Books

I had a HUGE cookbook library back in L.A. When we were doing the moving prep, I was brutal and got rid of most of them. Of course, now I really regret having done that with certain ones. I've already had to buy back "SECRETS OF A JEWISH BAKER," which was really hard to find! But, I can't get good Jewish rye bread here, so if I want it (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) I've got to make it myself.

Now, I've decided I have to have a new copy of "THE JOY OF COOKING." When I went to look on Amazon, I saw that there's a new edition coming out that is more like the 1975 edition and even adds back some things that were missing from that, totally pretending that the universally-reviled 2000 edition never existed. It's due out on 31st October, and the pre-publication price is only $18, which strikes me as quite a bargain, since the list price is $30. Even with shipping, it STILL comes to less than that! So, I broke down and ordered it.

I hope I don't get hankerings to replace any other books! I can't really afford it and I really don't have enough space for them anyway!

But, that's the problem with moving. You throw out/give away/sell and then you are truly sorry.

I have memories of other things that I didn't keep and which I wish that I had, in particular some beautiful children's picture books that I would love to have for my sessions of reading at the library. I know we couldn't keep everything, but I think we were a bit hasty in some instances. JM also wishes he'd kept certain things that are now gone.

And, the sad thing is that most of those books wound up selling for bupkis when we sold them, but cost a fortune when you go looking for them on the used market. Ah well, no use crying over spilled milk. Besides, now I get to look at the new edition of JOY, which I wouldn't have gotten to do if I'd kept my copy!

Ciao for now.

Randy

Health Care in America

I just read an article on HealthScout that quotes a recent survey on Health Care in America. The findings include:

The Health Care in America Survey of 1,201 adults was conducted between Sept. 7 and 12, 2006. Key findings include:

• 28 percent of respondents said that in the past year they or a family member have put off medical treatment because of the cost. Of those who delayed treatment, 70 percent said they needed care for a serious medical condition.
• Among those with health insurance, 60 percent are worried about not being able to afford coverage over the next few years -- 27 percent said they are very worried.
• 54 percent of those without health insurance said they don't have it because they can't afford it.
• 80 percent said they're dissatisfied with the overall cost of healthcare to the nation. Cost came out ahead of quality when they were asked about their own healthcare.

The survey was conducted jointly by the Kaiser Family Foundation, ABC News, and USA Today.

I must admit this caused me to sit up and take notice. As I have mentioned here before, health care was one of the big issues that pushed us to make the move to France, along with the U.S. political situation. Although, to be honest, the two are certainly closely linked. JM and I were definitely in that group who were "very worried" that they wouldn't be able to afford health care coverage over the next few years. Indeed, I'm pretty sure that by this point, we would have had no, or close to no, insurance.

This issue of the cost of medical care has even followed us here to France, in that I still can't get used to the idea that it is okay to go to the doctor if we're not dying. I tend to self-treat far more than the average French person.

Even JM's recent bout with root canal and the subsequent repair of his broken tooth had us stressed until the end. We figure it would have cost a couple of thousand dollars in the States, including the crown. Here, although he hasn't had the crown done yet because the dentist wants to wait for several months to be sure there are no abscesses,etc., we actually paid nothing for his care! Obviously, that is also dependent on the Mutuelle (complimentary insurance to cover the part not paid by social security), but we had NO dental insurance at all in L.A.

Not having to worry about losing our home if one of us becomes ill is a huge relief for us. I don't think we could ever afford to return to the U.S. for the health insurance issue alone. Self-employed, under employed, unemployed people are just left out in the cold by the U.S. system.

Clearly, the debate over health care goes on here in France as well. There is a new list of medications which will not be reimbursed by social security, which means the costs for individuals using those drugs will go up if they want to keep taking them. However, the medications are dropped because there does not appear to be scientific proof as to their efficacity in treating the illnesses for which they are prescribed, not because an insurer thinks they are too expensive. That alone is an important distinction.

Surely, the health care of its 300,000,000 citizens (as of this morning) should matter to the United States at least as much as the "war on terror," shouldn't it? What are the statistics of how many people die from lack of timely medical care each year as compared to the number who die in terrorist attacks? And, isn't THAT truly terrifying?

Ciao for now.

Randy