Are Expats Leaving?

[Dipoots]

....He wants to move back to the US next year as we will have 2 little ones by then ......

Twins? congrats

 

[citygirl]

Do you have to live here for 3 years to be an "expat"? I am here for work not tourism/travel (and in my chosen career/profesional field), earn in pesos, work for the Argentine wing of a multinational with 99% Argentines, am subject to Argentine labour laws, live here legally and have so for 2 years, have a DNI (extranjero), speak Spanish ok and have an Argentine girlfriend. If I am not an expat, then what am I?

I don't think it's so much a time issue as a a plan to make a life here that makes someone an expat. Lots of people I knew came down here & stayed a few years but never intended to stay here in Arg so I don't really consider them expats. In your case, seems like you did and then things changed. My point was that even those that do intend to stay rarely last 3 years.

 

[trennod]

I don't think it's so much a time issue as a a plan to make a life here that makes someone an expat. Lots of people I knew came down here & stayed a few years but never intended to stay here in Arg so I don't really consider them expats. In your case, seems like you did and then things changed. My point was that even those that do intend to stay rarely last 3 years.

You mean plan to make a future? I guess we never really knew when we came what the future would hold and thus yes we tried to our roots down and judge it for what it is.

I would bet your last sentence is definitely true though of those that come here (ie the large proportion end up leaving within a few years).

 

[shoush]

Say whatttttt?!?!?

Obviously you didn't live in Toronto. I remember 4 distinct times I jaywalked in front of TPS cruisers, and one time they actually waited for me to cross if I remember correctly.

nope! Calgary! it happens! not a fan of the cops and the quotas they have to fill by the end of every month!

 

[AmigoArtistico]

Do you have to live here for 3 years to be an "expat"? I am here for work not tourism/travel (and in my chosen career/profesional field), earn in pesos, work for the Argentine wing of a multinational with 99% Argentines, am subject to Argentine labour laws, live here legally and have so for 2 years, have a DNI (extranjero), speak Spanish ok and have an Argentine girlfriend. If I am not an expat, then what am I?

From Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary:

ex·pa·tri·ate (v. eks p!Ætr" !tÅ or, esp. Brit., -paÆtr"-; adj., n. eks p!Ætr" it, -!tÅ or, esp. Brit., -paÆtr"-), v., -at·ed, -at·ing, adj., n.
–v.t.
1. to banish (a person) from his or her native country.
2. to withdraw (oneself) from residence in one's native country.
3. to withdraw (oneself) from allegiance to one's country.
–v.i.
4. to become an expatriate: He expatriated from his homeland.
–adj.
5. expatriated; exiled.
–n.
6. an expatriated person: Many American writers were living as expatriates in Paris.
[1760–70; < ML expatri!tus (ptp. of expatri!re to banish), equiv. to ex- EX-1 + patri(a) native land + -!tus -ATE1]
—ex&middot;paÅtri&middot;aÆtion, n.

 

[Alicia karr]

Re US Healthcare: I call myself jokingly a "healthcare exile". After surviving breast cancer and having had state of the art care provided by health insurance, I lost the health insurance when I divorced. To my horror, no one wanted to insure me because of my being a cancer survivor. No one would consider insuring me for less than $2000/month, if they would talk to me at all! And that was five years ago. So I left the US to stay healthy by maintaining checkups etc. here with my excellent health insurance that is affordable ($250/month) and has no copays or deductibles.
Not only are the monthly premiums very expensive in the US but so are all the drugs, procedures, and out of pocket expenses. Medications are four times what they are here. And that's with insurance!
I had good care in the US but felt all too often that the docs were practicing "malpractice prevention medicine". So many decisions were made defensively to prevent possible suits down the road. And the economics of billing means they spend maybe at most 15 minutes with you. Here I have had at least a half dozen appointments that lasted from 30-60 minutes. I've also had two chronic conditions diagnosed here that had gone untreated and un diagnosed in the US. In the US medicine is big business and it is what is the worst about US healthcare. Here the the doctors treat you like extended family or a neighbor and almost always give you their cell phone numbers. They're practicing medicine for the calling, not the money.

 

[camberiu]

I had good care in the US but felt all too often that the docs were practicing "malpractice prevention medicine". So many decisions were made defensively to prevent possible suits down the road. And the economics of billing means they spend maybe at most 15 minutes with you. Here I have had at least a half dozen appointments that lasted from 30-60 minutes. I've also had two chronic conditions diagnosed here that had gone untreated and un diagnosed in the US. In the US medicine is big business and it is what is the worst about US healthcare. Here the the doctors treat you like extended family or a neighbor and almost always give you their cell phone numbers. They're practicing medicine for the calling, not the money.

I think this description is pretty accurate. Also, for most regular medical treatments (like allergies or a broken leg) you might be better off with the Argentine health system. But if you have money and a brain tumor or another very complex and dangerous medical condition, the US health care system (not the Canadian, not the UK, not the French) is what you want. Again, assuming that one is able to afford it.

 

[ghost]

I think this description is pretty accurate. Also, for most regular medical treatments (like allergies or a broken leg) you might be better off with the Argentine health system. But if you have money and a brain tumor or another very complex and dangerous medical condition, the US health care system (not the Canadian, not the UK, not the French) is what you want. Again, assuming that one is able to afford it.

Unfortunately the word afford is operarive word here. The system is broken

 

[camberiu]

Unfortunately the word afford is operarive word here. The system is broken

Indeed. But I think people fail to realize that is not only the US health system that is broken. As the demographic pyramid on developed countries with "free' healthcare inverts, we will see the wheels fall off of their socialized single payer health care systems too. Basically everyone on those countries were promised free and unlimited healthcare. When most of your population becomes old (but with long life expectancies) this becomes a VERY EXPENSIVE promise to keep.

 

[robwerwe]

Indeed. But I think people fail to realize that is not only the US health system that is broken. As the demographic pyramid on developed countries with "free' healthcare inverts, we will see the wheels fall off of their socialized single payer health care systems too. Basically everyone on those countries were promised free and unlimited healthcare. When most of your population becomes old (but with long life expectancies) this becomes a VERY EXPENSIVE promise to keep.

Sounds like you've swallowed the propaganda whole. Just look at how much the US spends on health care and it still isn't free.
Just look at how much the US spends on killing in other countries compared to its healthcare system.