Those 2 issues (which I agree with) are nothing compared to the masked secret police dragging people out of homes, cars, and workplaces. And blatant corruption, cronyism, and violent cruelty at a scale never seen in any banana republic. My father who served his country his whole career is turning over in his grave.
I know, right. And I certainly feel for the politics of the the time. I couldn’t even begin to describe all the angst I have about what’s happening on the daily basis, but I could pull up my thoughts on guns and healthcare. Those are just the beginning of the story.
The data you posted is helpful as at least theoretically a basis for a thoughtful discussion. Also buried in there in the healthcare value discussion is beyond individual value - for societal value we are (by far) the most $ and the worst population outcomes in all developed nations.
Thanks. I was a bit leery to pick data and tried really hard to pick non agenda-based data without bias. That's hard. I think we all intuitively know the statistics about health care and gun shootings, but I wanted some data to go with the ideas. I'm sure someone will ultimately call me about about the data--and if so--they've missed the point. It doesn't matter if the data show one shooting or 500, it's one too many. Same could be said about healthcare. $500 for a band-aid? No.
I'm in France at the moment and had to go to the ER twice. I was seen right away both times and was in and out in less than two hours -- despite receiving a number of tests/treatments. I was stunned! And then in filling prescriptions at the pharmacy, the medications were a grand total of 20 euros.... and they were filled immediately without waiting.
I've traveled all over the world, and I know the US health care system is very high quality (relative to other countries I've visited where unfortunately the standard of care is lower.) But it blew my mind recently to receive SUCH robust, fast care for such a low price.
Yes. The thing is... I think it IS much better than in many countries in the world. (I've been all over, and I've definitely navigated really bad care as well.) It's just the cost without exceptional insurance is ridiculous. And with the additional ACA subsidies expiring, I think that's becoming clearer and clearer.
Stats and data show that the US is not all that great when it comes to healthcare any more. Long term health outcomes are in the tank when compared to nations of similar wealth/development, and we rank 9th compared to other high-income countries. And it’s only going to get worse with this administration.
Leaving next week. Medical costs and overall costs are the main reason. Oh and that orange turd in the WH ruining the planet. I even wrote a book to vent. No one is reading it of course because I’m a nobody.
The one person not related to me who wrote a review loved it. Go figure.
Couple weeks in Rome to treat myself then to Albania to see if I could see myself there. But I’ll travel around hopefully to do some house sitting. I have a kitty with me so might be harder.
We are in Albania. Feel free to reach out; perhaps I can connect you with some of the communities that exist here (if you're not already connected). Best wishes in your journey.
Im so sorry. I have been to the USA three times, from Australia, and at this stage would never return. From an outsider looking in the blinkers are so obvious, but I understand that we all don’t know what we don’t know, until we do. I hope your Greek visa goes well and hope you share that journey too. Take care. It hurts to watch something or someone crumble.
The comment about "we don't know what we don't know, until we do"... That right, there describes the majority of Americans in certain areas of the states. I went to school with them. My mind had already been opened up as a young child through my parents' national geographic magazines and books that I read vociferously every summer before we moved there. Even as a 9th grader, I realized that the kids around me had zero curiosity about the rest of the world. None. The majority just wanted to graduate and start a job. And the high school was set up for them, with plenty of amazing vocational classes, but an incredibly weak academic curriculum. I'm pretty sure that's a large part of the problem we have right now... At least pre-internet, a large portion of our country probably had minimal to zero exposure to any concept of other cultures, or a way of life. And those people are very easy to put into a fear state about "others" ... because they don't know what they don't know. 😥
I'm 100% with you. I lived in the UK for 8 years. I had both my daughters there, one by cesarean. So I know what healthcare CAN be like.. Unfortunately, a lot of Americans have no inclination to look outside of their own borders and learn about the rest of the world. They buy what their party tells them... That america is the best nation anywhere, that we are the ones that ended World War 2, that we have the best healthcare in spite of all the horrible stories we hear, and the rest of the world must be lying about how they have no issue with not having easy access to guns.
