View Full Version : Health Care Still Influencing My Decisions.....
gimmethesimplelife
12-1-13, 11:43pm
Regardless of what folks think about ObamaCare, pro or con, I am finding myself thinking more about my future and health care still is a big factor in any major decisions. More so now as I have been reading of yet more challenges in the courts upcoming for ObamaCare.
I have done some research lately and have been thinking about Pittsburgh as a place to grow older in - I have found some in city neighborhoods that are reputed to be clean and safe and where the houses look like they have been maintained over the years - I found a listing for a nice small house built in 1900 that has mostly everything I'd be looking for in a walkable neighborhood, confirmed through Walkability Score online. But then I wonder, if ObamaCare is significantly altered or shot down at this late date, it would be the height of insanity to move further away from the Mexican border as opposed to closer to it for affordable health care.
And that's not all. If I do get my Medicaid card from the State of Arizona in the mail here and it is valid and that part of ObamaCare still stands (Arizona expanded Medicaid) I think my seasonal wanderings would be a thing of the past. It would be the height of insanity to finally have insurance after all these years and then lose it by moving to another state for a seasonal job.
This all I find depressing as I was hoping ObamaCare would lessen health care as a major issue to be factored into life decisions, and here I still find myself wary of moving further away from Mexico and also to some degree chained to my life in Phoenix once I get the AHCCCS card. (stands for Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, aka Medicaid in Arizona).
I'm wondering post health care rollout if anyone else out there is bummed about finding access to healthcare still a factor in life decisions? How it this impacting you, postponing or declining decisions/opportunities? Rob
The ACA is a huge factor in liberating us from the need for ongoing employment as a way to access reasonably priced health insurance. If we return to the US, it will likely be to Washington state, which has been pretty successful in its rollout of the exchanges. I haven't looked closely at what bronze plan coverage for a family of four would be, but am guessing that it will be affordable. More so if we can keep our living costs modest by buying a home outright for cash (which we should have plenty of if/when we sell our Beijing apartment).
Well Rob you could always buy health insurance. You don't have to rely on others to take care of you. If I was as worried as you seam to be about health care, I would be looking at ways to afford it.
Maybe get one of those 40hr a week jobs.
Or your probably correct, time to leave the country. I'm starting to think about it myself. When you factor in the 15 to 20 thousand for health insurance and state and local taxes. That would go a long way toward a new place.
It affects my decisions, and has for 16 years, in that my work and my insurance are tied together. I have worked full time in order to get the best deal on insurance for my family. If they were not linked, I would work 3-4 days a week. That's the sweet spot for me for work-life balance. But then I would probably still need 40 hrs for the budget ..... So I just join the masses in working 40, and take all my holidays and vacation days. Sometimes its easier to just go with the majority and be Zen about it.
flowerseverywhere
12-2-13, 10:05am
Not only healthcare, but taxes, crime rate, access to a good library, weather etc. all go into our decisions where to live. We stayed in the full time workforce for years after we really had to so we could qualify for affordable health care on a retiree plan. This year it is continuing, although it has almost doubled in the past five years. who knows about 2015. The way I look at it is there is no free lunch. Everything comes with strings attached. Instead of moving to a part time workforce we continued on in the grind. I would think you would be ecstatic about your ability to get Medicaid as opposed to looking at the limitations it imposes. Especially since the government is not supplying your Medicaid, tax paying workers are. I think that is the one thing I have difficulty with. No matter how many social programs are in place there is always a call for more. I think that is why the tea party gained such a foothold.
I only have one question. If Mexico is so wonderful, if the healthcare is top notch and low cost, why aren't they securing their borders against Americans sneaking in as opposed to the other way around? There must still be something great about America.
I do the 40 hour grind too, partially for the healthcare benefits which are paid for by the university. Mostly for the retirement pension though. I can't imagine going from AZ to Pittsburgh, ie the weather factor. Do you not like living in AZ? That is where I would stay. Also, you might not want to continue the wandering thing as you get older. I am not in the majority on this thought, but unless I had/have an existing or chronic health condition, I would rather work on prevention than relying on the dysfunctional health care paradigm that we have. At some point though, I will have to consider insuring dh on mine which might end up being very costly.
I was just reading an article about the top five regrets people have at the end of their lives, and "working too much" was one of them. For many of us, "making a dying" was a huge time sink. Maybe separating health care costs from employment will make it easier for people to reach their own "sweet spot" in this regard.
