Can 2 Adults live on 2000 USD net take home a month?

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

There's an old apocryphal kind of story of a sort going around that two HU farmers each have a sets of sheep

I have heard a similar, shorter, version. And just recently. ...

What was your version?

There's one in a similar theme about a lawnmower.

fluffy2560 wrote:

What was your version?

"If a farmer's cow gets sick and dies, he hopes the same happens to his neighbor's cow."

Like I said, slightly different (cow not sheep) and shorter.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

What was your version?

"If a farmer's cow gets sick and dies, he hopes the same happens to his neighbor's cow."

Like I said, slightly different (cow not sheep) and shorter.

Hmmmm....sounds like we're getting to Hungarian sayings/stories as Hungarian Haiku.

I'll ask Mrs Fluffy to tell me the lawnmower one and share at Absolutely Anything Else.

here: Lawnmower

fluffy2560 wrote:

Hmmmm....sounds like we're getting to Hungarian sayings/stories as Hungarian Haiku.

Well, it is possible that the person who told me this knows I can not stand long, drawn out stories with a lot of white noise that does not add to the point being made. So they may have modified it for my sake.

Keep it short, sweet and simple. That is how I like things (except sex of course). 

Let's please stick to the basics when answering legitimate questions.
There's too much of getting side-tracked into personal issues.
Save that talk for the social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and stop cluttering up Expat with useless and repetitive information.
Some of the replies go back 3 and 4 yrs and these need to be deleted!

Mailman1942 wrote:

Let's please stick to the basics when answering legitimate questions.
There's too much of getting side-tracked into personal issues.
Save that talk for the social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace and stop cluttering up Expat with useless and repetitive information.
Some of the replies go back 3 and 4 yrs and these need to be deleted!

You're not wrong but we have Absolutely Anything Else for off-topic absolutely random shares so really nothing needs to be deleted.  So far the moderators haven't found a way for (or allowed) us to directly transfer threads ourselves.

fluffy2560 wrote:

So far the moderators haven't found a way for (or allowed) us to directly transfer threads ourselves.

The moderators, if they wish, can delete or move off topic comments or entire topics. I had one of my topics moved to the anythings else forum topic. So people should not self police here. Just use the "Report" option to report a post and let the moderators take care of it if they want to (or not).

The Mods can move, delete or close whatever any posts they want.

Yes i posted this 3yrs ago and i am glad it is still open as I should report was i successful and also for others in usa or whatever can gain info from posts just like i am sure we all do. This is is good for learning things and also hearing views.

Some of the more personal or other info sometimes does not relate but no reason to complain!

I do post and i think others do also sometimes the more social aspect to things as in some regards that does relate to economics also and costs can many times be driven by non rationale things.

As i was reading a different expat site and someone asked a simlar ? as i did i think the usa person said him and his wife had like 3,500 usd net take home asked is that livable in Budapest. I said yes as we live on less than that. Someone that i honestly think has to be working for some company refuted this totally and replied that in Budapest most flats for a SINGLE person to live in were between 900 to 1400 usd a month! And for his income he could not afford to live in Budapest so he should not consider it!

The guy even posted links of flats for rent that were "normal prices for a single person size flat" and yes those were the prices. But my god that is not normal!

So i did try to help and tell the guy that he should look around and i even offered to help him find a place. 2018 will be our 3rd lease so price has increased from when we first signed but that is normal anywhere. But nothing like that and we did not get a super deal or anything. 

I just know like if you get wrong info or wrong people then you can get a harder time than need be. That is why these sites are good to try to read and post and realize "hey i am hearing crap let me keep looking". Like when we came here in 2015 i got all kinds of stupid non legal responses on housing, stuff like they only rent to gay male couples, only to single women under 30, one woman was a pervert,  some people wanting us to send money to an account in Macedonia before we could see the inside of the place etc. These things are not legal in Hungary so people saying stuff like this are most likely full of it or scammers. Then some real estate people in other cities being totally rude or blowing us off. It was depressing but many people on here encouraged me so that really helped. We did find a place with a real company that listed in Hungarian but i just google translated and the agent she speaks english and is very nice. (If anyone watches the BBC show "Vera" she looks and acts just like her. When my dad saw that she looked like "Vera" he said he knew it would be ok)

