I moved to the US from the UK over a year ago and I can't find words to describe the feeling of not having the NHS to rely on. This whole new world of potential disaster has opened up. It's something you've never had to think about before that is now at the forefront of your consciousness.
You can be young, fit and healthy, but get hit by a car and your life is over. Once you're bankrupted by medical fees, you'll never have good credit again - and in the US, this is like the mark of the beast.
It's no wonder that American streets are filled by the homeless and disabled. This is a great country, with wonderful people, but in some ways it's medieval.
While a bankruptcy does stick around a long time (10 years iirc, 3 more than the Jubilee standard for which other credit entries endure), it's not true that "you'll never have good credit again". Many people in the US have gone bankrupt and they are still able to buy and finance homes, cars, and obtain other credit-dependent financial products. Generally it's 1-2 years after bankruptcy where no one will have anything to do with you, but after that, you can be considered a normal person again.
Of course, that presupposes you don't need to pay out-of-pocket for major medical care more than once every 5-10 years.
No, but if you can make it back to the UK you'd be covered, but you'd still have to pay for any sort of treatment you had abroad. You'd be broadly covered within Europe if you're from the UK.
You can be young, fit and healthy, but get hit by a car and your life is over. Once you're bankrupted by medical fees, you'll never have good credit again - and in the US, this is like the mark of the beast.
It's no wonder that American streets are filled by the homeless and disabled. This is a great country, with wonderful people, but in some ways it's medieval.