(The idea that people should lash themselves to the oars of some job for life just to get health care should be roundly condemned. Instead, we tongue-lash people who want an actual life. Only in America.)
ApatheticNoMore
12-2-13, 12:59pm
I don't get it. Though one can occasionally defy all expectations and ask for part time work (and you will never hear the end of it believe me, all the time you'll be pressured to go full time), usually the jobs that are part time pay near minimum wage. Except for a few very rare fields part time work is NOWHERE NORMAL in anything decent paying. Sure it's good to have employer provided health insurance, but that really is not the main factor in working full time. It's the only way to a decent hourly wage. Yeah, Mikey D's is hiring part time but who can live on part-time minimum wage? Also most companies will actually give benefits below 40 hours, because the incentive is to give them at 30. However almost no companies that pay much of anything will *HIRE* below 40 hours! So yes like I said employer provided health insurance is nice, and may offer some incentive for employers to want full time employees, but really neither here nor there for most of us employees in "choosing" (as if) to work full time.
Part-time minimum wage in parts of my state is $15/hour. Soon to be all, I predict. (I offered Rob considerably more than this last time he complained about low wages, but he didn't take me up on it.)
Rob could sell off his real estate, and move here instead of Mexico.
I was just reading an article about the top five regrets people have at the end of their lives, and "working too much" was one of them. For many of us, "making a dying" was a huge time sink. Maybe separating health care costs from employment will make it easier for people to reach their own "sweet spot" in this regard.
(The idea that people should lash themselves to the oars of some job for life just to get health care should be roundly condemned. Instead, we tongue-lash people who want an actual life. Only in America.)
The problem comes when you expect others to provide for you. I don't think healthcare is an employers responsibility. If you need to go to a doctor, you should pay him, either through insurance or cash. Do you expect him to work for less because you chose not to? I agree healthcare cost are too high, maybe if more people actually paid they would work on lowering the cost. Not just get someone else to pay them.
Part-time minimum wage in parts of my state is $15/hour. Soon to be all, I predict. (I offered Rob considerably more than this last time he complained about low wages, but he didn't take me up on it.)
Rob could sell off his real estate, and move here instead of Mexico.
Its easier to complain than take action.
Maybe separating health care costs from employment will make it easier for people to reach their own "sweet spot" in this regard.
(The idea that people should lash themselves to the oars of some job for life just to get health care should be roundly condemned. )
Yes. I agree 100%. I'm just bummed because it seems Obamacare isn't going to unlock the handcuffs just yet.
ApatheticNoMore
12-2-13, 1:54pm
Yes. I agree 100%. I'm just bummed because it seems Obamacare isn't going to unlock the handcuffs just yet.
i'm just afraid that when it does it will be because everyone has 20k out of pocket costs, including good little employee drones :P. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. Lifestyle changes to try to avoid getting sick are the new healthcare.
Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.
So true.
Lifestyle changes to try to avoid getting sick are the new healthcare.
Well, that's not entirely a bad thing. Too bad there's no profit in healthy patients.
...I agree healthcare cost are too high, maybe if more people actually paid they would work on lowering the cost. Not just get someone else to pay them.
Health care was affordable, before insurance and shareholders got involved. If we went back to a non-profit model, it could be again. (Doctors didn't work unpaid, but sometimes they extended credit.)
Lifestyle changes to try to avoid getting sick are the new healthcare.
I will say that the majority of the patients I have interacted with on emergency medical calls this last year were sick due to lifestyle issues. Each of those ambulance runs and helicopter evacs and ER visits cost a lot of money, money that could have been saved in many of the cases by proper diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. And my sample is drawn from one of the healthiest counties in the USA, when I go over to the mainland and see people at large shopping locations, I see huge numbers of The Walking Dead, frankly.
Gardenarian
12-2-13, 3:33pm
I'm surprised by the number of people saying "go out and get a full time job! get in the rat race, be part of the system!"
What's going on here? Since when did caving into corporate America become part of simple living?
I agree that part-time wages suck; at my college part-timers earn 51% (per hour) compared to the full-timers. This is something we should all be working on changing. And raising the minimum wage, too.
The problem is that health care is unaffordable. In California, at least, the ACA is helping. (Savings of about ~$1000/month for my family of three.)
Having a healthy lifestyle might make it less likely that you'll get sick, but genetics and luck play a huge role as well. There are a lot of people who eat well and exercise and meditate and get sick anyway. You must buy health insurance or risk losing your home and anything else you may have worked for.
I'm uncomfortable with what I see as blaming the victim here.
