Hoping you can help...

Hi, I'm currently living in California. My husband was laid off from work 2 months ago and we are considering relocating to the Phoenix area as we feel it would be better to be out of California (cost of living is so high here) and we want to be in a warm climate. Since we have never been to Phoenix area, I'm hoping some of you will take a moment to tell me the pros and cons of this area. Do you feel there is lower unemployment than other areas? What do you think of health care in the area? (we've had Kaiser forever and there is no Kaiser in Arizona). Any information would be greatly appreciated. I have written the chamber of commerce and ordered their book and some brochures. Have been searching real estate sites and also looking thru employment opportunities sites. My husband is in the information technology field (computers - software development and technical support). My final question is how is WLS support in Phoenix? Are there support groups open to the public or are most of them surgeon specific? I'm 3 months post-op and doing great. Go to a local "open" support group meeting once a month. Thank you so much for reading. Mary

Hi Mary; Phoenix is a great city. Cost of living is alot less than Cali. Your husbands field of work is a high demand position. We have individual insurance plans not like Kaiser. We have Blue Cross Blue Sheild, Cigna etc. Try and get an insurance that offers PPO plans instea of HMO (too many referrals and requirements in HMO). As for open WLS meeting, they are all over the valley, jus****ch the board for listings. Good Luck and welcome. Tammy Lap RNY 1/8/04 326/240/130

Thank you. I appreciate your help and comments. Mary

Hi Mary, Just going to repeat what Tamra stated. We are a growing city and sometimes finding a job can be difficult. My hubby is also in Information Technology and has had his fair share of hard knocks. The company he currently works for just had a major layoff. His previous company pretty much just folded. Depending on what your hubby does he should look online at the job opportunities. Other than that Phoenix is a great city and we'd welcome you! I live in the Northwest valley and yes, there is an open support group as is in most of the valley. Good luck! Kim R/az

Kim, Thank you, we are checking on-line for positions. It is amazing what can be found on-line now, such a major help in the decision making process. Glad there is an open support group. That is a major plus for us too. Mary

Hi Mary I am not sure what part of CA you are from but my husband and I moved to Phoenix from San Diego almost 2 yrs ago. Really for the same reasons you guys want to move. My husband lost his job and couldn't find anyone. We just sold our condo and moved to Phoenix to an appt. He found a job here fairly quickly and we are in a house now (renting though). I think the move was a great idea. Yes it is hot but the rest of the year is soooo nice. The house is a fraction of the cost of CA. You could buy a really nice single family home for about $140,000. Is that not unbelieveable or what!!!! The insurance is really the same. I work in the healthcare field and work with the insurances. Yes we don't have Kaiser, but there is alot of other good plans too. Why don't you e-mail me and we can chat more. [email protected] Kerry ps. my sister is looking for a home here in Phoenix too (she is from San Diego also) So I know all about the homes for sale and the areas

Thank you so much. I will e-mail you in a few minutes. We are in the Los Angeles area. Mary