An American in Provence

Friday morning I called the Caisse D'assurance Maladie, the national healthcare network. I was actually able to get SOMEONE ON THE PHONE and GASP! Actual information! Wow!
Here is the trick- call early. I called at about 7:45 am, and they open at 7:30. I need to get a new Carte Vitale (the green card that has all your medical information on it). When I first arrived, I was on a student visa and we were not married, so I had to get a Student Healthcare Insurance. Then we got married, but as I was not yet working and not French, I got put under Alain's healthcare number. They couldn't actual, oh I don't know, give me my very own special number directly now could they? Instead, we have to fill out forms, wait several months, get a card that will surely become obsolete, then repeat the process.

This is the one thing that I absolutely do not understand about French Bureacracy- they just make more work for themself. American Bureacracy is at least efficient in that they want as little work for themselves as possible. Anyway, moving on.

The way that healthcare (social security) numbers are assigned is that it starts with a 1 for a man, 2 for a woman (typical) followed by the last two numbers of your birth year, two numbers for birth month, two numbers for the department that you were born in, three numbers for what community in the department, three numbers that show what number you were of all kids born that month, that year, in that city, and then finally a check number.

Once I started working, a number was generated for me, including my gender (woohoo!) birth year, month, then 99 for FOREIGNER AHH! then a code for the US and then some other stuff that makes sense only to the healthcare system. So I have had this number since March 07, but did not actually realize that these two numbers A) were supposed to be the same and B) were not. So now I have to fill out forms in triplicate, send in my old card, photocopy of my ID (Hey, do you think you could put some pressure on the Prefecture so that I can get my new one, instead of this one that expired October 1st, 2007? Thanks), as well as some other forms.
Let's start taking bets on how long it will take me to get my new card. I am putting it at two months- May 26,2008.
Anyone else want to throw a date out there?