Military vs Civilian Life

[butterflykiss]

Hi. My husband keeps going back and forth about staying in the military or not. If he does stay in he is planning to try become a officer. I have some health issues, so kind of scared if we get out if I will get covered with insurance. I have no idea what civilian life is like. Any ideas what the average cost of health insurance is, so I can just get a idea.

We are a family of 5 so what is the average price for health insurance?

Trying to find out if it's worth it getting out or not. Don't want to regret getting out. My husband is a FC so he would be able to get a decent job if he does get out.

Also what is officer life like compared to enlisted? Do officers go out to sea more, etc. What are all the duty stations offered to officers?

Sorry for all the questions, just need some advice

Thanks

[Jennygirl]

Originally Posted by butterflykiss Hi. My husband keeps going back and forth about staying in the military or not. If he does stay in he is planning to try become a officer. I have some health issues, so kind of scared if we get out if I will get covered with insurance. I have no idea what civilian life is like. Any ideas what the average cost of health insurance is, so I can just get a idea. We are a family of 5 so what is the average price for health insurance? Trying to find out if it's worth it getting out or not. Don't want to regret getting out. My husband is a FC so he would be able to get a decent job if he does get out. Also what is officer life like compared to enlisted? Do officers go out to sea more, etc. What are all the duty stations offered to officers? Sorry for all the questions, just need some advice Thanks

Thats (the bolded) is hard to answer...It depends where you work and what they offer. My BIL works for BFI (he is a garbage man) and he pays 50 bucks for their Health Insurance a month because his union pays the rest.

[Jennygirl]

Originally Posted by butterflykiss Hi. My husband keeps going back and forth about staying in the military or not. If he does stay in he is planning to try become a officer. I have some health issues, so kind of scared if we get out if I will get covered with insurance. I have no idea what civilian life is like. Any ideas what the average cost of health insurance is, so I can just get a idea. We are a family of 5 so what is the average price for health insurance? Trying to find out if it's worth it getting out or not. Don't want to regret getting out. My husband is a FC so he would be able to get a decent job if he does get out. Also what is officer life like compared to enlisted? Do officers go out to sea more, etc. What are all the duty stations offered to officers? Sorry for all the questions, just need some advice Thanks

Thats (the bolded) is hard to answer...It depends where you work and what they offer. My BIL works for BFI (he is a garbage man) and he pays 50 bucks for their Health Insurance a month because his union pays the rest. Oh and I should add they have THE BEST insurance of anyone I know.

[Laura48]

Yes, it depends on where he would work. I pay $89 two times a month for myself and 1 dependant. It's not bad insurance. I have $10 RX co-pay, $15 doc co-pay and $30 specialist co-pay. It's average ins. If he were to work for the government (not military obviouisly) or at a hospital the insurance is good.

[Jennygirl]

Originally Posted by Laura48 Yes, it depends on where he would work. I pay $89 two times a month for myself and 1 dependant. It's not bad insurance. I have $10 RX co-pay, $15 doc co-pay and $30 specialist co-pay. It's average ins. If he were to work for the government (not military obviouisly) or at a hospital the insurance is good.

But its way pricey...my husband works for the gov't and our insurance isnt cheap...We have Blue Cross as does my sisters but they get more things then we do, they dont need referrals or anything like that.

[butterflykiss]

So even having health issues I should be able to get good insurance?

[MomWifeMe]

Originally Posted by butterflykiss So even having health issues I should be able to get good insurance?

It really depends on the pre-existing condition. Some might cover some may not. I use to work for a an medical insurance company.

One reason my dh decided to go back in the army is for the benefits.

We are a family of five and we paid 350 bucks per month with a 10% co-pay. He worked in the medical industry in management. This goes to show how much money you make isnt what the determining factor to the cost of insurance. I have over 10k in medical bills that I am still paying for. One of my daughters as health issues and medical bills were killing us.

Insurance really depends on the employer. The cost varies quite a bit.

[mrsjones0520]

It really epends onw hat your preexisting condition is. Something like heart disease or diabeties are hard to get covered because they can cause much more problems(my mom is diabetic) like stroke or a heart attack or something similar. So it really depends on what your condition is, and what company the employer goes through. Worse case scenario is that you would have to buy it independantly, and that can get very pricey as well. For an idea, call the local blue cross blue shied office and they can give you a quote!

[ItsJesse]

healthcare is not cheap. That is one benefit I know my family really looks at as a HUGE reason to be in the military long term.

[Christina]

You can still get great insurance...it all depends on your or your husband's job. If you or he works for a big company with a good benefits package you should be fine.

As far as officer vs. enlisted: life is MUCH easier on officers in my opinion. My df is an officer and he has life much easier than the enlisted guys he works with.

As far as deployments and duty stations, there are officers everywhere that there are enlisted people, so there are just as many deployments and the duty stations are the same.

In my opinion you can have just as many benefits and better pay in civilian life, but it just might take more looking. And NO MORE deployments. Think about that

Good luck with your decisions!