3) Mental Health (The Invisible Weight of Immigration)
Understand immigration mental load (name what you're carrying)
Immigrants carry invisible weight that others don't see. Chronic visa uncertainty creates 'liminality'—the feeling of being stuck between worlds, unable to fully commit to the present because your future is always conditional. Family pressure is real: you may feel like you're carrying your entire family's investment, their hopes, their sacrifices. Survivor's guilt hits when you see others back home struggling while you're building something in America. Identity fragmentation is exhausting—you code-switch between cultures, languages, and versions of yourself constantly. And the loneliness is different from regular loneliness; it's cultural displacement, the feeling that nobody truly understands your experience. Name these feelings. They're real, they're valid, and millions of other immigrants feel them too.
The HMO is the most budget-friendly option, but it comes with the most homework.
- You must stay within a local network of doctors and hospitals. If you see someone outside this network (unless it is a true emergency), the insurance will pay zero.
- You must pick a Primary Care Physician (PCP). This doctor coordinates all your care.
- If you want to see a specialist (like a dermatologist), you cannot just call them. You must see your PCP first and get a referral.
- You get the lowest monthly premiums and predictable costs, but you have very little flexibility and cannot see experts without permission.
Free Resource: HMO vs. PPO Explained Simply
**[HMO vs. PPO? Which is Best?](https://youtube.com/shorts/xEyCJfwOVMg)**
Resources
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