Sicko

As an American this movie was one of the most depressing movies I've seen in awhile. Bowling for Columbine doesn't even hold a candle to the disheartening realizations contained in this film. I walked away with a sick taste in my mouth having been reminded of how disgusting and heartless our bottom line policy making is. How sick it is to be imprisoned by the government through healthcare. How the healthcare system will tear down every other joy in your life until your 80, working 50 hours a week to pay the cost of staying alive, unable to stand against the rich or have the hope left to vote. Thus the propaganda arm of the American Dream prevails. I don't plan to watch this movie again until I obtain citizenship in Britain, France, Cuba… or Ron Paul could get elected president and as a former physician he might actually fix the system.

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!

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."

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.