I'm uncomfortable with what I see as blaming the victim here.
I agree.
ApatheticNoMore
12-2-13, 4:08pm
I'm surprised by the number of people saying "go out and get a full time job! get in the rat race, be part of the system!"
What's going on here? Since when did caving into corporate America become part of simple living?
It seems to be part of *living* period. The system is pretty good at allowing few alternatives, astoundingly good. A few are cut out to be entrepreneurs, but thinking that is ever going to be the majority seems without basis. There are times it was a larger percentage of the population, but you are going back near 100 years or so.
Having a healthy lifestyle might make it less likely that you'll get sick, but genetics and luck play a huge role as well. There are a lot of people who eat well and exercise and meditate and get sick anyway. You must buy health insurance or risk losing your home and anything else you may have worked for.
my thoughts about a healthy lifestyle are actually resignation (the charge of victim blaming is PURE projection). What I actually think is: the healthcare system sucks and seems to be getting worse. The U.S. political system seems very iffy on solving the problem because it takes so much money from healthcare inc.. In a completely rigged system the only winning move is not to play (ie try to avoid the clutches on healthcare inc. when one can).
deleted because I misunderstood Gardinerian's post.
http://forums.watchuseek.com/attachments/f71/1280839d1384359409-wruw-wednesday-13th-november-2013-obamanation-emily-litella-never-mind.jpg
Simpler at Fifty
12-2-13, 4:18pm
Affording health care or health insurance are two different things. This whole ACA is not health care reform it is health insurance reform. I doubt the hospitals are going to charge less for an ER visit or gallbladder removal now that the ACA is going into effect.
flowerseverywhere
12-2-13, 4:55pm
I'm surprised by the number of people saying "go out and get a full time job! get in the rat race, be part of the system!"
What's going on here? Since when did caving into corporate America become part of simple living?
I agree that part-time wages suck; at my college part-timers earn 51% (per hour) compared to the full-timers. This is something we should all be working on changing. And raising the minimum wage, too.
The problem is that health care is unaffordable. In California, at least, the ACA is helping. (Savings of about ~$1000/month for my family of three.)
.
No one has to cave into corporate America unless you want to have the things it provides. You can ride a bike or walk instead of having a car, grow your own food instead of going to the grocery store, and pay for a doctor out of pocket when you need one. Live in a trailer or tent or share a house with many people if you want instead of owning your own house. It is when you want the car, groceries and health insurance etc. that you need to play the game until you are FI.
Gardenarian
12-2-13, 4:58pm
Affording health care or health insurance are two different things. This whole ACA is not health care reform it is health insurance reform.
It is my understanding that part of ACA is reducing administrative costs, which should (but probably won't) reduce the cost of health care.
As for my remark about blaming the victim, I was talking about folks saying "suck it up and work full time" to Rob. That is not projection. We are all the victims of a dysfunctional work/health care system that renders freedom to be a mere chimera.
As for my remark about blaming the victim, I was talking about folks saying "suck it up and work full time" to Rob. That is not projection. We are all the victims of a dysfunctional work/health care system that renders freedom to be a mere chimera.
Oh.. I thought you were referring to bae's comments about the Walking Dead. I totally agree that we have a totally dysfunctional work/health care system.
Oh.. I thought you were referring to bae's comments about the Walking Dead. I totally agree that we have a totally dysfunctional work/health care system.
It all depends on what you consider "functional". The primary function of our health care system is to make money. And the primary "cure" is to get on that treadmill and work, work, work so you can spend, spend, spend.
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:21pm
Well Rob you could always buy health insurance. You don't have to rely on others to take care of you. If I was as worried as you seam to be about health care, I would be looking at ways to afford it.
Maybe get one of those 40hr a week jobs.This assumes such is available or that I could win in the brutal competition for the few such jobs that one could find in the Phoenix Metro Area. Not the best of assumptions, if you don't believe me, please google Phoenix job market and see what I am up against here. Also please realize that more and more employers that still hire FT do so without offering benefits these days. Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:23pm
Or your probably correct, time to leave the country. I'm starting to think about it myself. When you factor in the 15 to 20 thousand for health insurance and state and local taxes. That would go a long way toward a new place.Now on this one, I am in total agreement but.....I am not in the social class where I would be paying such high levels of taxes. But I would agree if you are paying those kinds of taxes, it might be wise to comparison shop other countries to see what they have to offer vs. the US. That much I highly support. Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:28pm
Not only healthcare, but taxes, crime rate, access to a good library, weather etc. all go into our decisions where to live. We stayed in the full time workforce for years after we really had to so we could qualify for affordable health care on a retiree plan. This year it is continuing, although it has almost doubled in the past five years. who knows about 2015. The way I look at it is there is no free lunch. Everything comes with strings attached. Instead of moving to a part time workforce we continued on in the grind. I would think you would be ecstatic about your ability to get Medicaid as opposed to looking at the limitations it imposes. Especially since the government is not supplying your Medicaid, tax paying workers are. I think that is the one thing I have difficulty with. No matter how many social programs are in place there is always a call for more. I think that is why the tea party gained such a foothold.
