After a long break, I am ready to begin writing again.  My family suffered back to back deaths in December and January.   My brother Joseph, died December 12, 2008 after a long and hard battle against AIDS.  In January, my Uncle Ronald died suddenly through the night of January 17, 2009.  I had a long problem with writer's block and I have now conquered that block and am in a writing mood.

 

I keep reading postings in blogs and in news articles where the health insurance or healthcare in Europe is free.  This is not true at all, in all countries, those who work pay for their health insurance.  I and my employer pay 500 Euros for my health insurance.  My wife has to pay for her health insurance just under 500 Euros per month, and she has a high deductible to keep her costs down.  I have the German government mandated health insurance and my wife has a private policy.  

With my policy, I have to wait for months to see a specialist, I have to pay a deductible for my prescriptions and I have to go to a University hospital to receive care for my chronic illness.  Under the reimbursement system, when I am hospitalized, the hospital gets about 2000 Euros for my 7 - 10 day stay.  I have to pay a 10 Euro deductible for each day as well.  However the treatment I need, costs the hospital  7500 Euros, that covers only the 4 (four) small vials of a substance called heme.  I have been refused treatment at one hospital in my city because I am a "strain" on the healthcare system.

 

I hope you will all wake up and realize that there are no such things as a free lunch (TANSTAAFL).  Don't fall for the Health reform in America.  You will never have good healthcare again.