TRAPPED in Japan, thanks to healthcare concerns

[DaveinJapan]

I don't want to pretend that my situation is even close to what others are going through with healthcare bankruptcies, having to chose between seeing the doctor or paying the gas bill, or worse. I can not express in words how horrible I find these situations to be when I read about them. What should be a basic human right has destroyed families and even killed thousands of people in America and it is absolutely tragic.

As for myself, I guess it's a little pathetic to express my own concerns on this one but I feel isolated from my home country over this.

I came to Japan about 10 years ago on an exciting sort of "journey", I got a great job offer and I found myself here, and then back again until I finally settled down for a while (Japanese wife, now we have a family etc...). But I never considered my situation "permanent" until recently. As we've discussed as a family, even though we might want to, moving back to America is simply unacceptable while the health care deficiencies are still so great (at least we know that here in Japan we'll never go bankrupt over it or lose a family member due to lack of care).

So at this point I feel trapped, though hopeful. But there is no way that I can bring my family to America where I feel they ALL want to be, so long as I can't promise that we won't be ruined by an impossible health care system. I sincerely hope that the health care mess can be fixed somehow, but for now my family conversations have revolved more around "can we perhaps live in Canada? or England?" rather than the place we'd all rather be.

[Bonobo]

1. I am MOVING there for some of those same reasons.

As a self-employed person, I expect to save $10,000/yr on health/dental care.

Better education too.

[DaveinJapan]

2. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Japan and I have a great life here...

I just hate the feeling that my options are coming down to zero at this point.

I might just stay for various reasons, but I don't like the notion that I'm being forced to live outside of my own home country due to concerns that pretty much every other rich country has already taken care of.

[Bonobo]

5. Of course I understand.

I really understand.

Still for taking good care of you and your wife for 10 years, I think you must have plenty of 'arigatami' towards Japan too, right?

I know some othings can become tiresome after 10 years there as a gaijin, but it has been a hard 10 years here too, Dave, wars and tough economic times...
I have never lived there for more than 2 years at a time and that was before I had 3 kids.
Now it will be totally weird and a major adjustment but I am looking forward to it and the opportunities it will bring me.

[DaveinJapan]

7. Best of luck on the move! nt

[DaveinJapan]

3. Be careful on the self-employment thing...

I imagine you already know, but the IRS doesn't take "self-employment" into consideration when it comes to double taxation. You've gotta work for a company, or else!

[Bonobo]

4. What do you mean?

I have a corp. that consists of me, myself and I as officers.

[DaveinJapan]

8. well, I'm not a tax professional so you should consult with one, it's just

I thought I read certain caveats about self-employment on the foreign tax exemption/foreign tax credit IRS forms (not being self-employed, I didn't study much further).

ymmv.

[godai]

6. Consider a job with the US government

If you really want to return, health insurance options are good for Federal employees, many choices and reasonable premiums. This is not to say I think the US healthcare system is good. It's a mess.

[SoCalDem]

9. You are a healthcare refugee.. but you are in a good place

better than here.

And you do have ties to your current home, so you are probably better off just visiting here:)

[DaveinJapan]

10. You're probably correct.

That's a great term, healthcare refugee. I have a friend who's permanently in England and he feels the same way as I do (and he's a freakin executive!).

I'm very fortunate though, because I have a permanent resident visa. So assuming nothing changes too drastically, I can return to America for short periods of time (or even long ones so long as I get back to Japan every 3 years to renew my entry/exit paperwork); I've always got the option of living where I am now in future.

Still, I wish they'd just overhaul the thing in America, it's just not right in this day and age!

[Art_from_Ark]

11. I think Jimmy Buffet wrote a song about that

Wasting away again in Hello Kitty-ville.
Searching for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that I've got myself to blame.
But I know it's the health care system's fault.

[DaveinJapan]

12. lol. nt