I only have one question. If Mexico is so wonderful, if the healthcare is top notch and low cost, why aren't they securing their borders against Americans sneaking in as opposed to the other way around? There must still be something great about America.I have read before that the Mexican government claims at any one time there are up to one million Americans in Mexico illegally - not that they are searching for work, but overstaying their tourist cards to soak up the slower pace and lower costs. I think that that number is quite high but I would buy a lower number - Mexico in the safe areas can be a great antidote to what US (and other Western countries too) have become. I think the difference here is that Americans and other first worlders do not flee to Mexico to get handouts of any kind - they flee because the math works better in Mexico, especially when factoring in health care costs. Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:34pm
I was just reading an article about the top five regrets people have at the end of their lives, and "working too much" was one of them. For many of us, "making a dying" was a huge time sink. Maybe separating health care costs from employment will make it easier for people to reach their own "sweet spot" in this regard.
(The idea that people should lash themselves to the oars of some job for life just to get health care should be roundly condemned. Instead, we tongue-lash people who want an actual life. Only in America.)+1,000,000 Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:36pm
Part-time minimum wage in parts of my state is $15/hour. Soon to be all, I predict. (I offered Rob considerably more than this last time he complained about low wages, but he didn't take me up on it.)
Rob could sell off his real estate, and move here instead of Mexico.I read that so far this only applies to the city of Sea-Tac out by the airport? I think that's great but I can understand why business owners would hit the roof on that one. That is a big leap from 9.19hr. Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:39pm
It is my understanding that part of ACA is reducing administrative costs, which should (but probably won't) reduce the cost of health care.
As for my remark about blaming the victim, I was talking about folks saying "suck it up and work full time" to Rob. That is not projection. We are all the victims of a dysfunctional work/health care system that renders freedom to be a mere chimera.Gardenian, thank you, thank you, thank you for understanding this. It is a sad state of affairs to me that many just don't get this. Glad to see those here who do and more power to you! Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:41pm
It all depends on what you consider "functional". The primary function of our health care system is to make money. And the primary "cure" is to get on that treadmill and work, work, work so you can spend, spend, spend.Problem here is that there are those who see through this and don't want to waste their precious life energy living this way. Rob
ApatheticNoMore
12-2-13, 6:47pm
if you don't believe me, please google Phoenix job market and see what I am up against here.
Lower unemployment rate than here, more than full percent lower, maybe they'd be beating down my doors and the streets paved with gold (but seriously a drop of over 1% in the unemployment rate would really help). Bad job markets to deal with ... tell me about it.
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:51pm
Lower unemployment rate than here, more than full percent lower. Maybe I should be looking for work in Phoenix, job market here is pretty bad.8.1% and starting to trend upwards again.....real estate is increasing but Arizona has one of the worst rates of jobs lost during the meltdown vs. jobs gained since. I have seen that there have been some employers such as a few call centers that have moved here and hired and they are getting thousands of applications for the 200 jobs or so they have to fill. It is not as bad here as in 2009 but if this is recovery it's a good thing that most here are saving money if they can because I'm sure not seeing much recovering.....Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 6:54pm
Lower unemployment rate than here, more than full percent lower, maybe they'd be beating down my doors and the streets paved with gold (but seriously a drop of over 1% in the unemployment rate would really help). Bad job markets to deal with ... tell me about it.I'd settle for the streets being paved in stainless steel these days, lol. It's not as bad as California here, true, but stack Arizona against anything in the Midwest from Texas to the Canadian border and you'll see what I mean. Even Pittsburgh of all places is less than 7% now.....Rob
And yet you can make 6 figures working in North/South Dakota right now, with only a minimal skillset.
As soon as I passed the Hazmat operations course and the certification exam, which would take you only a few weeks of diligent work really, I was deluged with job offers, even though I have few other applicable skillsets for the companies hiring, and they mentioned that wasn't an issue. And I'm 50+, and "unemployable". I was tempted to go do it to pay for the first couple years of my kid's college.
