It's the end of August! Only 4 months left in the calendar.... Where did my time go???

Anyway, I increased contribution % of my 401K. It's back to 20%. I may adjust it again if $$ becomes too tight, but I want to see how I can do it first. Like they say, "Pay yourself first." Plus, I hate paying tax.

I have to say, American tax payers are so generous, I cannot believe how nice people are. I thought Japan was bad, but it was nothing compared to U.S. tax! I'm also amazed how nice American people are about their medical system, too. There's no national health care system??? Unbelievable.... And, look how many people have debt due to medical issues. I have never heard of such a thing before I came to the States, and I couldn't understand why people have "debt" due to medical cost.

OK, there are people who struggle financially due to illness in Japan, too. But, it's not because of medical cost, it's because they cannot work. Normally, there's a cap what people have to pay for the medical expense. I used to pay 10% of the cost, which came about $5 or so per visit. There's no such a thing as "network", so I could go and see any doctor I wanted as long as they have time for me. Also, free or inexpensive health check up is provided by local health offices administered by the Ministry of Health. They make an announcement like, "Stomach cancer screening on Sep. 1 & 2, between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at ABC health office" in the local paper.

If you work for a corporation, they provide annual medical exam. Seriously. The group of doctors and nurses came to our office cafeteria once a year, set up a medical office there, checked our height, weight, did eye exam, hearing exam, X-ray, and one on one consultation with a doctor. Needless to say, it's all free, and all done during working hour because it's considered as a duty of the company to provide good care for their employees. I took it for granted because it was my norm, but now I know it is not the case in some countries.

Luckily, both my husband and I work for rather large companies now, and they provide good benefits. But, of course, we cannot work forever. I hope we won't have any serious health issues....