I went to school with these people. I don't know about other areas. But the rural school I went to focused on vocational, (which I would normally praise... I think there is a place for it) but I think the mentality at that time was that if they were going to go into farming or car repair, they didn't need to know history, science, or civics. These people don't know the questions to ask their politicians, and they are very easy to make fearful because they have no experience or curiosity about the rest of the world.
It's sad. Our generation fought hard for the rights that we have... Or should I say had. Unfortunately, I've maintained for at least a decade that the United States is heading for a collapse like every empire has all the way back through history. When a country spreads itself too thin, both military and general intervening in the politics of other countries, when the disparity between the haves and the have nots gets too wide, and when they have used up their natural resources, the empire's collapse.
I'm thankful my daughters have dual citizenship. I only have to worry about getting me out of here. I just hope the one daughter I have that still lives here we'll be smart enough to get out if it gets to that point.
I scoped out Uruguay over Thanksgiving, for many of the same reasons you mention. Financially, it makes sense to live abroad. In the end, I decided to get off the road and build my own little community in Virginia. A lovely little bubble for progressive women. We have to make the change we want to see. Wishing you well.
As an European citizen , I visited NY 1 year ago (before Trump) and I loved the city, it´s just amazing. But one thing was shocking to me … I was walking around the city and I saw a sign saying something like: Guns not allowed in this street. It was so weird to think that only in that street the guns were not allowed and it was ok to a regular citizen to carry a gun in all the other streets, I felt so unsafe when I saw that and I felt sorry for the population. Right now, as many non-american people I would not return because of ICE, because although I have a permit to visit, approved by the government, I would not take the risk.
My family left in 2023 with a 1- and 4-year-old. We traveled for a year before moving to Mexico, and now we’re considering going further south. As much as the reasons you list, it was the cost of family life in the U.S. that pushed us. Two full-time jobs, hardly seeing our kids, cost of preschool, horrible public schools, $7K in monthly expenses — we imagined something better. The new American dream? Earning US dollars abroad. End of story.
My favorite meme of 2023, although in some ways it’s poignant, was, “the new American dream is to be able to afford to move to Mexico.”
My wife and I moved to Mexico in 2022. Between us we have a bunch of kids in the United States, so I don’t see us moving farther away, i.e., somewhere else in Latin America , but if not for that, Columbia or Chile or Costa Rica could be of interest.
That’s hilarious — I haven’t seen that meme. I see you’re in Baja Sur. We spent a winter in La Paz and loved it so much. We’re considering Nicaragua for next school year. A bit further south, but still with good flight options back to family in the U.S. Cheers!
Unfortunately, from the outside looking in, it is now the American Nightmare. When my kids were young we visited the U.S. many times and as an adult I regularly travelled there for business and pleasure. I'm older now and can't foresee the day I will ever set foot on U.S. soil again.
This is so interesting. As a non American I have zero interest in even visiting the US now and most people I speak who are not Americans are similarly reluctant. Its a shame because it is a beautiful and amazing place full of many good, kind and intelligent people - its just that they are not the ones running the place...
We absolutely struggle with this too. It’s definitely the idea of leaving our young adult children behind that holds us back. We have three ages 25,28 and 30. I wish they would leave with us but it’s not so easy for them. It’s devastating!
Do remember that your children are grown adult... Making grown adult decisions. You do your thing... And the good part is that if they suddenly realize what you are seeing, you have already paved a path that would make their transition a lot easier.
And rather than feeling obliged to go home, perhaps they need to come to you once in awhile. I'm planning to try to do that with my daughters... Let them see what I'm doing, set that example. And then they know that they have a choice if the situation in the country starts to become untenable.
My wife and I made the decision to escape the US for all the same reasons, but the biggest stimulus was the 2024 election. I knew that I, as a Brit who had lived in the US since 1985, and the country itself, couldn’t survive 4 more years of that regime. We had already tried to escape US boundaries and politics by moving to the Bahamas, but after surviving the massive Hurricane Dorian and the subsequent world pandemic, force majeure, back in the US with a blind mother in law, we chose to live on a boat for 4 or 5 years. Idyllic and stressful in equal numbers, November 24 sealed our desires to wander more of the world for our mental health. Even on the boat and in the Bahamas we constantly encountered US residents who insisted they needed guns on their person at all times. That is a pervasive mental disease. Hearing your mother’s tale places a whole new perspective on it and is absolutely tragic that our aging population feels a need to pack.
