I'm back!

It's been so long since I've posted my thoughts that I had forgotten how to access this site and worse how to use it.  Is it age, do you think?

I had an interesting time in Europe, with a rather ugly fall in the Paris Metro, a stolen iPad in Venice, and a very good visit with Miguel's family in Spain.  Venice is still my favorite city despite the theft of my iPad and Paris is a second choice, at least this time around.

But let me remind myself that this is a political blog and it's politics that interests most of my readers and not my personal joys and travails.  On the political side there is so much to write about (George Zimmerman, Snowden, Obama betrayal on just about everything) that I'm a bit floored to begin, so let me start with my personal travails in Paris and wander into the political world.

On my way to catch the bus to Beauvais airport for my trip to Spain, I took the Paris Metro.  While walking up the stairs to catch my train, the handrail broke and threw me to the ground.  I hit my head on the edge of a step and fell about half way down the stairs with my suitcase following me and I suspect on top of me, although I don't remember.  Almost immediately, I had a huge egg on my forehead and with the kind help of a young French woman reported my fall to the Metro authorities.  However, I couldn't wait around to see a doctor or go to the hospital as I had a plane to catch.  When I got to Spain I found I had huge bruises up and down the left side of my body and had the start of a blackeye, which would later run down most of the left side of my face.  I had a lovely time with Miguel's family despite some pains and aches but when I returned to Paris I had problems with balance and some dizzy spells.  Decided to visit ER in Paris as I was due shortly to fly to Venice and wanted to be sure I had no internal bleeding.

Spent hours in the Paris ER, including an hour or more interview and tests with two medical students who took my life history, including surgery on my crossed eyes when I was ten.  Then a doctor saw me, did some tests, and decided that because I was due to fly shortly I should have a CT scan.  The scan was negative, I flew to Venice and eventually (after some weeks) the bruises disappeared.  When I returned home I had a bill from the hospital for 154 euros--remember there's a CT scan covered by that bill.  In the U.S., and certainly in New York, the bill would have been at a bare minimum $2,000 but probably much higher.  I just finished paying off a Pet scan I had years ago--a charge of some $12,000.  My dermatologist charged my insurance $1200 to freeze four spots on my face recently, in a visit that lasted no more than 15 minutes.

My sister recently fell, a fall similar to mine, and spent the night in the hospital.  Her bill was over $20,000.  Let me remind my audience, if I have one left, that the U.S. medical system is rated 37 (perhaps lower these days) for quality while the French system has the highest rating in the world.  I should also add that the French system in comparison to some other Western systems is rather costly, just not costly when compared to ours.

Honestly, are we kidding?  When I think about our medical care it feels as though I'm in one of Kafka's stories.  This can't really be happening.  How can a country rated 37 for quality charge such high rates, and for what? And why?  Capitalism at its finest.  And Obamacare won't fix it.  He was too cowardly to do the right thing and push for a single payer system.  A very big sigh!