villa owners

[ctgirlscout]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Osceola
Paul, consider that if you go to hospital in US, without the health insurance that costs each american family a huge portion of their earnings, for a broken arm you'd end up with a bill in the range of $30,000 to $50,000. Or that property taxes for a reasonably nice house of $300 thousand could be $6000 to 8000 a year. Or that you have to drive everywhere in the US so the cheaper petrol may not be so cheap after all. Or that once you are making decent money in the US that suddenly you find yourself in the 36% tax bracket! Or that even when you do have health insurance, suddenly the carrier just decides it doesn't want to cover your bills (yes, this happens more than you might realize). Did anyone see the article in the Orlando Sentinel about the young couple whose baby had some sort of respiratory problem and their medical bills are already in the MILLIONS of dollars! No, I don't see the wisdom in it and particularly for English people already at the "top of the social foodchain" to move to a place that is already 30-40 percent hispanic where you'd be one of the smallest of minorities.
[/quote]

Not sure where you got your statistics from, but according to the US Census Bureau, estimates for 2005 put the percentage of hispanics at 14.4%. FL is somewhat higher at 19.5%. For health care, check out this article from the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...040700882.html It put the cost of a broken arm without insurance at about $8000. Still high, but not quite $30,000 to $50,000. Also, not every place in the US has high property taxes. It is true that many northeastern states and Florida have high taxes. Our taxes on our FL home were $7,000 for the year, but our home in Alabama was only $290 for the year.

[Osceola]

Teresa, have you been to Osceola County recently? I am informed that there the percentage of Hispanic residents is in that range. There is an expat on here and other forums who I believe had just that kind of experience with a broken bone. I can personally vouch for a trip to the emergency room at hospital for what was thought to be food poisoning. Waited 8 hours for attention. Then spent 2 and half hours under treatment. $2700! And it was just some indigestion. Most Brits don't buy in Alabama and I'd like to know what the insurance is now for that condo on the Alabama gulf coast!!!

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Just moving this to the Off Topic area as it's gone some way off topic.

[wrpac00]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Osceola
Paul, consider that if you go to hospital in US, without the health insurance that costs each american family a huge portion of their earnings, for a broken arm you'd end up with a bill in the range of $30,000 to $50,000. Or that property taxes for a reasonably nice house of $300 thousand could be $6000 to 8000 a year. Or that you have to drive everywhere in the US so the cheaper petrol may not be so cheap after all. Or that once you are making decent money in the US that suddenly you find yourself in the 36% tax bracket! Or that even when you do have health insurance, suddenly the carrier just decides it doesn't want to cover your bills (yes, this happens more than you might realize). Did anyone see the article in the Orlando Sentinel about the young couple whose baby had some sort of respiratory problem and their medical bills are already in the MILLIONS of dollars! No, I don't see the wisdom in it and particularly for English people already at the "top of the social foodchain" to move to a place that is already 30-40 percent hispanic where you'd be one of the smallest of minorities.
[/quote]

You seem to have missed the point. If you take what you pay in the UK in National Insurance you would have enough to take out private medical insurance. The problem is we are used to paying it as it is compulsary where as in the US they have to sort it out for themselves and see it as an overhead they might not be able to afford until something goes wrong.

I am not sure where you are going with the petrol thing, it is a 1/4 of what we pay!!!!!

[chrizzy100]

I never see the point in all this...both countries have good and bad points...why can't people just except that..[?]

[ctgirlscout]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Osceola
Teresa, have you been to Osceola County recently? I am informed that there the percentage of Hispanic residents is in that range. There is an expat on here and other forums who I believe had just that kind of experience with a broken bone. I can personally vouch for a trip to the emergency room at hospital for what was thought to be food poisoning. Waited 8 hours for attention. Then spent 2 and half hours under treatment. $2700! And it was just some indigestion. Most Brits don't buy in Alabama and I'd like to know what the insurance is now for that condo on the Alabama gulf coast!!!
[/quote]

Yes, I have been to Osceola recently, and yes, there are a large number of hispanics there. Actually 37.8%. But your post didn't specify Osceola, just the US. Same with the taxes. I live in a rural area, so my taxes are very low. If you want to live in a metropolitan area such as Orlando, then your cost of living will be much higher. And I do agree with you about the hospital waiting time, which can be absurd. Been through it myself with my kids.

[chrizzy100]

We've never had a wait so far at the hospital...and we have used our local hospital a lot over the years...I can't really fault any treatment so far or the cost..my doctor has his own little hospital which you can be taken to for a lot of things... and if he has the meds there they are free...I've not paid for any yet...could be the joys of living in a small town...but its a holiday place so you'd think with only one hospital for miles we would of had a long wait for treatment at some time...my Grandson gets free healthcare...but I have seen the bills to the State healthcare program...and they are not that high...

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:I am not sure where you are going with the petrol thing, it is a 1/4 of what we pay!!!!!
[/quote]

Not the petrol I buy in Florida or UK.

The cheapest unleaded petrol(gas) in Florida is about 36p* a litre. That would mean paying £1.44 a litre for your statement to be accurate.

*Cheapest Gas available in my area is $2.72 US gal(Average is $2.799)

US gal = 3.785 litres using exchange rate £1 = $2.00

$2.72 = £1.36 divided by 3.785 = 35.93p a litre.

Cheapest unleaded in my area of UK 91.9p(average is 94.4p)

So petrol in Florida is approx 40%(not 25%) of the UK price.

Yes I know that's a lot cheaper!!!

[wrpac00]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:I am not sure where you are going with the petrol thing, it is a 1/4 of what we pay!!!!!
[/quote]

Not the petrol I buy in Florida or UK.
[/quote]

Neither me. I was paying $2.53 in the summer and I pay 92.9 in the UK. Thats roughly 1/3 of the price, lets leave it at that shall we.

[chrizzy100]

Our gas prices have just left the $3 mark because the holiday makers have gone...