Of course, I'd have to actually go work. Probably easier to sit here at home, and let Alan pick up the tab for my healthcare.
I think I'd stay close to the border for the time being. You've got insurance coverage and a backup.
As far your plans for web design, my SIL's daughter--a brilliant kid--taught herself HTML with books from the library and started with temp work in the bay area, which turned into a job with a non-profit when she was eighteen. She's working full-time, but I imagine it would be easy just to work projects, if you preferred.
I was just reading an article about the top five regrets people have at the end of their lives, and "working too much" was one of them. For many of us, "making a dying" was a huge time sink. Maybe separating health care costs from employment will make it easier for people to reach their own "sweet spot" in this regard.
(The idea that people should lash themselves to the oars of some job for life just to get health care should be roundly condemned. Instead, we tongue-lash people who want an actual life. Only in America.)
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/i-should-have-bought-more-crap.jpg
http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Oh+you+hate+your+job_b67541_4390227.jpg
ApatheticNoMore
12-2-13, 8:32pm
Actually I have had thoughts about how sad it will be to have lived my life without ever having owned a food processor and stuff (like I'll be procrastinating buying one like I have all these years and then I'll die never having owned a food processor etc.!). And how pointless and sad it all seems to have procrastinated that so much. Ok I'm weird.
No you're not--I like my stuff, too. It's a pity I can't take it with me. But I figure this may be the only physical reality I experience, so I'm glad I made the most of it. Should I spend eternity in some airy-fairy afterlife, all listening to chimes and disembodied, at least I'll have my memories.:D
Of course, I'd have to actually go work. Probably easier to sit here at home, and let Alan pick up the tab for my healthcare.
It sometimes helps to put a face on public benevolence, especially it is considered a right.
It sometimes helps to put a face on public benevolence, especially it is considered a right.
Hopefully you can help pay some of mine to. Thanks, and I hope Peggy picks up some of my tab also, that would be sweet.
Ive put enough cash away that I can keep my income just below the 400% line at least for 5 or 6 years. Not enough to get me to 65, but who knows what things will be like by then. And I'll still have to pay some, but I can get a small subsidy hopefully. More money for Avgas.
Ive actually been simplifying quite a lot. I sold my Diesel truck on Saturday, I liked having it, but my travel trailer was totaled in a hail storm and I really didn't need it. So more cash and less expense, I'm down to two cars and one airplane now.
We are even thinking of selling the house. Since the kids are no longer with us we have rooms we don't use anymore, its really to big now. I don't know if our next house will be any less expensive, but we can move where the taxes arnt as high. Missouri really isn't to bad, but some states are better, and we want warm winters.
So we can reduce our spending some, supplement our income with savings to keep our income below $62000, and get some of our healthcare subsidized by middle class workers.
I may even look into getting a bronze plan with a HSA so I can shield even more of my income for a greater tax break.
iris lilies
12-2-13, 9:57pm
Hopefully you can help pay some of mine to. Thanks, and I hope Peggy picks up some of my tab also, that would be sweet.
:D I am laughing!
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 9:59pm
I think I'd stay close to the border for the time being. You've got insurance coverage and a backup.
As far your plans for web design, my SIL's daughter--a brilliant kid--taught herself HTML with books from the library and started with temp work in the bay area, which turned into a job with a non-profit when she was eighteen. She's working full-time, but I imagine it would be easy just to work projects, if you preferred.I think you are right about staying close to the border, I really do. The thing about Pittsburgh was that I love the old houses there and real estate is quite cheap there, remarkably so. But, property taxes are pretty steep and then there's heating to worry about in the winter so like anything else, it has it's pros and cons too. It is far from the border, at least the Mexican one anyway, and I do take a great deal of comfort on a daily basis from how close I am to Mexico. On a practical basis, it probably isn't very bright for me to leave Phoenix due to health care being so available and so much more affordable in Algodones - 3.5 hours away, and in Mexicali, five hours away. This is an asset that I'd probably be wise to hold on to.
