Oui!

So, have you seen the movie "Sicko" that just came out? It is a documentary, by Michael Moore, about our healthcare system. We watched it last night and I was horrified, or should I say terrified at what I learned. I understand that he is only showing us one side of the coin, but in my opinion he made a pretty good argument. What are your thoughts on universal health care? Surely there must be some flaw with it, some big problem, or else we would have it right? Ever since I finished the show I have been concocting some way that we can move (and take all of our families with us) to France. France has universal health care. France has 35 hour work weeks. France requires employers to provide a MINIMUM of 5 weeks of paid vacation, even for part time employees. They get six months paid maternity leave. They have 24 hour doctors that make house calls. Free, or nearly free, daycare. Why are we not all living in France? Or Canada, eh?

Anyway, I am not saying I know it all or that Michael Moore does, so if you have an opinion on why universal health care is a bad idea please tell me. I even wrote my congressman this morning asking him to co-sponsor the bill for universal health care. The movie just horrified me. It made me want to start a protest or something, but then I realized that if Michael Moore can't make a difference, how the heck do I think I am going to. I have no exposure, no connections, no $. So my best solution so far is to pack up and head to France. Either that or commit a felony if I ever get some sort of cancer, since our prisoners get free healthcare.

So speaking of healthcare. Bentley has reflux and the doctor prescribed him a medication. The medication can only be found at a certain pharmacy WAY in the hay across town. So I look up the directions on google maps and head out that way. I followed the directions and wound up smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood. So unless this magic pharmacy was located in someones garage (which seems a little questionable), google maps had failed me. I've never had that. Anyway after several phone calls around I finally found someone who had access to a computer (thanks Mom) who could look up their phone number for me. Turns out that google maps was about four miles off in where it showed me to go.
So I find the magic pharmacy, give them my insurance card and two prescriptions. First they tell me that they don't have the name brand prescription for mine, and apparently my doctor specified that it had to be the name brand (what the? How rich does she think I am?). So theoretically it would be cheaper for me to have another pregnancy and child ($15 total) than it would be to buy a one month supply of birth control. And that makes sense how? Anyway, I was kind of ticked because I am sure they would have had this NAME BRAND medicine at a pharmacy that wasn't thirty miles away from my house. Fine, I'll go somewhere else, on with the magic stuff that apparently only this pharmacy carries. Sure they have it, but they won't bill my insurance for it. They give me all the paper work and the claim forms and charge me $50 for the two Tbs of medicine and send me on my way (my LONG way!). I wanted to write my congressman again.
Surely this would not have happened in France.


*Just a little disclaimer, I know there are bigger medical crises out there than me having to drive across town and pay the $50 which hopefully most will be reimbursed for later, I just was sharing my woes for the day. I am grateful that the health problems for me and my family are minimal!