tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post8469110594936526973..comments2024-03-28T08:22:41.115-07:00Comments on Grow Wings -- the Journal of Laini Taylor: Sicko, and the [resulting] search for European real estateLaini Taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064837312936707024noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-82857398016323981762008-02-26T19:24:00.000-08:002008-02-26T19:24:00.000-08:00Love the pictures and the topic!!I've lived in Jap...Love the pictures and the topic!!<BR/><BR/>I've lived in Japan almost 20 years. Medical expenses are low. I may have complained in years past about crumbling facilities, but even that's changing (at least in my area.) We pay a set fee for national "insurance". If you have a job, I believe the employer pays for it.<BR/><BR/>We all need medical attention at some point in our lives. Even if you take care of yourselves something could come up that will devastate your future. My sister and brother-in-law were in that big snowstorm accident outside Amarillo, TX around Christmas. They are extremely fortunate to be alive, but they are left with 100,000s of dollars of medical bills. If you look at individual expenses it's incredible! I don't remember the actual cost of a CAT scan in the U.S. but I can tell you that I have paid under 100 dollars for one here in Japan. I think the only ones complaining about medical costs here could be doctors--they work really hard but do not make the big bucks.Annie Donwerth Chikamatsuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07667922207052742774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-508833568737131102008-02-26T18:09:00.000-08:002008-02-26T18:09:00.000-08:00May I repeat? In your dreams. Heh heh.May I repeat? In your dreams. Heh heh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-77132197723509894022008-02-25T22:33:00.000-08:002008-02-25T22:33:00.000-08:00I'll meet you in France. Because that is where I ...I'll meet you in France. Because that is where I intend to live. Very. Soon. In the meantime, here is a place you can stay that is VERY baby friendly (so you can take the gummy bear!) We stayed here when my middle daughter was only 6 months old. Loved it! http://www.gite.com/galileoHeatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09492950209121399762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-35030772918687572002008-02-25T15:56:00.000-08:002008-02-25T15:56:00.000-08:00Oh! Now I see. I only had time to skim the post at...Oh! Now I see. I only had time to skim the post at first and it seemed to me as if you had a dream about the property and then bought it (actually bought it).<BR/><BR/>Luckily I'm not unused to making a fool of myself.Enna Isileehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16241175955933031091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-71864642514197392842008-02-25T14:16:00.000-08:002008-02-25T14:16:00.000-08:00beautiful!! When I vacationed in Europe last summe...beautiful!! When I vacationed in Europe last summer I was dying to move there. Northern Spain is incredibly beautiful. The only thing that keeps me from doing it is I have four kids. Housing and school costs would be prohibitive. As far as the Americans being able to use the health care system--I'm not sure. That's something to look into.<BR/><BR/>It was an interesting reaction I got from our European friends when I told them I wanted to move there. They were like, Why would you do that? Why would you not love living in the U.S.? You are so lucky to live there, etc. I assumed from things I saw in the news that Europeans looked down on the U.S., but we didn't see that there. Of course, this is all aside from the issue of health care, which is what you were talking about in the first place.andalucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17362287992425261006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-50984817776368358052008-02-25T14:05:00.000-08:002008-02-25T14:05:00.000-08:00Dave -- I loved that movie. I was probably only 12...Dave -- I <I>loved</I> that movie. I was probably only 12 or 13 when I saw it, but I've been a fan of horror movies for as long as I can remember!Laini Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14064837312936707024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-60041591024727875012008-02-25T13:02:00.000-08:002008-02-25T13:02:00.000-08:00That lion story is amazing. Traveling alone alway...That lion story is amazing. Traveling alone always enhances the experience for good and for bad, but to hear a lion roaring while camping alone, that would qualify as terrifying. Reminds me of the opening scene from Werewolves of London from 20 years ago.blessedmatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05498680649954840686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-14778791882031634322008-02-25T08:24:00.000-08:002008-02-25T08:24:00.000-08:00Well, q, I think most people will find themselves ...Well, q, I think most people will find themselves in need of medical care at some point. <BR/><BR/>It's true that some spend more time in a hospital than others, but I certainly think that the ones blessed with good health throughout their lives are incredibly lucky rather than exploited by those who spend years surrounded by test tubes and chemo. If you could choose: taxes or illness, what would it be?<BR/><BR/>Now, we cannot choose, even people who eat healthy and take good care of their bodies get sick. And I think it's part of what it means to be human to give help to those who need it - whether they have the money to pay for insurance or not.<BR/><BR/>I do realise that I come from Norway, one of the richest and also (or yet, perhaps) one the most liberal countries in the world. The right to medical care seems self evident to me, but what would we do if we didn't have all the money? I don't know, but I have to say I hope it wouldn't be what America does today. Hillary seems to think you guys can afford universal medical care though - at least you can afford to be hopeful about the future.tone almhjellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05213144552658031984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-28458887256056770212008-02-25T06:53:00.000-08:002008-02-25T06:53:00.000-08:00You are FINALLY beginning to see the light!You wan...You are FINALLY beginning to see the light!