And thank you for the advice about learning web design. I'm thinking I'm probably best off working projects if I can get them, but once I have the skills, we'll see how it turns out. Glad to hear that this young lady was able to self-learn and find a F/T job from it, though. Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 10:08pm
Actually I have had thoughts about how sad it will be to have lived my life without ever having owned a food processor and stuff (like I'll be procrastinating buying one like I have all these years and then I'll die never having owned a food processor etc.!). And how pointless and sad it all seems to have procrastinated that so much. Ok I'm weird.Lol. I see your point here but I have a food processor - Cuisinart (sp?) - $4 from a thrift shop and works great. I have found for myself there is often a way to satisfy material wants in the this country by finding ways around the system - other than for health care or for finding meaning in life. It's very easy to hit up thrift shops with a list on their sale days and eventually find whatever it is that you are looking for (within reason) - finding affordable health care or meaning in life - this country doesn't do too hot on these metrics in my experience. Rob
gimmethesimplelife
12-2-13, 10:11pm
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/i-should-have-bought-more-crap.jpgLol, I won't be lying there making that comment anyway. Rob
(The idea that people should lash themselves to the oars of some job for life just to get health care should be roundly condemned. Instead, we tongue-lash people who want an actual life. Only in America.)I don't think we tongue lash people who want an actual life outside of employment. I think we tongue lash people who want that life outside of employment to be carried on the backs of others who are employed. Especially when it isn't something that is available to all - like Universal health care - and those who are getting coverage are capable of working themselves.
As for myself - I don't think I'd make any changes in my life, other than maybe going back to work if needed to cover the cost increases that I will experience for health insurance starting next year. Assuming I even choose to buy private insurance at all. May just let the tax payers cover me so I can play, play, play!!! Thanks ya all :-)! Just being snarky here.
Part-time minimum wage in parts of my state is $15/hour. . Here in much-more-expensive-than-Washington Calif, our minimum wage is $8/hour so pretty hard to live on p/t work on that - unless you do shared housing of course. But most people who make minimum wage here should be able to get 100% subsidies or even Medicaid so health insurance costs probably won't be a problem.
It all depends on what you consider "functional". The primary function of our health care system is to make money. And the primary "cure" is to get on that treadmill and work, work, work so you can spend, spend, spend.Well there is an alternative - work, work, work and save, save, save. This seems to be the thing most people seem to have forgotten how to do. While I agree that we have a dysfunctional healthcare system and there needs to be a way to reduce the costs of healthcare as well as health insurance, until that happens I still am on the side of using personal responsibility to fund (affordable) health care for those who are able, rather than relying on others to foot the bill. If I hadn't been able to fund my own health insurance when I choose to quit my job at age 42, I wouldn't have expected other to work to fund that for me so would have just kept on working, working, working and saving, saving, saving.
I think you are right about staying close to the border, I really do. The thing about Pittsburgh was that I love the old houses there and real estate is quite cheap there, remarkably so. But, property taxes are pretty steep and then there's heating to worry about in the winter so like anything else, it has it's pros and cons too. It is far from the border, at least the Mexican one anyway, and I do take a great deal of comfort on a daily basis from how close I am to Mexico. On a practical basis, it probably isn't very bright for me to leave Phoenix due to health care being so available and so much more affordable in Algodones - 3.5 hours away, and in Mexicali, five hours away. This is an asset that I'd probably be wise to hold on to.
And thank you for the advice about learning web design. I'm thinking I'm probably best off working projects if I can get them, but once I have the skills, we'll see how it turns out. Glad to hear that this young lady was able to self-learn and find a F/T job from it, though. RobI think you are right to stay put also. You have a plan for the future, you are working on implementing that plan for a brighter future, and you have (or will likely have) your healthcare needs met until you are back on your feet. You also have a back up plan (like the VA is for me - although that's beginning to look like a up-front plan, at least for a bit, now that my health insurance plan has been cancelled) of being able to go to Mexico for healthcare if needed. So I think staying in your area, and staying with your plan, finishing your training and trying to get into a better employment situation in the future makes the most sense for now.
As for me, sis and I will probably sell our house and I will downsize to something in a more affordable part of the country or state. Maybe even do a stint of employment up in those 6 figure paying states Bae mentioned. A year of that and I can cover all my health insurance needs for a long time and go back to being the early retiree I was born to be :-)!.
Actually I have had thoughts about how sad it will be to have lived my life without ever having owned a food processor and stuff (like I'll be procrastinating buying one like I have all these years and then I'll die never having owned a food processor etc.!). And how pointless and sad it all seems to have procrastinated that so much. Ok I'm weird. Ha Ha - that cracked me up! I just pictured you (well my imaginary vision of you - which is of course a stunningly beautiful woman :-)!) as being on your death bed and crying out for your long lost food processor ("Rosebud.....")
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