We left the States in May last year. I have one son left there but he’s already arranged to leave permanently for England in June.
Our relief is palpable. I’ve canceled my quarterly Medicare deductions. My wife had her annual medicals taken care of in Kuala Lumpur and despite a scan, various treatments, and consultations that all happened within a day or so of making the appointments, it cost less than the deductible would have been in the US. And she was treated like a human being, with smiles and personal knowledge of all conditions. The care was incredible. The hospital even gave us coupons to buy lunch at their restaurants!
We’re not sure where we will eventually settle. We visited Spain and Portugal a few months ago and decided against them for a number of reasons. We’re following your Greek adventures with great interest and hope to visit later this year.
Thank you for an excellent article that helps us all feel not quite so weird by making these massive decisions. We are as convinced as you we’ve made the right one. Good luck with the Golden visa.
We talk about it almost every day. But as the only child of elderly parents and two grandkids under the age of 5, it just doesn’t seem practical. We get back to see and spend time with both every 3 months. It’s definitely a possibility down the road for all the reasons you so eloquently stated….
If both kids/ grandkids would join us somewhere abroad it would be a no brainer. Thanks for an honest and excellent article. We talk about you both often!
I am not American but I sympathize with your situation. Sadly, the country I used to visit for theater, parks, and sport no longer has an attraction for me. As a Canadian I will pay more to fly direct than risk going through a US transit. Tis a rose now wilted and stained.
I don't think the problem is a lack of fertilizer. There's plenty coming out of Washington. I think it boils down to education, or the lack. So many people are so angry and paranoid. Where does that come from? So many are bamboozled by propaganda and there is no such thing any more as informed debate. Everything seems to be black or white; there is no grey, but most of our life is neither black or white, it falls somewhere in the middle. Kindness, compromise, grace under pressure, civility ... they're all in decline yet they are the glue that holds any society together. It's not just in the U.S. either. I'm old enough that I can figure out a way to manage but I do worry for my children and grandchild. What will their world be like?
Your observations would have been valid had they been made in 2010, 2000 or even earlier. The trajectory was the same then, and brought us to where things stand today.
For some emigration is a lifestyle choice--I live in Nice, where there are many well-to-do Americans who see life as a perpetual vacation. But for others it comes down to survivability, either with regard to financial solvency or actual mortality.
We made the leap, accepting employment in Ireland in 2009 when US insurers' prohibition of those with "pre-existing conditions" meant an adult child with multiple disabilities was left uninsured--and we were faced by both of the issues identified above.
There is widespread misunderstanding, or lack of understanding, in the US about the nature of healthcare systems outside of the US. I often say that I wish every American could live for a year in an environment where healthcare is conceived as a basic resident's right, rather than as a for-profit industrial service.
You might have an interest in my essay "Is Healthcare in Europe really Free" (https://bit.ly/HealthcareEurope) which was intended to provide American readers with a genuine sense of how universal healthcare systems in Europe.
Thank you for this. i think the difference between 2000 vs 2010 vs 2026 is not the issue, its the hope that healthcare access woukd improve and gun access would decline. Whereas I was hopeful up to 2016, being a full-time traveler for 5 years coming into 2026 gave evidence and data to assumptions. I am no longer hopeful that these American problems will improve.
Those 2 issues (which I agree with) are nothing compared to the masked secret police dragging people out of homes, cars, and workplaces. And blatant corruption, cronyism, and violent cruelty at a scale never seen in any banana republic. My father who served his country his whole career is turning over in his grave.
I know, right. And I certainly feel for the politics of the the time. I couldn’t even begin to describe all the angst I have about what’s happening on the daily basis, but I could pull up my thoughts on guns and healthcare. Those are just the beginning of the story.
The data you posted is helpful as at least theoretically a basis for a thoughtful discussion. Also buried in there in the healthcare value discussion is beyond individual value - for societal value we are (by far) the most $ and the worst population outcomes in all developed nations.
