Healthcare. It is on everyone's tongues in the U.S. And whenever we see polls on world heathcare, the French pop up at or near the top. Best healthcare in the world. Longest lifespans. Fewer infant deaths. All that kind of good stuff. But I got to experience French healthcare personally yesterday. Now, there are a few caveats: first, we were located in a small town in the Loire valley named Onzain (fun to say in French-- halfway between a cough and a sneeze!). But I ended up with a fever of 101.5 that wouldn't go away and I was freezing to death. Also, had diarrhea and nausea. So, we called the concierge of our small hotel and she told us we had an "appointment" at 3 p.m. with the female doctor in town. "She may be a little late," the concierge told us. But this is France, we chuckled to ourselves. Of course, she will be late.
So, promptly at 3 p.m. we turned on trusty Jill GPS and followed her to a small stucco house on a side street in Onzain (cough sneeze). Cars were parked all over higgeldy piggeldy. We found a place to park and walked in and said, "The nom est Irvine and we have an appointment with the doctor." The receptionist said, "There are no appointments. This is for consulation." In other words, get your name on the list and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait. For three hours. There was no place to sit in the waiting room, so we sat on the front porch. And I must tell you that a young couple ("girl with the red tights and boots" is what I called her.) actually got up and let us have their front porch perch! Since we really couldn't converse, there were a lot of smiles back and forth. And she waited 3 hours as well, with a mother in tow. Finally, we got to see the doctor, "Dr. Mottu" and she was most friendly. No white coat or stethoscope. But she knew little English and we know less French. So it was a struggle. She thought I had a breathing problem, it seems. She said I wheezed. Which I guess I do all the time. Because this was no different. What I HAD was a fever and diarrhea and stomach upset. Well, after much gesturing back and forth and a stint with the receptionist who spoke English as our translator, Dr. Mottu asked me to take off my blouse, listened to my heart, my lungs, my guts -- and said she thought it was a virus. She prosribed: Imodium (they call it something else) and tylenol. Both of which I had been taking. Oh well. The visit only cost $30. But it made me a fan of American medicine. Dr. Mottu's computer and printer were VERY old. She had a regular home scale. And no auto blood pressure machine. Equipment: substandard. Oh -- blood pressure "bon".
But one VERY interesting thing: as we sat for three hours, we watched the procession of patients come and go. And transportation?? Most walked. Some rode bicycles. A few had cars. But the main method of transportation for people was the local ambulance service! The ambulances would pull up, help a person with a cane or walker out, and go away until called again. This was not an ambulance truck, but more like a taxi service! And, since France has had universal healthcare since 1945, I bet it was a free ride to the doctors'!
Another important thing. While, in this small town, people did not speak English and we learned how little French we knew, they were unfailingly friendly, even chatty. We all tried to communicate. So score one for the French, who have a reputation of being snooty! That is not what we have found. But, you ask, why then are the French so much healthier than we are? I bet you already picked up on it. The French walk. Yes, they walk everywhere. To school. To the shops. To work. To the doctors office. And, if they are a little lazy or in a hurry, they ride a bike. But take a car everywhere? Well, that's "TOO AMERICAIN!" Bottom line: The French are into practicalities like moving their bodies regularly, old, young, fat (not too many of those), thin, crippled---everyone!! Maybe we could cut healthcare costs that way?!
THe end of this story is: I'm better today, but Bos is now suffering the effects. And we have come to appreciate the professionalism of our healthcare community. I love the idea of universal coverage. I think it should be a right for every person, rich or poor, to have the best care possible. The care we provide for those who can afford it in our country is certainly superior to the care in Ozain (cough-sneeze)-- But the U.S. system IS NOT better than the care we can't provide because people are denied or can't afford it!
We drove up to Chenanceau...and we drove away. Crowds. Busses. Too many people. Even on a rainy day. So we decided to change direction. Here, every small village has a castle and a church. And most of them are on the banks of one river or other. So we thought it might be fun to find some of these villages and "discover". First stop, not such a small town: Amboise. Well, Amboise is small compared to U.S. standards, but nearly everything except Lyon and Paris is small here. And in Amboise, besides its trusty castle, its ancient church and Leonardo da Vinci's home, they have a chocolate shop to die for. Betsy, who was here 10 years ago, waxes eloquent about the hot chocolate she drank there. So, of course, we had to stop and get the chocolate plus formula for our kid! And additional presents for Brent, Kathy, and her two kids. And we had to wander enough to have a French "poor boy", which is really a small baguette with cheese and ham, along with a Coca Lite. 