You're right Felica, can't please everyone.
Everyone has a different lifestyle and expectations.
When I was young if I didn't have at least $600. a month to blow on myself then I thought life was horrible, these days we can sometimes live a whole month on $600.
$2000, a month is good here in Hungary unless you want to live in a large flat in the Rose Hills and join private clubs and party every night.( Wouldn't mind joining the heath club Oxygen but heard it was more then $250. a month in USD, more of a place to "pick up" a wealthy sugar daddy then to actually workout and sweat, in my opinion of course).. Still the building and location are sweet.
Some people have no limits, no problem if they can afford it.
If someone eats out every night and has cocktails and uses a cab to get home, then their budget needs to be larger then someone who is happy to eat at home and use the bus.

Hello everyone,

Please note that some off-topic posts have been removed from this thread.

This topic has been launched in 2014, that is why there are some off-topic comments (nothing wrong in that, it happens when nearly everything has already been said).

However, i strongly invite members who need additional information about their own situation to create a new topic.

All the best,
Bhavna

So called Common Costs is another consideration when buying or renting an apartment. If you have a small apartment without a lift and the owners vote against doing regular cleaning or repairs the common costs are much lower than a larger apartment with a well kept exterior and a lift.
I have a large apartment in a well kept block. It also has a lift and plants in the common courtyard. CCTV and hall cleaners twice a week.  We also employ a resident caretaker.  My payment also includes water but in total this is my biggest bill per month.
Some apartments in the center of town can be much more expensive and it is worth getting full details before you rent or buy.

Would $3,500 be comfortable in Budapest, smaller apartment? Moderate lifestyle? Can you travel in Europe with this amount?
Thank you

Yes as i said you situation depends on what you need to live. I think if you travel often and all then yes you would need more. We honestly do not travel too much. Mostly been beyond busy with things to get legal here and also stuff from usa.

I do not know the costs of flights so that is not something i could say how much to budget for.

And like my father and i are two single adults that do not work. So like if someone had kids there would be different expenses. Or if someone worked then there is work overhead. So would 2k net be enough in those cases? Hmm maybe not i do not know. Maybe so. I do not know.

Healthcare is the biggest and most difficult thing we have found as it is hard to find info. And yes the prices quoted are so high! My father is trying to get full policy himself private insurance refused him and others want more than our rent each month, and others will ONLY cover usa people that plan on living in Hungary less than 3yrs.  He is 60.

So he is going to try to find out info and get prices for state plan. We were told it is very very expensive like 500 usd a month! He had not gotten any quotes from Hungary national healthcare have not even been to talk to them so i do not know, this is something we are going to look into next month or so. Just had some usa people tell me that it was 500 usd a month and you pay for 6mos of front. But i have no idea if that is true and how that works. By the time we go we would of been in Hungary for 2yrs so i do not know if there is still a waiting period or not. Who knows

I have a full policy although i have not used it yet, i have private insurance and not expensive i am 37 with no kids and no health issues at all. But they did make a big deal about how they do NOT cover having a baby! I do not plan on that but it did not seem legal to not cover this! Odd!

So who knows! But i would say this is the most expensive and difficult thing so far.

Food prices are strange here either really cheap or a few months later half the price for the same thing. Then some things have gone up in our short time here. Many things are same price as USA which is very expensive for here as Hungarian salaries are much less.