Thanks. I was a bit leery to pick data and tried really hard to pick non agenda-based data without bias. That's hard. I think we all intuitively know the statistics about health care and gun shootings, but I wanted some data to go with the ideas. I'm sure someone will ultimately call me about about the data--and if so--they've missed the point. It doesn't matter if the data show one shooting or 500, it's one too many. Same could be said about healthcare. $500 for a band-aid? No.
I'm in France at the moment and had to go to the ER twice. I was seen right away both times and was in and out in less than two hours -- despite receiving a number of tests/treatments. I was stunned! And then in filling prescriptions at the pharmacy, the medications were a grand total of 20 euros.... and they were filled immediately without waiting.
I've traveled all over the world, and I know the US health care system is very high quality (relative to other countries I've visited where unfortunately the standard of care is lower.) But it blew my mind recently to receive SUCH robust, fast care for such a low price.
It’s mindboggling, the US medical system.
Yes. The thing is... I think it IS much better than in many countries in the world. (I've been all over, and I've definitely navigated really bad care as well.) It's just the cost without exceptional insurance is ridiculous. And with the additional ACA subsidies expiring, I think that's becoming clearer and clearer.
Stats and data show that the US is not all that great when it comes to healthcare any more. Long term health outcomes are in the tank when compared to nations of similar wealth/development, and we rank 9th compared to other high-income countries. And it’s only going to get worse with this administration.
Yes, time to seek options.
Leaving next week. Medical costs and overall costs are the main reason. Oh and that orange turd in the WH ruining the planet. I even wrote a book to vent. No one is reading it of course because I’m a nobody.
The one person not related to me who wrote a review loved it. Go figure.
Couple weeks in Rome to treat myself then to Albania to see if I could see myself there. But I’ll travel around hopefully to do some house sitting. I have a kitty with me so might be harder.
We are in Albania. Feel free to reach out; perhaps I can connect you with some of the communities that exist here (if you're not already connected). Best wishes in your journey.
Thank you for the invite! Waving from Greece
I'm happy youve found an exit plan! Sorry about your readership blues :-(
Im so sorry. I have been to the USA three times, from Australia, and at this stage would never return. From an outsider looking in the blinkers are so obvious, but I understand that we all don’t know what we don’t know, until we do. I hope your Greek visa goes well and hope you share that journey too. Take care. It hurts to watch something or someone crumble.
The comment about "we don't know what we don't know, until we do"... That right, there describes the majority of Americans in certain areas of the states. I went to school with them. My mind had already been opened up as a young child through my parents' national geographic magazines and books that I read vociferously every summer before we moved there. Even as a 9th grader, I realized that the kids around me had zero curiosity about the rest of the world. None. The majority just wanted to graduate and start a job. And the high school was set up for them, with plenty of amazing vocational classes, but an incredibly weak academic curriculum. I'm pretty sure that's a large part of the problem we have right now... At least pre-internet, a large portion of our country probably had minimal to zero exposure to any concept of other cultures, or a way of life. And those people are very easy to put into a fear state about "others" ... because they don't know what they don't know. 😥
I'm 100% with you. I lived in the UK for 8 years. I had both my daughters there, one by cesarean. So I know what healthcare CAN be like.. Unfortunately, a lot of Americans have no inclination to look outside of their own borders and learn about the rest of the world. They buy what their party tells them... That america is the best nation anywhere, that we are the ones that ended World War 2, that we have the best healthcare in spite of all the horrible stories we hear, and the rest of the world must be lying about how they have no issue with not having easy access to guns.
I went to school with these people. I don't know about other areas. But the rural school I went to focused on vocational, (which I would normally praise... I think there is a place for it) but I think the mentality at that time was that if they were going to go into farming or car repair, they didn't need to know history, science, or civics. These people don't know the questions to ask their politicians, and they are very easy to make fearful because they have no experience or curiosity about the rest of the world.
It's sad. Our generation fought hard for the rights that we have... Or should I say had. Unfortunately, I've maintained for at least a decade that the United States is heading for a collapse like every empire has all the way back through history. When a country spreads itself too thin, both military and general intervening in the politics of other countries, when the disparity between the haves and the have nots gets too wide, and when they have used up their natural resources, the empire's collapse.
