Sicko

I recently finished watching Michael Moore's Sicko (it's a great documentary that everyone should see). It's not about the 47 million Americans who don't have health insurance, it's about some of the 250 million who have/had health insurance and in spite of this their lives were ruined. It dispels a lot of the myths espoused by some in America such as long waiting lines, higher taxes and the doctors being paid close to nothing. It explains why HMOs were established and how their primary purpose is to deny claims. Advancement in these companies is based upon how many claims an employee denies and any claims that are actually paid out are seen as failures. He goes to countries like Canada, England, France and Cuba and talks to citizens of these countries to get their take on their country's health-care system. He also goes to hospitals and emergency rooms in these countries to get the take of the people there and when he ask "How much do you pay?", they all laugh at him. Moore sums up the premise of film when he says the rest of the western world practices "We" health-care while Americans practice "Me" health-care.

I've seen a lot of movies that either make fun or try to exemplify American stupidity, but none convinced me of it unless I've seen Sicko. How can you people put up with this?! The medical system portrayed in this film is worst than here in Romania!

Basically, it tells about the medical system being bought and used by insurance companies to trick people into paying huge sums of money for any medical care, regardless of them having a medical insurance or not. Then there are examples of the Canadian, French, British and Cuban health care systems, which are, as I think they should be, free and of high quality.

And the logic is very simple, even if one chooses to disregard the highly emotional examples presented by Moore: people who win money from not taking care of you will not take care of you.

Take care!

As European living temporary in this country (my wife is American), I would like to give my point of view about the movie:

1) The facts that Michael Moore show about European Health System is true. We don't pay bills for medical procedures.

2) Universal Health Care it doesn't mean "socialist" health care like Cuba. Rich and middle-high class can go to the private system, so we have both to choice, but it's normal that if you have to afford a expensive medical bill (how can afford a 250k medical bill?), even rich people go to the public system.

3) As European living in United States, I can say Americans pay more taxes (direct and indirect), than Europeans, it's absolutely false that UHC will double the taxes of Americans.

4) This is not a issue about conservatives or liberals, this is simple a humanity question.

5) The Cuban woman made the right question: if a poor caribean island like Cuba can give Universal health care to their citizens, how the first economical potence can afford this? 6)One of the typical points to critic this movie is about wait lines to have medical attention in countries with UHC. The statistics are very clear: there are no more wait lines in this countries than in USA, even covering 100 % of the people (if you are a little bit intelligent and not a fanatic extremist, you can understand that if you exclude 50 milion person from medical attention, your rates about this issue can be better).

7) This people that support the actual health care, I think they don't understood one of the principal messages of this movie: it doesn't matter if you have a good insuarance...you can be exclude for "bussiness" reasons. HORRIBLE AND INSANE.

8) Every American had to recommend this movie to their neighbour, and associate (like in other times for other issues like segregation laws or vote for women), because affordable health care is BASIC HUMAN RIGHT, forbidden in the the richest country in the world.

9) A lot of Americans are proud to be good Christians...I'm not sure Jesus and God support a system that treat human being as garbage. This post is specially dedicated for people that love America and the tradition (conservatives), because if they accept taxes for pay national security, inside this security can include this silent and big enemies that are always waiting to kill American people (cancer, strokes...). Don't worry, you can be conservative and patritotic and support a human and Christian system that support the poor and normal people. This not socialist, is capitalism with human face (normal in other advanced societies where they live more and better).

I can only hope this movie wakes some people up, especially those flag waving people who keep on repeating slogans like "greatest country in the world" etc. This could be a serious wake up call for a proud nation. I have always wondered how people can still call it the greatest country if it does not have universal health care, but maybe the reason is, they don't know any better. They do not realize that in other western countries this has been done for ages and it works.

People of USA should embrace Moore as the patriot he is. He wants the American PEOPLE all the best, but he gets sacrificed by the same people because he dares to speak about the government. But true patriots rise against governments too, if they are bad for the people. United states is not the flag, not the white house, not the senate, not the soaring eagle. It is the people living there, and this is what they have to remember. You can demand for universal health care, and you can vote for it.

Please, cast aside your prejudices and watch this film with an open mind. I personally do not like Michael Moore whatsoever, but this film is mind blowing. I hope that that including quotes from the movie is not considered spoiling it.

Feb 17th, 1971 5:23 P.M.

Ehrlichman : "We have now narrowed down the vice president's problems on this thing to one issue, and that is whether we should include these Health Maintenance Organizations like Edgar Kaiser's Permenente thing." President Nixon : "Let me ask you, you know I'm not too keen on any of these damn medical programs." Ehrlichman : " This is a private enterprise one." Nixon : "Well, that appeals to me." Ehrlichman : " Edgar Kaiser is running this permanente thing for profit. And the reason he can do it... I had Edgar Kaiser come in, and talk to me about this... And I went into some depth... All the incentives are toward less medical care, because the less care they give them, the more money they make." Nixon : "Fine." Ehrlichman : " And the incentives run the right way." Nixon : "Not bad."