Food prices with some seasonal produce do fluctuate.
During colder weather many fruits and veggies may be imported.
Heath care costs, I really have no idea how it would work for 2 adults who are not citizens of Hungary to get into the National health system here.
It very well might cost $500. a month. We pay a locals price because again of our status in Hungary as citizens and family members of a citizen.
For citizens who put in the working years in Hungary the coverage is free after they become senior citizens. Not sure if that is over 60 or 62 or 63. My husband is short 9 working years in Hungary so we pay out of pocket.
I got on after living legally in Hungary after a year but it was because my husband is a citizen and I am his dependent. My resident status is because of our marriage not because I lived here long term.
It varies it seems on each individual case.
I heard that there is a "golden" sort of plan with national health for the wealthy, No wait times, all new private hospitals take them etc. but I heard that was closer to costing $1,000. a month per person.
Really do not know that facts about that, no way are we about to spend that sort of money on insurance... Would actually kill us to pay that amount!
Living in a city does seem to cost more for rent then in the countryside but they probably have hidden costs as well.
I wonder if your father is having a hard time finding the right insurance because of his age?
Don't fear though, in a emergency I am pretty sure they will at least take you in and stabilize you, won't send you away bleeding or passing out.
In the US I know all they will do without insurance is make sure you don't bleed out on their property, after that, your on your own without coverage. It is much better here in Hungary.

National healthcare costs 7110 HUF/month.

http://www.neak.gov.hu/felso_menu/lakos … lekfizetes

Rawlee wrote:

National healthcare costs 7110 HUF/month.

http://www.neak.gov.hu/felso_menu/lakos … lekfizetes

Been a while but I believe it's free for kids and also for a Mum if the kids are under three.

Thank you Marilyn for the kind words, yes his age is an issue! I think that is common for any USA person that is older.

He just is trying to figure out how to get it done. Hungary has visas for retired people, and many USA people have moved to Hungary. Ok in regards to retirees at least in USA they are about his age. He is 60 which is still younger than SS early age even. So what does someone at normal SS retirement age do? Like 65 or more?

No we are not rich! No 1,000 month healthcare!

Hell i had companies tell ME that they do not want to cover anyone 40 or up! Then one company told me that since i have no kids "most USA women come to EU and get pregnant by some local so since i have never had a kid a i am high risk". Totally strange! I am 37 healthy never had any health issues, nothing at all.

That said like just moving from Florida to Budapest in general it is not easy and will take some work. But it is doable. As i said in my 1st post, things were not easier back in USA. Here at least i feel there are answers and things can be done. So we will figure it out.

Rentals of flats, yes as i said a few posts ago we did not get a great deal but i think reasonable. Talking to a few expats and Hungarians most have said they we did ok. We do not have any issues with the price we pay. And like the people we rent from were very nice which says a lot as we got some really rude or stupid people and also many many people that were clearly scammers.

So i would tell someone in regards to rentals be careful! We are well traveled people and be around, FL has twice the pop of all of Hungary CA about 5x. And my dad has lived and been in Italy, France, England, Spain, been to Egypt and Dubai, Morocco, Monaco places with real serious high end scammers so he has heard it all. Yes locals have the home field advantage but logic is logic anywhere and there are still rules here.

I feel from someone that comes here from smaller place or like is not as aware of things!

We did NOT plan on even living and renting in Budapest, but after going to several other smaller towns threw out Hungary from all the way north near Slovakia border and down to Croatia border and seeing serious bull crap and rude people we decided on Budapest. At least being the biggest city there is people that will doing honest business and just want to rent and be normal.

And like i said look at what works for you.
There are cheaper places in different areas but then look at the costs. Like i am house sitting for a friend that lives in 14. Nice flat but right next to an elementary school, nearest large food store is about 30 to 45 mins! My dad and i could not live here cause traveling to get food and things we need would be too difficult. And even socially there is no restaurants in this area. Like we cook at home often but sometimes it is easier and also enjoyable to eat out. Even if it is just a coffee or drink. Here it is just families and homes. He has lived in his flat for 10, 11yrs and is Hungarian and told me this is the case. I assumed i just did not know where these wore he said no this area does not have much of all that. So for example for me and dad even if a flat in this area was cheaper the cost would be high for us due to these aspects. But like if you were a family and like had a little kid then his area would be perfect cause there is a elementary school right in front of his flat, the trolley station right there, kids playgrounds etc.

But that said i have seen prices have gone up much even since 2015 when we got our place! So that is crazy!

Other big costs like i said are just ones we personally have. Like i said we came on a one way move with just suitcases. So buying everything has and still is taxing. So simple things like sheets, forks, dishes, towels, clothes, tv, fans etc we had and have to buy. So we are broke often due to this! he hee.

