worried about cost of health care

[Steven]

What I would suggest is you do more research - actually figure out how much tax you're going to be paying because if you move your tax home to the US then you will usually pay less tax. Work out the cost of the healthcare plan and see if the tax difference covers the cost. Actually find out how much the prescriptions will cost in the US, there are various websites you can check on.

[slpmom]

Definitely would move our tax base to the US and yes, the tax difference does cover the cost. To tell you the truth, I'm not too worried about having to fork out for the prescriptions. It's those expensive hospitalizations you hear about that are freaking me out. My hubby thinks i'm nuts by the way - he says "how many times have you been hospitalized in Canada?" ...."Um, none" I say (except for birthin' your babies!). "then why do you suddenly think one of us is going to become gravely ill?" he asks. Well, cause....it can happen...hmmmm.

[hmw]

You should definitely check with the HR of your US company before you move. My wife has a pre-exisiting condition so I did quite a bit of research before we moved down here. Most employer-sponsored plans can't turn you down or refuse coverage because of an exisitng condition.

Our employer sponsored plan is pretty good. We pay 20% of the generic drug cost and the plan picks up the rest. Our share of the med cost is capped at $2000 per year per family. All hospital admissions are covered with no deductible. Labs/CTs etc are covered in full and there is a co-pay of $20 to see a specialist and less for a primary care doc. Our biweekly contribution is about $128, pre-tax.

You should also enrol in a flexible health spending plan with your employer. You can contribute a max. of $5000 (pre-tax) to spend on out pocket medical expense (eg. co-pays, drugs, even over the counter meds)

[slpmom]

Thanks so much hmw. It helps to know there are good plans out there. I will definitely look into it.