<BR/><BR/>You want to move to Europe? I will MAKE it happen! I will sponsor you or arrange a visa. You see, I am an EU citizen..and I can go ANYWHERE. <BR/><BR/>So, when do we get the keys to the villa?<BR/><BR/>COME VISIT!<BR/><BR/>Lori LeeFletcher of the Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458067671780604817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-64852324922476779682008-02-25T05:37:00.000-08:002008-02-25T05:37:00.000-08:00My only concern with changing health care in the U...My only concern with changing health care in the US is that the gov't would find a way to mess it up. And if we're going to do it, do it completely and do it right. Instead, I'm afraid of something that is so much compromise that the end result is just a shift in evil middlemen and a wacky economic model that is unfair and disproportionate.<BR/><BR/>My sister's family paid for their own insurance for several years; one of the reasons for her recent job change was to get paid benefits.<BR/><BR/>Which makes me wonder; what would the US look like if health care was removed from the equation? Would we have more people following their dream careers or lives without that hanging over their head? Would we have happier people? Would there be a shift in what jobs are (or are not) easy to fill? What, then, would employers offer to attract people, and keep people? <BR/><BR/>It's a bit mind boggling to think of all positive impact of a better health care system; but this is one of those areas where I just don't have the faith or trust that it will be fixed (and fixed the right way) anytime soon.<BR/><BR/>Meanwhile -- wow. Awesome real estate.Liz Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16671844475303001610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-36936491773139856742008-02-25T03:09:00.000-08:002008-02-25T03:09:00.000-08:00Hey!! Come see me! All you have to do to use the ...Hey!! Come see me! All you have to do to use the UKs system is come here and get a job. That's it. You start paying into the system when you work. Then you apply for an NHS card and then you get to go to the Dr. They EVEN have DENTISTS on the NHS. they complain about it here, but it's amazing. Not only that, but once you have the card you are covered FOREVER - even if you leave and then come back! Come here! Come here!!<BR/><BR/>love to you all -meghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06041527732133374839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-19285791764193931702008-02-24T23:46:00.000-08:002008-02-24T23:46:00.000-08:00tone -- I'd love to come to Norway some day, and w...tone -- I'd love to come to Norway some day, and walk the cat with you! And I know Italy well. Lived there four years as a child and have been back many times. LOVE it.<BR/><BR/>jay -- hope the surgery went well! You're always welcom in our crypt!<BR/><BR/>linda -- let's all buy castles and villas in different countries and then swap them around so we get to experience them all!<BR/><BR/>nm real estate -- I know. Jim and I are both self-employed and pay almost as much monthly for our health insurance as we do for our mortgage! AND it still doesn't cover that much! Jim's is especially expensive because he had melanoma while uninsured. Just try getting a reasonable policy after that. <BR/><BR/>q -- I wonder if seeing Sicko might change your mind at all? Even if not, I would urge you to see it and see what you think. After all, a lot of the people who can't pay their own way and are hence left to die are <I>children</I>. And anyway, the focus of the movie is not on the uninsured, but on the way the insurance industry is structured to defraud its own customers of the care they should be receiving. The uninsured is a whole other matter. Personally, I DO think it's fair to "charge" people taxes according to their means to pay for a system that provides a healthy society for all. I think that's a big component of the line between a civilized society and a barbaric one. Seeing the movie, I felt like our country, for all its greatness, has this barbaric underbelly to it, and it made me feel awful -- and frightened, for myself, and my family and friends. Insured or not, we are not safe. We are not cared for.<BR/><BR/>enna isilee -- we only bought it <I>in our dreams.</I> Sigh.<BR/><BR/>wenda -- thanks. I'll check out the link!<BR/><BR/>alexandra -- I'll be posting your glamour shots any moment. stay tuned.<BR/><BR/>claudia -- Yes! Would love to come to Austria too! Your old house was pretty dreamy!Laini Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14064837312936707024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-67221755506498896002008-02-24T23:22:00.000-08:002008-02-24T23:22:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Laini Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14064837312936707024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-13444687741168908182008-02-24T22:31:00.000-08:002008-02-24T22:31:00.000-08:00Don´t forget, you have a friend here in Austria an...Don´t forget, you have a friend here in Austria and we have a great medical care system aswell as some pretty old and amazing villas.And since Austria just won an Oscar where else would you want to be?!*Claudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13354452103151051055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-69416028317014419762008-02-24T21:24:00.000-08:002008-02-24T21:24:00.000-08:00Chicken in pastry? It was called a Chicken Kiss an...Chicken in pastry? It was called a Chicken Kiss and easily the tastiest chicken-ey thing I have ever eaten ever. It was better than my chili lime chicken extravaganza even! How will I sleep now with the memory of that sorbet? And stay here in the US and lets get a national health care system! People who say it will be just like the UK's or Canada's and can't work don't know what they are talking about. We can do it better than both with a genuine commitment and people can still have private insurance as well if they want. I haven't seen SICKO yet but know I need to. My sister's meds are more than $1000 a month for M.S. Again, health care in one of the wealthiest countries in the world needs to be a right, not a priviliege. If we can find billions to kill thousands and thousands of innocent people overseas, we can find the money to have a health care system.Alex Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02109059018269508607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-35552568949955395012008-02-24T21:06:00.000-08:002008-02-24T21:06:00.000-08:00But here's the real story:http://en.wikipedia.org/...But here's the real story:<BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Canada<BR/><BR/>though I'm not sure how many Canadians would agree that Tommy Douglas was the most important man in our entire history, he's the one who fought and won the health care battles in the 1960's.daringtowritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07245269118641232845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-86506862426764740432008-02-24T20:58:00.000-08:002008-02-24T20:58:00.000-08:00I love that first property. Reminds me of my child...I love that first property. Reminds me of my childhood home. Especially the crypt, yes crypt.