But like i said if you have family or friends in Hungary or people back in your home country then these costs would be much much less.

Wish I could tell you something positive about getting insurance for your father but I don't know anything really.
I do think if it really is that super high for him to be covered then maybe just try to buy some sort of emergency insurance and just pay out of pocket for check ups etc.
Maybe in the long run it would be cheaper to just pay for tests and check ups with a private doc but have some sort of hospital coverage for anything unexpected that may come up.
Believe me, with all the tipping we seem to do with specialists in the long run we probably could of just paid to see a private doctor and not tipped.
If you don't have a car then grocery shopping can be a hassle.
I see many larger stores now have delivery services which is a great idea if a larger store is not near your place.

FeliciaOni wrote:

Healthcare is the biggest and most difficult thing we have found as it is hard to find info. And yes the prices quoted are so high! .

The link Rawlee provided is a good source of information for those without any current insurance coverage of any type. Here is the same information in English using Google translate:

https://translate.google.com/translate? … edit-text=

And if you have lived here over a year as a resident, and have no other source of health insurance of any type, you are required to make monthly contributions to the National Health system and be on National Health.

I had a long reply to this but i deleted it by accident i am not on my normal system.

But anyway. EU requires all USA citizens to have healthcare. Either you have a spouse with EU that will cover you on national or you purchase it. You have to have emergency coverage. If you do not you will NOT get a residence permit! Simple as that, immigration will NOT even process your application if you do not have this. Travel insurance is not acceptable for a residence permit. 

So no you can NOT live here as Resident if you do not have health insurance!

No we brought basic policy that we have had since feb 2016 that covers ER and some thing limited to that. Like i think 10 days in the hospital, scripts, visits up till 30 days from discharge and some other things related to the event.  So no they better not turn us away or we better get a refund! The policy was cheap but still not free. There is a basic basic that immigration accepts then like one above that which we brought that covers a bit more as i described.

So there is no " lived here over a year as a resident, and have no other source of health insurance of any type,". USA people have 90 days as a tourist after that you have to apply for a residence permit. If you apply you must have basic health care if you do not then you will not get a residence permit. So if someone says they do not have ER coverage and they are a resident then they are lying.

I am talking about getting a normal policy like you know with outpatient visits, check ups, MRI you know if you just feel sick things, normal meds etc. Like so you can get looked at before it becomes an ER visit! That is the issues we have had.

Like my father is 60 so we knew it would be difficult i feel it is doable as there are retires here and in USA SS age is like 62 at the earliest and like 65 i think for normal. Even now he is only 60 old yes but still not normal retirement age. His retirement from Raytheon would not even kick in until he was 55 he waited until 59 but once again since Hungary allows retirees they would not be much younger than him anyway.

But like i said i am 37 no health issues ever, no kids, no smoking, nothing wrong with me and it was hell getting me full coverage! One woman told me she wanted me to leave Hungary so would not write a policy, had one guy say he only would write policy if i did not plan on living in Hungary for more than a 3yrs like he wanted me to sign documents that i would leave Hungary before 2019, one guy said it would look bad on his portfolio to have an american woman, oh and one guy said he would only write me a policy if i also would start a portfolio to invest 30 thousand huf each money into Hungary companies, i said no then he said 10 thousand huf a month to some company in the Hungarian stock market, just stupid stuff!

After going threw about 6 different agents i asked a German friend of mine to recommend someone and we went to that broker who the agent we have now who is very good. I was finelly able to get my full coverage policy last month. He wrote one for my father which the company rejected but they refunded his money in a few days. I did not know postman would deliver 200,000 huf to our door! But damn Hungarian Posta really impressed me clap for them!

Like we will figure it out. As i said before we will figure it out just like most other things.