I'm thankful my daughters have dual citizenship. I only have to worry about getting me out of here. I just hope the one daughter I have that still lives here we'll be smart enough to get out if it gets to that point.
I scoped out Uruguay over Thanksgiving, for many of the same reasons you mention. Financially, it makes sense to live abroad. In the end, I decided to get off the road and build my own little community in Virginia. A lovely little bubble for progressive women. We have to make the change we want to see. Wishing you well.
We considered Uruguay at one point, too. There's certainly an argument to Grow Where Planted. Nothing wrong with that.
As an European citizen , I visited NY 1 year ago (before Trump) and I loved the city, it´s just amazing. But one thing was shocking to me … I was walking around the city and I saw a sign saying something like: Guns not allowed in this street. It was so weird to think that only in that street the guns were not allowed and it was ok to a regular citizen to carry a gun in all the other streets, I felt so unsafe when I saw that and I felt sorry for the population. Right now, as many non-american people I would not return because of ICE, because although I have a permit to visit, approved by the government, I would not take the risk.
Sadly, I don't blame you.
My family left in 2023 with a 1- and 4-year-old. We traveled for a year before moving to Mexico, and now we’re considering going further south. As much as the reasons you list, it was the cost of family life in the U.S. that pushed us. Two full-time jobs, hardly seeing our kids, cost of preschool, horrible public schools, $7K in monthly expenses — we imagined something better. The new American dream? Earning US dollars abroad. End of story.
My favorite meme of 2023, although in some ways it’s poignant, was, “the new American dream is to be able to afford to move to Mexico.”
My wife and I moved to Mexico in 2022. Between us we have a bunch of kids in the United States, so I don’t see us moving farther away, i.e., somewhere else in Latin America , but if not for that, Columbia or Chile or Costa Rica could be of interest.
That’s hilarious — I haven’t seen that meme. I see you’re in Baja Sur. We spent a winter in La Paz and loved it so much. We’re considering Nicaragua for next school year. A bit further south, but still with good flight options back to family in the U.S. Cheers!
There is certainly lots of chatter of what the American Dream is these days.
Unfortunately, from the outside looking in, it is now the American Nightmare. When my kids were young we visited the U.S. many times and as an adult I regularly travelled there for business and pleasure. I'm older now and can't foresee the day I will ever set foot on U.S. soil again.
Yes, it's a very sad situation.
Yes!!! That is it!
It sounds like you're happy and healthy with your decision. You're right the new American Dream is here.
This is so interesting. As a non American I have zero interest in even visiting the US now and most people I speak who are not Americans are similarly reluctant. Its a shame because it is a beautiful and amazing place full of many good, kind and intelligent people - its just that they are not the ones running the place...
It's the biggest shame. :-(
MAGA idiots make the U.S. intolerable.
They are somethin’ for sure.
We absolutely struggle with this too. It’s definitely the idea of leaving our young adult children behind that holds us back. We have three ages 25,28 and 30. I wish they would leave with us but it’s not so easy for them. It’s devastating!
That’s tough for sure
Do remember that your children are grown adult... Making grown adult decisions. You do your thing... And the good part is that if they suddenly realize what you are seeing, you have already paved a path that would make their transition a lot easier.
And rather than feeling obliged to go home, perhaps they need to come to you once in awhile. I'm planning to try to do that with my daughters... Let them see what I'm doing, set that example. And then they know that they have a choice if the situation in the country starts to become untenable.
My wife and I made the decision to escape the US for all the same reasons, but the biggest stimulus was the 2024 election. I knew that I, as a Brit who had lived in the US since 1985, and the country itself, couldn’t survive 4 more years of that regime. We had already tried to escape US boundaries and politics by moving to the Bahamas, but after surviving the massive Hurricane Dorian and the subsequent world pandemic, force majeure, back in the US with a blind mother in law, we chose to live on a boat for 4 or 5 years. Idyllic and stressful in equal numbers, November 24 sealed our desires to wander more of the world for our mental health. Even on the boat and in the Bahamas we constantly encountered US residents who insisted they needed guns on their person at all times. That is a pervasive mental disease. Hearing your mother’s tale places a whole new perspective on it and is absolutely tragic that our aging population feels a need to pack.
