People just don't get it - a bit frustrated

[Boatdrinks]

My wife and I hear it all the time! "Aren't you gonna miss all this stuff?" Hell no! Finally realized we had been working all these years to buy crap we didn't need/use.
Damn it takes a while to get rid of years of crap!
We are leaving in the fall of this year.

[hellosailor]

How about, invite Pops into the project.
"You know, Dad, I think we've considered this all real carefully but I do really value your opinion. Maybe you could put together some expense and income numbers that would help me see your point of view, and whether we've missed something significant."


Translation: Show me your "facts" and I'll show you how many you've missed.


Or, you'll find out that you've missed something. Either way, he gets to "help" and incidentally get enlightened. You're agreeing with him and validating his opinion all the way, but at the same time asking him to PROVE IT.

[dana-tenacity]

Don't wait 6 years.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Your Welcome.. hope it helped..
Regarding the Health side..
I live in Portugal and tho' I am an official Resident I'm not in their Health System as yet (to lazy and staying UK is handy till I decide).
Last year I hit 66 and not having seen a doc for a proper health check up for over 10yrs I bit the bullet and went for it..
Now remember this was a private hostpital..
Blood tests..
Bowel and Bladder tests..
ECG + X-ray
Chest and lower back X-rays x 5
Total cost 117.39 euros.
Results available in 1/2 hour.. or the next day for fluid samples..
How does that compare to the price for the above in the US of A...
exchange rate $1.11/euro at the moment..

Good for another 10yrs at least...

Oh... and St Barts... deep six inch gash in foot..
12 stitches and Meds inc bandages etc.. $90.00
Seems cheap as chips to me..

Boaty,

Take a seat. Sit down and get real comfortable so when you pass out from about what I am about to say, you won't bang your head and have to go back to the hospital....

Last year, the wife and I went to China to visit the builder of the boat we want to buy. We needed some shots so we went to the same doctor on different days. Well, my wife got charged some reasonable amount for a single shot but I was charged $140! This was my cost and the does not include what insurance paid out. A single shot and a talk to a PA cost me $140. Not a even a visit with the Dr.

We complained to the office and they said it was a consultation! To make it worse, we did not get the shots we thought we should, so we went to the drug store, some US drug stores now have nurses on duty to provide some health services, and we got the other shots we should have for about $20 each.

One of the kids has a wart that does need to be removed. We have tried this and that and nothing worked. Took the kid to the doc who did something and told us to buy an cream to help remove the wart. The cream was $140!

That ain't why I had you sit down....

It gets better....

Its tax time in the US and I track what we spend on health care. In years past, how much an employer paid for health care plans was hidden. The company would not tell you because it is part of your total compensation plan, and if you don't know how much the company pays for health care, they can decrease their payments without the employee knowing. You get a pay cut but don't know it. As a result of ObamaCare, employers now have to report how much they pay for each employees health care plan in our tax documents we have to use to do our taxes.

I added up what the company pays for the health plan, our premiums and our out of pocket expenses, and it was around $25,000 a year! Now most of that is paid by the company but our out of pocket expenses are still very high.

Boaty? Boaty? You still there? Do we need to call an ambulance? Boaty?

I danged near had to go to the hospital after I summed up the numbers.

Originally Posted by Cthoops

I continue to be amazed whenever I read about someone's medical costs outside of the U.S. Before we got into sailing we had a vague idea that the medical system here is messed up. Now, we know it.

The US Health Care system is so messed up it is unreal. You can get great quality care in the US but the finances are a disaster. What is funny, is that people usually complain about the insurance companies. Unfortunately, we have had quite a bit of health care procedures through the year, and all of our billing problems are with the doctors and hospitals. I can't say we have ever had a problem with the insurance company, and in fact, they are the ones who are most helpful. To make it even "better", my wife's identity was stolen, and without a doubt, the information was taken from a health care provider's office.

We got a bill yesterday for $1,600 for a service that NEVER happened! Not even sure we visited the doctors office that day.

Sorry for ranting, A bit frustrated.

People we talk too don't understand why we want to go off in a boat either.

Later,
Dan

[Prairie Chicken]

Just out of curiosity, how much does your basic MRI cost in the US? We just paid for one from a private provider here in Canada & paid $835 CAD.

Yes, it always amazes us how uninformed many Americans are about health care elsewhere in the world. No need to say more with this crowd.

[RTB]

Originally Posted by Cthoops

Even my friends who are supportive of our plans ask "What about health care?", and when my response mentions self-pay they look at me like I have two heads.

Just curious, have you considered just getting a "Major Medical" policy? I think you might be able to fit it into the cruising budget. We're retired (63 years old) and live on our boat. We cruise the Gulf, East Coast, and Bahamas. My wife was a teacher and our insurance was through TRS. We dropped all but major medical. Hers is free, but coverage for me is a bit over $800.00/yr.

Isn't there a penalty these days if you don't have insurance coverage?

About your dad...well, if you are @56ish, dad is no spring chicken. His values are probably in the "old fashioned" category. You gotta love older folk. He'll come around.