If you do qualify for Hungarian national health they cover things like MRI's and tests that your doctor thinks you may need.
There are wait times but usually you get your tests within a few weeks.
Of course if you are in the hospital already they do the tests ASAP.
It is OK but you must be ready to wait your turn to get in, sometimes you may be sitting in a hallway waiting for hours just for that 3 mins of office visit time.
You are given only a 30 supply of meds and must go in every month to get a refill, sometimes the nurse will just call people up who need refills written out so the wait isn't very long. The thing is if you need a med long term you have to go in once a month for refills.
Sometimes they may give you a 60 day supply but not always.No tipping just to get a refill though.
I have stated before that like it or not, as a ex-pat that they know is from the west, if you do not tip a bit then you will see just how slow it can be. You may not get on the right track for the right course of remedy as fast as you could of. Nothing going to kill you, I hope but you may hit a few brick walls on the road to recovery if you do not tip.
We tip our family doctor every time and others every time we see them or every other time depending on who going in. I hate tipping every time but my husband tips whenever he goes in.
I really don't know why , he asked our neighbors and they all tip at least as much as we do or more.
A 5,000 for a simple office visit on up depending on what they do.
10, 15 or 20,000 for a specialist.
adds up quickly really it does if you go often.
We do not go in unless we need to see a doctor.
My husband said as a American I must tip even if others who are seniors look like they don't have money to tip with. He said everyone usually gives something even if just a 1,000 or 2,000.
So in the long run all that tipping is about as much as just seeing a private doctor.
Actually most of these doctors who work for the national health also moon light at private clinics.
Same care just faster service.
Medications are not covered with national health unless it is while they give you something in hospital. Seniors  get a slight discount but not much. I know a few times my husband over tipped and then I didn't have the cash with me to buy my meds. Had to run to the bank . This issues really bugs me but guess I can't buck the system. When you are ill it is not a good time to test the waters and not tip.
Yes the post man used to deliver money every month to seniors in cash. I am not so sure they still do this because if it was well known then they would be robbed perhaps.
It is a old custom from when Hungary was more insulated from western sorts of crimes. No one would dare to rob anyone in the old times because you were not getting away with it or sneaking out of the country. Times are changing and some changes are not always for the best.
After my knee surgery 3 years ago, a Physical Therapist spent about one hour showing me how to use my crutches up and down stairs and a few exercises. She was very stern and a bit scary. After the hour we handed her a 5,000 F note, all of a sudden she was smiling and running to collect my new crutches for me. Had to buy them , medical equipment is not fully covered with national health either.
If you get on national health you must first see your family doctor in your district and they send you to any specialists that they believe you need. One reason to tip your family doctor well, it is all up to them to send you or not. You can chose between the few doctors that work in your local clinic and only change once a year if you don't like your doctor. Just few tips.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
Medications are not covered with national health unless it is while they give you something in hospital. Seniors  get a slight discount but not much. ...

Meds here can be pricey or even simply unavailable...

As a matter of interest from my own country (the UK), if one lives in Scotland or Wales, medicines are totally free at any age.   Don't know about Northern Ireland but probably free as well. In England, they are only free if you have a chronic condition (like say diabetes or arthritis), you are over 60 or have cancer or are terminally ill.

My mother and father are at the GP every 5 minutes and have cupboards full of medicines and medical appliances but they are both very old.  My mother had a pacemaker replaced a month ago - I reckon that would have cost at least £5K.  Her heart operation 10 years ago - probably would have cost £20-30K.  Without free meds and national health care they would have been dead long ago.

One of my UK colleagues who was living in the USA has a son who was in a serious car accident.  His medical bill was $1M.  That'd bankrupt most people.  As far as I know, he's still paying for that accident 10+ years ago.