<BR/><BR/>Not really, but I live in Canada, so I could easily buy the place with what I save on health care. <BR/><BR/>:)daringtowritehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07245269118641232845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-22305142484509509792008-02-24T19:08:00.000-08:002008-02-24T19:08:00.000-08:00Hold up. You bought that place? Or did I read it w...Hold up. You <I>bought</I> that place? Or did I read it wrong? It looks absolutely amazing!Enna Isileehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16241175955933031091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-41365845171378212042008-02-24T19:05:00.000-08:002008-02-24T19:05:00.000-08:00I'm not one for socialized medicine. While it is ...I'm not one for socialized medicine. While it is "less expensive", the people who pay for it the most (through taxes) use it the least. Somehow, that does not seem right to me. I don't think it is fair to charge someone (through increased taxes) for something they may or may not use, because while it seems less expensive, it only causes more tax money to go into a system that may not (probably won't) work--like many of the other inefficient programs in the US made ineffective by the government.<BR/><BR/>But that's just my two cents.<BR/><BR/>I am really liking the looks of those villas. I want one. Even if the garden was planted by the Medici.Qhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08756447854917857756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-44017836066972064492008-02-24T18:11:00.000-08:002008-02-24T18:11:00.000-08:00Sicko is a real eye opener. My husband works from ...Sicko is a real eye opener. My husband works from home and I stay home with our 2 1/2 year old and 1 1/2 year old. We are obviously a young family (I'm 24 and he's 25) and because he works from home insurance is nearly impossible to get. As much as I hate to admit it, we are insured through the state right now. I'd love to be able to get a policy, but if you work for yourself, it costs an arm and a leg for a "good" policy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-1447828794825489062008-02-24T16:31:00.000-08:002008-02-24T16:31:00.000-08:00p.s....and the dentist told my husband that (among...p.s.<BR/>...and the dentist told my husband that (among people who go to the dentist anyway), those who don't have insurance tend to take better care of their teeth than do those with insurance...I guess because insurance makes us feel more complacent about self-care. Interesting, no?Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03446796890207033331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-14985838421144335032008-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:002008-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:00Hi Laini,There is so much variety in so-called hea...Hi Laini,<BR/><BR/>There is so much variety in so-called health care in the world that it boggles me! I lived in France and Japan and met with a wide variety of care and services in each country...but all of it was very VERY low cost. My husband and I just asked for those fun (and dentist-recommended) buzzy toothbrushes for Christmas...because we had suddenly realized that our dental insurance didn't cover very much and was costing us $1200 a year. Yikes!<BR/>But I had a visit to the ER in a Japanese hospital...and never paid a thing. (It was a little stressful to try and look up "fainting" on my electronic dictionary in the lobby...but all in all I got pretty good care...).<BR/>I agree. Let's all move abroad! Are there enough castles to go around?Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03446796890207033331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-37649677051564180182008-02-24T15:08:00.000-08:002008-02-24T15:08:00.000-08:00I had my very first minor surgery last week (for a...I had my very first minor surgery last week (for a hernia) and, for the first time, I got why people gripe about our health care system. The doctors were wonderful! It was the middlemen who made it a nightmare.<BR/><BR/>So I'm comin' with ya! I'll even live in the crypt!!!<BR/><BR/>- JayDisco Mermaidshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16749764215612594204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21997604.post-14610525280359691052008-02-24T14:45:00.000-08:002008-02-24T14:45:00.000-08:00I know what you mean, Laini. Michael Moore came to...I know what you mean, Laini. Michael Moore came to Scandinavia to do research for this film, too, but decided not to include any of the material, as American viewers "probably wouldn't believe any of it". I had to have surgery twice last fall, and pretty complicated stuff, too, and it cost, including the emergency room, oh, about 25 dollars. And that's without insurance, we don't need that here, everybody has the same rights. <BR/><BR/>We do miss out on excellence with our system, though. If you have, say, inoperable cancer, and need the best surgeon there is to give it a shot anyway, you'd probably find her in the US. But the system does work, and I'd much rather have most people safe and taken care of.<BR/><BR/>I got married in Tuscany - and I'm pretty sure you'll love it. Go for the less known south, though, or even Umbria, less touristy, less expensive, more sleepy, dusty, old and wonderful. <BR/><BR/>Oh, and come and see me in Norway for vacations. We'll have coffee and walk the cat :)tone almhjellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05213144552658031984noreply@blogger.com