Ireland is cool and all but they call New York the capital of the world for a reason.

Healthcare here is generally great, if - and it's a big if - you have insurance. A good job will come with an insurance plan, but it is scary not to be covered. I went without for nearly two years. My plan if I got sick was to get on a plane! It's all good now, though.

Sorry if my New York boosting is irritating, but I really love it here!

iguana

Ajos wrote:

My plan if I got sick was to get on a plane! It's all good now, though.

Not a plan that most Americans can utilise though. You've always had the safety net of being able to come home if things go completely tits up for you.

Ajos wrote:

Sorry if my New York boosting is irritating, but I really love it here!

To my mind that is the main reason to move anywhere. If the OP is considering a move to the US I'd advise to do it because it appeals, not because you think it will be a source of great riches. Many people who moved to the states in the late 80's/early 90's thought they would be able to work hard earn huge amounts and come home and buy a big house mortgage free. Then the house prices here went insane and the money they thought would buy a house barely met the deposit. So they stayed put or came home and realised that those who had stayed behind, earned less but bought earlier were actually far, far better off.

My point is that you never can tell. Move if something about the states is drawing you to move there (and you have the means to do so legally). But don't do it because you hope it will bring you great riches. It might, or it might end up that your friends who stayed in Ireland are better off.