Yes in the US they will drain your bank account to a point to make you pay for medical services.
Not sure but for young people they can not have more then around $2,500. in the bank and old people only $3,200. or they move in for the kill.
My husband got over excited and upset as did a friend of ours who has since also moved to HU to escape the stress of the US.
My husband is a serious worker, never played around at work all business and always doing his best everyday, all the time. He would be down on himself if he ever felt he didn't do the very best he could.
Ok, after 9/11 Vegas slowed down allot, the machine shop he worked in tried to hang on but was losing business.
My husband was the very last person to be let go. It freaked him out so much his heart was beating so fast and irregular that I put him in the car and drove to the ER.
2 days in hospital allot of tests and that was all, a huge bottle of xanax and goodbye, along with a bill for $32,000!!!
Insane and a good reason to have a real heart attack!
Our old friend had the exact same thing happen, thought his heart was going but it was stress related from also losing his job. He also got xanax but his problem was he got hooked on taking it.
People just do not understand how bad the health system in the uS is, They have the very best equipment and doctors but it is pay to play all the way.
When my son hurt his arm back in the mid 80's we were caught without health coverage.
The ups and downs of working as a self employed contractor.
We had paid out of pocket every single month over $500. in the 1980's for 3 healthy young people and the coverage was horrible. Only was for hospital costs in a emergency and had a $2,000 deduction.
Didn't really cover much on a everyday base.
My hubby's job slowed down as happens sometimes and we cut the coverage to get by. Less then 2 months later our boy had a serious situation with his arm.
We shelled out thousands of dollars in cash for x-rays and a few office visits.
The doctors at UCLA said he needed many surgeries and treatments.
I asked how much?
They had no idea so I told them to just give me all the reports, x-rays etc. and I was going off to either Hungary or Sweden to get him fixed up. I would of taken a loan against our home but they couldn't give me a number.
The doctor finally realized I was serious about leaving and he then put my son on a sort of chairy/ experimental treatment. Was called the "Crippled children's fund" not very PC but to the point.
After that all his expensive surgeries and treatments were totally free.
Was good but I did take exception when they gave him donor bone without asking me first if it was ok.
Totally at their mercy which isn't great when dealing with a child.
They still sort of messed up in my opinion, his arm is 2 to 3 inches shorter then the other after all that.
I am super glad his job is not physical because he can not do what others can do because of his arm.
That's life, not even sure why anyone wants to live in the US, you really are on your own there.
It's all greed. When I was a kid our family doctor really was supportive. For well over 40 years he treated my mom and my family. He delivered my 2 younger siblings and used to go to Africa every year to give free medical to people who couldn't afford it. He didn't raise his office visits prices for many years and always sent out a letter telling people why he had to raise his price even by a few bucks.
They just do not make doctors like that anymore. In our old town all these years later all the locals still love this Dr. who has been dead for a couple of decades now. He even built the first hospital in our home town and never put his name on it. total trust when seeing him.
Nothing on earth makes one feel more alone then having a ill child and no support from anyone.
Guess that was the beginning of me becoming a bit intolerant of selfish people.

Took me a min. or two to digest having to pay one MILLION USD for medical treatments!!
probably a bit too late now for your friends son to ask to see a patient advocate and try to reduce the billing...
Just sad.
many people think we are off our rocker to tip large here but coming from the trauma of paying hospital and doctor fees in the US we feel we are getting off easy here even with the tipping.
Different perspective I suppose.
My step-dad had just gone through 3 years of cancer treatments and died back in 1980 in Ca. My mom had no sooner buried him and 2 weeks later she was undergoing surgery for breast cancer. Just about killed all her savings plus she still had 2 minor kids to raise in the home.
The US is really a very hard place for people, win big, lose big. Not much in the middle really just scrapping by and praying nothing breaks down or anyone gets ill.
I do think Hungary has a better safety net for people, I am grateful even though at times I do tend to complain, nothing is perfect.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Took me a min. or two to digest having to pay one MILLION USD for medical treatments!!
probably a bit too late now for your friends son to ask to see a patient advocate and try to reduce the billing...
Just sad.
....

Yup, $1M it was.  As the father was British (and so was his kid obviously), I told him they should have patched him for air travel and sent him to the UK where his treatment would have been free (not for a few months until he was "in the system").   The injured guy was a dual US/UK person so he would have been entitled to free care eventually. Might have cost him 10-20K to establish himself in the UK but thereafter it would have a hell of a lot cheaper than $1M.

I'm not sure what Felicia is look for to be honest. There isnt a secondary insurance and healthcare system. There are some areas which are covered by private enterprises (dental, dermatologist, etc), but there arent entire private hospitals around the country.

