Sicko

Who wrote this review, Micheal Moore?  It is baffling the amount of praise this man gets for making up straw men to attack and bending “facts” to suit his own ends.  Sorry, but he is only “brilliant” if you swallow the selected spoon-fed he presents and think its clever.

As I am objective, I do not think its brilliant to make up facts, exploit people (911 victims) and have lame sketches to prove irrelevant points. Big example, in his film 911 asking congressmen if they would send their own sons to Iraq (uh..duh..we don’t have a draft, the army is volunteer.  Someone should wake him up from the 60’s)

Sticking to this movie, the 400 pound elephant falsehood in the room is that even though our system of health care stinks, so does the rest of the worlds.  Moore is frankly lying about other countries nationlized healthcare systems.  I watched “reeel reviews” on TV that had a british female reviewer, who is obviously not conservative, almost hold back laughter at Moore’s glowing review of British healthcare.  She related six month delays in treatment, chronic shortages, and non treatement of anything not an emergency unless you were rich enough to have private health insurance on top of what the system provides.

Another example is a recent Canadian documentary showing Canadians crossing the border into this (!) country to get basic care they can not get in their system (but hey..the drugs are cheaper).

In almost every country that has nationalized healthcare, there have been movements afoot, or actual progress made, to repeal it.

I love how the reviewer preemtively dismisses critcs upfront in the review.  Classic cool-aid drinker.  Look everyone, I’m part of the big business conspiracy because I can think..lol

Comment by rich from pittsburgh — July 2, 2007 @ 8:41 am

spellng errors are my own..sorry

Comment by rich from pittsburgh — July 2, 2007 @ 8:46 am

Having lived in the UK for 35 years, I can agree that the the system here is not perfect, but it is not as you assume from your comments above. Treatment for most things is available almost everybody, irrespective of income. Chronic/long term illnesses are funded on basis of most value to most people, as funds are not unlimited, and not all treatments offer reasonable chances of good outcomes so choices have to be made, but in my opinion a good balance is achieved. Private healthcare is available to those who wish to pay, but to be honest apart from simple procedures like hip replacements, (which you may have to wait for on the National Health Service) and plastic surgery for vanity reasons(not available on the NHS obviously), most expertise lies within the NHS as all university teaching hospitals are linked directly to the NHS.

It is by no means perfect, and funding it adequately is always a hot political topic, but it seems to strike a good balance. There is certainly no movement at all in this country to repeal it, and I would say 95% percent of the UK feel this way. It is considered a national institution and most people are very proud of it. That does not imply total satisfaction with the way it is run, and improving while maintaining its ethos of free treatment at the point of delivery for all has been at the top of every political parties agenda for the last 25 years. I think Thatcher when she came to power in 1979 initially harboured a desire to dismantle it and replace it with a US style system, but even she was taken aback by the hostility this generated.

Most people would be horrified at the prospect of an insurance based system, (I make no comment on the US system in saying this, having had no experience of it), as they are happy with the principle of the system they have.

Comment by Adrian from Edinburgh — July 2, 2007 @ 10:20 am

Well, I’m certainly not going to argue with a Brit whose there and knows the system.  But it still doesn’t invalidate the criticism.  Nationalized health care is nothing but one big insurer (government) taking over for smaller insurers.  It is also a myth that people in this country can’t get treatment without health insurance.  I am a small business owner and have no insurance, so when I’m sick, I pay for my own.  Although there are horror stories and people who are seriously injured do have very high medical bills, there are actually welfare systems here, such as SSI (social security) and Medicare (government insurance program) that will pay for people who seriously need treatment.  Hospitals also treat many people free of charge if it is an emergency, or will bill you later.

I am also an attorney and have some experience in our system, and it is VERY RARE for a hospital to brazenly throw someone out the door who needs treatment.  (the rare cases this happens is usually a mistake in diagnosis, sending someone to another facility, or the person has some mental disorder, drug problem, etc..that leads to a misunderstanding.)

The main problem with healthcare is that people are living longer, and new treatments are being developed that treat diseases and injuries that were impossible just ten years ago.  New treatments are expensive, but go down over time once they become accepted.

Also, the USA gets the best doctors and treatment available precisely because of the private system.  Doctors come here from all over the world because their nationalized systems don’t pay them the money they can get here.  Also, companies invent innovative treatments here because there is profit in it.  Finally, people who engage in higher risk behavioirs (smoking, sexual, whatever) pay more for their insurance, which is much fairer than asking me to foot the bill for someone else.

There are pluses and minuses to every system.

Comment by rich from pittsburgh — July 2, 2007 @ 1:32 pm

Although from Ireland, I have lived in both the USA and the UK.  I am hugely looking forward to Michael Moore’s film because, even if his film is somewhat simplified and occasionally sensationalist, the US Healthcare system is a scandal.

WHile at first glance taxes appear lower in the USA, the cost of health insurance premiums place a huge burden on working people.  For those on low incomes, but not low enough to qualify for medicaid, insurance is a luxury they cannot afford.  Those who work freelance or who are not in a company that pays for health insurance are also in this position.

I remember the story of a musician friend of mine in San Francisco - he was knocked off his bike, badly broke his leg and, as he was passing out with the pain, all he could remember was being asked by ambulance staff for his insurance number.  This guy is a US citizen, on low income but not low enough for medicaid.  15 years later, he is still paying the bills for his operation and treatment.

While British people occasionally complain about the NHS, it is acknowledged to be an excellent system - as outlined by the gentleman from Edinburgh earlier.  The principle of universal healthcare provision is the foundation of the NHS.

It’s time that US Citizens start to realise that other countries’ criticism of their government and the health/education systen in the US is not an attack on their nationality.  Their indignation should instead be directed at campaigning for improvemnet in the healthcare, education and social welfare provision for poorer members of society. 

Looking forward to Michael Moore’s film… bring it on!

Comment by Claire from Edinburgh, Scotland — July 21, 2007 @ 6:42 am

Just because we disagree doesn’t mean we take it as an attack on our nationalism.  Although I am certain you will dismiss this as my own rationalization, a lot of people just like this system. 

Regardless, no system is perfect.  They’re all going to have some horror stories.  To just build an argument, or a movie, around the extreme results of any system does nothing but mislead the audience.  The Cuban system is a horrific failure.  Well, let me restate that: it has failed Cuban citizens.  Tourists and the wealthy of the island have received some of the best medical care in the world.  “Sicko” does not reveal that because it only shows the best examples of that system.

Comment by Anthony from miami — July 25, 2007 @ 11:23 am