Ralph

Ralph

[Greatketch33]

Originally Posted by Boatdrinks

My wife and I hear it all the time! "Aren't you gonna miss all this stuff?" Hell no! Finally realized we had been working all these years to buy crap we didn't need/use. Damn it takes a while to get rid of years of crap! We are leaving in the fall of this year.

I am not able to cruise at the moment so I day cruise during the summer.

This thread mentions that people don't get it regarding the cruising life. I find most people don't get it regarding sailing on a boat; the connection to nature; the excitement or tranquility of the water; the motion; the spiritual connection; and the connection to the past-- as humans have been sailing for centuries. Other sailors get it, but difficult to explain to others.

I have been fortunate enough to take folks who never sailed and after the sail experience; they get it. It is a great feeling.

[Cil]

We understand your frustration with people. We have been ready to begin our dream for the past twelve months, only stumbling block is the house taking longer to sell than expected. We have blocked the negative people out of our plans and only the positive ones will be invited on board as we sail around Oz. Some people like their comfort zone, I for one, cannot imagine sitting in the same place through my retirement, far too much to see and do. We've earned it, the same as everyone else on this forum. Live your dream and pity the ones who just don't get it.

Meanwhile, anyone want to buy a 2 acre property in a gorgeous bush setting on the outskirts of Perth

Cheers
Cil


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[iancoombe]

We started cruising 2 yrs ago at your age its amazing how all the little aches a pains disappear at five knots.
When we travel back to Perth Australia to see family and friends we tend not to talk about our cruising life as it is lifestyle so alien to them that talking about it would just bore them .
Will we have enough money to die with, l dont know but we will have memories to replay and that should keep us smiling to the end.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Cthoops

LOL. I figured it would just be a matter of time before a comment like that showed up. No worries there. I haven't felt the need to "please" my father (mother is dead) for decades. However, I do like to give him a call every few weeks to touch base (he lives 3,000 miles away). See how he's doing, let him know I'm alive, etc.


As for his opinion, I wasn't looking for his opinion on sailing. That would be stupid, given that he doesn't sail. I was interested in his thoughts from a retirement perspective, financially speaking.

No offense meant there. I too think our parents, family and friends' opinions may help us in so many ways. I often ask opinion and at times I change my ways and follow other people's guidance too. Except that I no longer get frustrated if their opinion happens to contradict hard facts. It would be a very dry world if we were limited to give only solicited advice.

b.

[hpeer]

Our parents are gone, it's the bloody KIDS who don't get it!

Sheesh!

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken

Just out of curiosity, how much does your basic MRI cost in the US? We just paid for one from a private provider here in Canada & paid $835 CAD.



Yes, it always amazes us how uninformed many Americans are about health care elsewhere in the world. No need to say more with this crowd.

In Ireland I pay 100 euros for a private MRI scan. This was on the latest 3 Tesla Siemens jobbie too

Boaties experience is very cheap. Portugal has unusually low medical costs

Medical expenses are weird . It's currently cheaper for my wife to ryanair to London and fill her prescription for 6 months for 20 quid on the NHS , then to buy them locally.

Self pay is a fine idea , however it's has its limits. One needs to research the topic. I personally have European wide private health insurance even though. I quality for an E111.

Dave


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[Mirage Gecko]

MRI done on shoulder two weeks ago also on latest Siemens gadget cost me $225 AUD.I have no private insurance at all so that $225 is probably topped up by our "free"Medicare system.Ultra sound Cortisone shot into the bursa the following week free to me.
So if the USA system is so expensive who is getting the money? Doctors or the system.
Chris

[Morrissey]

I had 2 MRI's a couple of weeks ago. One was for a recent injury and was free (covered by Medicare I guess). The other was for a 1973 injury that I wanted in order to think about reconstruction. That one cost me $245. I have 'top' medical and hospital insurance for myself and 2 student children at less than $5000pa. Our health care system has been working reasonably well but is under stress and I fear its heading the way of the USA in terms of costs. Hope I'm wrong about that.

[carstenb]

Don't want to turn this into a medical cost thread - in Denmark medical care is free, so I can't comment.

Regarding people don't get it. For non-sailors, the idea of being out of sight of land for several weeks on a small boat with only yourself to rely on is terrifying. Don't forget, very few people in today's western societies have tried being totally self-reliant for several weeks.

Just being out of mobile phone coverage scares some to death.

We're leaving next year and damn few really understand it. LIke you we'll have enough finances, less than some, more than others. The comment we get most often is:
Wow, you're gonna cross the oceans just the two of you? Vinni (my wife) is gonna be alone at the helm? (funny, for some reason they all think it is no problem for me to be alone at the helm, but it is a major problem for her to be).

You're right, just go about getting ready and do't worry about the nay sayers.

Revenge is a dish best eaten cold - send tham pictures of your boat in a tropical lagoon and the two of you lazing about on a deserted white sand beach they'll eat their hearts out)