Sicko

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).

Having read all the comments and reviews, this movie was pretty much what I expected. Moore does a really good job in making his point.

What bothered me a little was his black & white view of the healthcare industry - either it is public OR private. In reality, many western countries have a "hybrid" system. For example here in Finland we have a pretty reasonable public healthcare system (which by the way is not totally free for the patient, albeit very cheap), but in addition, we also have private clinics, if you want even faster service and are willing to pay extra. You can also get an insurance from private companies, which provides extra financial support and/or service in the private clinics in case of illness. Also some workplaces and institutes have free doctors.

A portion of the cost of medicines is substituted by the government in either case, and there is an annual limit after which they are totally substituted.

I think it would be pretty straightforward to establish this kind of system in the US. There is no need to socialize healthcare TOTALLY. There is no need for the insurance company to "go" (as Moore put it), they just need to step aside a little and stop being the main authority. Also, if insurance companies have to compete with FREE (health care), there is only one thing they can do: offer really good service!

After watching this film, i grew restless. Not the sorta restless, you get, when nobody calls you on the phone for weeks. No- restless that i can not reach out, and share parts of the health-care-system, from where i come from in Denmark. Now, i've only once experienced this sort of restlessness after watching a movie, and it was Michael Moores "Rodger and me". YES- Moore does it again. And he fulfills his role, as an rebellious anti-capitalist, pointing out the wrongs and rights in society, that people have simply grown accustom to. PERFECT! He once again gives us his artistic brand consisting of small terrific, or in this case, horrible stories from everyday people who have been neglected by the American health-care system. Michael Let's you pass trough the homes of MANY families as you engage upon their stories. This time Michael has brought far more people into the interviews, and it gives the hole bundle more juice then FAHRENHEIT. He also, takes his time to show old clips, video/photos of the people hes interviewing, so you feel you get the entire background on some of the folks. BRAVO! Michael himself, is this time a bit more "americaniced" -but only to really point out the benefits of the other countries, does he take the role of the average American joe. PERFECT! Over all. If you read this. I think this movie will make as huge an impact on you, as it did on me. And i think every Michael Moore film, is both educational and should be thought in schools, as well as very important for the entire society to see! That is... if you want to be a part of your society?

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.

I just got done watching this movie and no other movie I have seen in my life has had the impact on me that this movie has had.

My wife has M.S. and requires a LOT of medical treatment. Just ONE of her many prescriptions is a thousand (US) dollars a month. This very expensive experimental drug is nothing more than an old flu shot they are experimenting with. ( seriously )

I am a middle class skilled worker with great insurance.. and I may soon be homeless due in part to this. The other part is due to the corrupt banking system that I hope one day gets equally exposed.

I am now officially embarrassed to be a US citizen. If it wasn't for me already being middle aged and having 15 years seniority in a job I cannot replace... I would forever leave this so called "Free Country"

Peace Rich

rich3077@gmail.com