So we are going to see first hand what the French medical system is like now.

I have been going through a series of tests with the end result being that I need to have half of my thyroid removed due to a very large nodule that has grown on the left side. I had a consultation with the surgeon and that went well. It was also very cheap.

I do have the social security coverage now but it only covers a percentage of things and that percentage changes depending on some unknown system. It was only 7 euros to see the surgeon. A regular doctor visit is usually around 22 euros and that too has a changing percentage on how much is covered. One time they only paid half.

Most people buy a Mutual to cover the extra costs but they average around 50 euros a month for an average coverage. I can't afford that right now so I have applied for something called CMU which is a state coverage for those who fall under a certain income. It will allow me to be 100 percent covered. But you have to wait a minimum of 2 months to get your response. Slow. I may or may not know before the surgery. They told me that if I am accepted then I will be covered retroactively to the first of January so yeah!

I don't know how much longer my hard drive is going to work today so I will sign off and add more later. I can't believe that after only 3 three years my mac mini hard drive is giving up the ghost. I already had to replace the DVD drive as it went bad. Grrr. I used to have a high opinion of Apple but it is falling. I suppose I could have just found the lemon but I am not holding my breathe that Apple will give a damn.