We left the States in May last year. I have one son left there but he’s already arranged to leave permanently for England in June.
Our relief is palpable. I’ve canceled my quarterly Medicare deductions. My wife had her annual medicals taken care of in Kuala Lumpur and despite a scan, various treatments, and consultations that all happened within a day or so of making the appointments, it cost less than the deductible would have been in the US. And she was treated like a human being, with smiles and personal knowledge of all conditions. The care was incredible. The hospital even gave us coupons to buy lunch at their restaurants!
We’re not sure where we will eventually settle. We visited Spain and Portugal a few months ago and decided against them for a number of reasons. We’re following your Greek adventures with great interest and hope to visit later this year.
Thank you for an excellent article that helps us all feel not quite so weird by making these massive decisions. We are as convinced as you we’ve made the right one. Good luck with the Golden visa.
I'm so glad you've found a path through the world that works for you and your family. It's the best life, isnt it?
We talk about it almost every day. But as the only child of elderly parents and two grandkids under the age of 5, it just doesn’t seem practical. We get back to see and spend time with both every 3 months. It’s definitely a possibility down the road for all the reasons you so eloquently stated….
Family is the stickler…my family lives in the States, too, and we do return to visit. I so wish they’d join me abroad.
If both kids/ grandkids would join us somewhere abroad it would be a no brainer. Thanks for an honest and excellent article. We talk about you both often!
Make it happened! ;-)
A fantastic summary of why I also no longer live in the US. I was just there for a two-week visit and felt physical relief to leave.
The visits no longer feel like visits, rather forced obligations.
My mom is 83. My two boys are here. Hard to leave for sure but they will come visit me. My mom won’t. And she’s left with my maga siblings.
I am not American but I sympathize with your situation. Sadly, the country I used to visit for theater, parks, and sport no longer has an attraction for me. As a Canadian I will pay more to fly direct than risk going through a US transit. Tis a rose now wilted and stained.
Hopefullu the right fertilizer will bring it back!
I don't think the problem is a lack of fertilizer. There's plenty coming out of Washington. I think it boils down to education, or the lack. So many people are so angry and paranoid. Where does that come from? So many are bamboozled by propaganda and there is no such thing any more as informed debate. Everything seems to be black or white; there is no grey, but most of our life is neither black or white, it falls somewhere in the middle. Kindness, compromise, grace under pressure, civility ... they're all in decline yet they are the glue that holds any society together. It's not just in the U.S. either. I'm old enough that I can figure out a way to manage but I do worry for my children and grandchild. What will their world be like?
You’re right. Bring back civics classes, mandatory volunteer work, and disallow phones for under 16 (at least.) I think that would be a good start!
Your observations would have been valid had they been made in 2010, 2000 or even earlier. The trajectory was the same then, and brought us to where things stand today.
For some emigration is a lifestyle choice--I live in Nice, where there are many well-to-do Americans who see life as a perpetual vacation. But for others it comes down to survivability, either with regard to financial solvency or actual mortality.
We made the leap, accepting employment in Ireland in 2009 when US insurers' prohibition of those with "pre-existing conditions" meant an adult child with multiple disabilities was left uninsured--and we were faced by both of the issues identified above.
There is widespread misunderstanding, or lack of understanding, in the US about the nature of healthcare systems outside of the US. I often say that I wish every American could live for a year in an environment where healthcare is conceived as a basic resident's right, rather than as a for-profit industrial service.
You might have an interest in my essay "Is Healthcare in Europe really Free" (https://bit.ly/HealthcareEurope) which was intended to provide American readers with a genuine sense of how universal healthcare systems in Europe.
Thank you for this. i think the difference between 2000 vs 2010 vs 2026 is not the issue, its the hope that healthcare access woukd improve and gun access would decline. Whereas I was hopeful up to 2016, being a full-time traveler for 5 years coming into 2026 gave evidence and data to assumptions. I am no longer hopeful that these American problems will improve.
I gave up such hopes long ago.