
Health care has become an important issue in America. As the Baby Boomers grow older and begin to retire, they are not only taxing the already overdrawn Social Security system, but also are demanding more and more medical care of a higher caliber as well. Pharmaceutical companies, HMOs, insurance companies, doctors, hospitals – all of these are driving up prices and seeking to capitalize on this coming boom in the business of keeping people healthy and alive. Yet medical care is, in many cases, a necessity and not simply an elective. Is it really something that certain groups should be able to profit from?
That question is something which resounds at the heart of Sicko, the new documentary by Michael Moore. Moore, the always hilarious and inflammatory filmmaker, hits this movie out of the park, creating his funniest and most heartwarming movie to date.
In this film, Moore elects not to focus on those who do not have insurance and have to suffer the vagaries and inflated prices of the medical world on their own. Instead, he takes a deeper look into the lives of those who do have insurance, coverage that they thought was good and sufficient. However, when crises arise, suddenly there’s a loophole here and fine print there and the health care just won’t cover what their customers need to stay alive.
Moore also goes overseas to Canada, England and France to take a look at their health care systems and to show that a single payer system does indeed work and is a viable option. In fact, America is the only well-developed Western nation which does not offer government health care.
The Sicko DVD also contains over 80 minutes of material never seen before, including a trip to Washington DC, the theatrical trailer, a company more successfully socialist than France, a GE employee in France, and a different kind of Hollywood premiere. This is an incredible film, an acute crises, and an important debate for America to answer.
Sicko shows where health care in America is ill and provides the beginnings of a road map to recovery.
This DVD is available at Amazon.com.
4 users commented in " Movie Review: Sicko "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackUnfortunately in this movie the whole truth is not told. This is not to say that any healthcare in any country is better. However, it is a fact that in the US any person can go to any hospital at any time and receive care and cannot be refused care. Now in other countries although healthcare may be free this cannot be done. It may take days before healthcare is received.
Individual & Family Health Insurance
The full retirement age is based on maintaining a 50% death rate, so the government does not have to pay any paid for benefits but to half of the investors. The government gets 15% of all wages (up to $102,000) in America and is so incompetent as an investment manager, if we could we would have fired them, they do not invest our money and grow the funds. The problem with Social Security is totally caused by government. No, matter your political party affiliation, and setting aside your thoughts on issues. We all need to remember what it is to be an American Citizen. We need to make sure our elected representatives obey their Oath of Office and keep their Oath of Allegiance. See http://tinyurl.com/2znnvl Know whom you are voting for.
Easy to Insure me, that’s actually not true. Under the HMO system, you are limited to what hospital you are allowed to visit, and you will be refused care if the hospital you arrive at is not approved by your HMO. It’s a sad reality of the system. As for your comment about “in other countries, this can not be done.” That is definately refutable, and I am definately one who would know, as I have lived in, and been a patient in Canada, the USA and Britian. I have never had a long wait time in any country, I have never been turned away from any hospital at any time, anywhere, but in the States, I do have to be pre approved for certain things, and I do have to pay a deductable. Health care should be a human right, and never should be a privledge.
Sorry you are not correct “easy to insure me”
I am born and raised in Canada. I can go to any hospital at any time, in any province and
receive FREE treatment and medication while there. I do not wait “days” to see a doctor” .When you
go to one of our hospitals through emerg. you go through “triage” where a
nurse acesses you situation, minor things such as cuts etc may wait an hour or so, and people with asthma attacks, heart attacks, other life threating conditions etc. do not wait even 1 min, they bypass all. I am so glad I live in a country with free health care for all….I could never imagine having to pay thousands of dollars because my insurance company denied me.
Easy To Insure Me Says:
November 27th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Unfortunately in this movie the whole truth is not told. This is not to say that any healthcare in any country is better. However, it is a fact that in the US any person can go to any hospital at any time and receive care and cannot be refused care. Now in other countries although healthcare may be free this cannot be done. It may take days before healthcare is received.
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