The contracts offered were not what you are looking for. "Egészségbiztosítás" or "balesetbiztosítás" is not what you are looking for. They are contracts where you pay a monthy sum, and when your bone breaks, they give you a sum (if it covers the costs or not is not part of the deal). I have a Signal iDuna contract, for example, for accidents, and a 3 million HUF medium-risk investment. The main point of them are the investment, and they are bundled together with an insurance so that they fall under different taxation rules.

So you dont really have a choice, you have to get into the public system.

Yes i will 200% agree with high health care costs in USA! And no there is no real way to reduce the costs.

In 2004 when my father got cancer the 1st time he had a white collar high end job with full medical, above advage medical actually with private company. He worked for Raytheon one of the worlds leading defense contractors. After paying for 14 yrs when he got sick our out of pocket medical costs were 300k usd. He needed surgeries and skin graph the bill was 5 million. He did not even need radiation that time. It depleted our savings, and also mine. Yes i could of NOT helped but it is my father what else would i do? Of course the company laid him off right afterwards!

The DRs and Hospitals left something to be desired also! Well the cancer center was good but his primary care dr and fist surgeons were horrible. I think one was on drugs and the other guy was so vile and litterly cussed me out using the F word and all that.

Then a few years later he was ok and in remission but i got seriously poisoned and was in a coma cause my bf who i was living with left me sitting at home sick.(Arsenic either kills you are it goes threw your system. I also got pneumonia from that also) My bf at the time used that time to clean out my money from the ATM and use my credit cards. He stole money from many other people that thankfully just paid me what he took from me if i kept it all off the books as they wanted to find and deal with him with out any legal things. The bills for the dr in that case were in the 10s of thousands. That was 2007 when i had money to pay to get well, since then and up till when we moved if i got sick i would be screwed as i would not have money to pay for it. And in USA there is NO safety net for anything really!

The so called Obamacare does NOT provide healthcare for people! I looked for a job could not find one, the state unemployment agency found me "suitable employment" which was interviews for escort services! I refused.

Then in 2013 when my father got more serious cancer he was with government healthcare then and we did not have any out of pocket expenses and the cancer center was very very good. But his drs at the VA were beyond bad, i am talking criminally so. Both his primary, Urologist and his Oncologist. We are still in process of a lawsuit against them.

The cancer Drs were really good the one that did the surgery he flies in to the US as need but he is from Greece and the other one that assisted was from Kazakhstan think, or Uzbekistan he was beyond sharp. But one thing was that he best treatment that his surgeon wanted to do was not available in USA. Like 2 places in the USA only and only for rich people. USA only had 2nd rate treatment so my dad had to get 2nd rate, not do to expenses or anything but due to USA does not use the most advance treatments in medical. His surgeon was going to have us flown to Greece and done there but he could only get that done if that was the only way and he life depended on it. His surgeon had to say that this was not the case so dad got the 2nd rate treatment. That was 2013, and he was left disabled but ok.

Then in 2015 he had to have more treatment, why? Due to as his surgeon said before the 2nd rate treatment was not as precise. If he had the best in the first place then this second round of treatment would not of been needed!

This type of treatment was already used in EU and EEU in 2013. Including Hungary! So if he was in Hungary a much poorer country than Florida USA he wold of had better treatment than he had. At that point along with everything else he did not feel it too risky to move to Hungary.

Hell one of my ex bfs who was an FBI agent, he just retired and said his healthcare is so expensive he moved out of USA!

Rawlee

I do not quite understand what you are saying?

In regards to what i said, no i have never heard of and am not looking for private hospital? No i do not even know what that is.

I am just talking about private insurance. Like i purchased a policy for me. I paid the yearly sum, it covers a list of things. No i do not pay again each month. But if i am sick or want the things covered like a check up or labs etc it is covered.  Nothing exotic.

The policy we brought when we 1st got here was as i said ONLY covered emergency and related things. That is why i brought a full policy that if i am just sick or want go for a female check up etc i can do that.

I wear contacts, glasses and i do not think that is covered but in usa that is never covered anyway, same with dental.

This invest 30k huf each month to a Hungarian company thing was NOT related too or going to give me any or more healthcare, the guy stated it was part of an investment finical portfolio type thing. He stated i supposedly would make money on the Hungarian stock market and buy some stocks in Hungarian companies which he said "are very valuable and most countries in the EU are investing in Hungary". He stated that this would "show you are intending to stay and invest in Hungary, there fore then you will be allowed to purchase a health contract for 200k huf a year". Paying 200k huf for the policy and then agreeing to 10 to 30k huf a month separately from my health care to build a financial portfolio? Nope! He even told me of how my 10 to 30k was going to be invested in various V4 companies on the Hungarian stock market. Nope not dealing with that.

So as i said with my father we will figure it out and if public system works he will do that.

Me i really doubt i "So you dont really have a choice, you have to get into the public system." As i said i purchased private full coverage policy so there is no reason i have to join the public system.

Even if i stayed with the current policy i already had it more than covered the legal requirements for living in Hungary.

If my father just continued his current policy that more than meets legal requirements for Hungary.

As i said at least for USA citizens not married to an EU person, to get residence permit you HAVE to have at least ER health policy.

We want and need more than just that, like anyone else that needs normal policy, that is why i brought more and he is going to also.

Hungary i would say is affordable but overpriced on most things. The value of things, real estate, products, services etc is not reflective of the prices for this economy.

FeliciaOni wrote:

But anyway. EU requires all USA citizens to have healthcare. Either you have a spouse with EU that will cover you on national or you purchase it. You have to have emergency coverage. If you do not you will NOT get a residence permit! Simple as that, immigration will NOT even process your application if you do not have this. Travel insurance is not acceptable for a residence permit. 

So no you can NOT live here as Resident if you do not have health insurance!

The insurance requirement to take up residency in Hungary is so one does not come here to become a medical refugee. That is, one asks for residence, then ask to be on public health, then milk the system before contributing to it. That is also why you can not use national health at all for a long time when you first take up residence.

After you are here a while (a year usually), you have to join national health, or prove you have independent insurance, such as from an employer, or university. That is, usually, those that are pretty much here only temporary for work or study can opt out of joining national health while here for more than year. I don't think many others can so opt out.

Sorry, but that is the law. The government expects all residents to pay this "medical contribution" as a social tax. It is rather a recent change too. In the last 5 years I believe. And as Rawlee said, it is only 7110 HUF a month, so no big deal. Just go to the local tax office and ask to sign up.

Yes, that is great advice to sign up for national health.
My husband who is a HU citizen had to wait a full year to restart his health coverage here in HU, so they are not picking on people.We heard of many HU citizens who left Hungary for decades only to return again with a serious health issue, get all totally free care without having put into the system for ages only to die and never pay into the system. That is why everyone who returns to HU has to wait to use the coverage.
People had abused it so now everyone has to make it up.My personal opinion though is slightly different. These HU citizens who left hUngary and then returned  with ill health probably more then likely worked very hard at some point in time in Hungary to rebuild the country before they felt they had to leave. I think they had a little something coming their way. I as a ex-pat here am very glad they even take me into their system, all thanks to my husband though. I do not fully understand it all who can get in and who can't.
I know I asked at my dental school about people seeing the dentist at their clinic from other EU countries. They will take them but they must pay a bit , they have to speak to a office worker to figure out how much their treatments will cost.
I had free care but had to pay for all materials like crowns or bridges plus a small amount for dentists fees. After age 62 they didn't charge me any dentist fees, I made it up though in tips.
It is fair though and really not very much in cost.
You can always pay to see a private clinic or whatever even with your national health.
I have used several private places even with my national health insurance.
Mostly for "vanity" projects like a dermatologist .
They do not like to fire up the laser here with the national health, you have to see a private clinic for some skin treatments or cosmetic dental.
Even so, it isn't going to break the bank.
It may be very very odd at first with the national health for anyone who does not understand the system or speak Hungarian but it can be done. It is very different then how they run things at offices in the US.

Hi everyone,

Thank you all for your contribution.
However, please note that this thread is going off topic and as the initiator has already received all the answers since 2014, we are therefore closing this thread.

Thank you,

Priscilla
Expat.com team

[ Topic closed ]