Sicko is a documentary by the infamous Michael Moore. In the
documentary Moore examines the American Healthcare System and compares it to
other countries like France and Cuba. It
should not come as no surprise to those familiar with Michael’s work that he
takes a very strong political liberal position on the issue of healthcare, and
the stance on universal healthcare in France, Cuba, and Canada. Even if you
disagree with Moore, Sicko is worth watching for its crazy and disturbingly
accurate portrayal of the fallings of healthcare in America. I’m not saying
France, Cuba, and Canada have all the answers nor do they have the perfect system
but in examining the way we do things, Moore makes us look in the mirror and
seriously question the way we take care of our own citizens.
Moore doesn’t hog the camera he actually lets real Americans
tell the story of how the government played with rescue workers lives and our
broken healthcare system. Here are the stories:
Financially crippled by co-pays and deductibles, one couple
must sell their family home and move into their daughter's basement.
Another woman has her health insurance retroactively
cancelled because she forgot to disclose on her application that she had years
ago suffered from a common yeast infection which was completely resolved with a
prescription cream.
Doctors believe a man suffering from kidney cancer could be
saved with a bone marrow transplant procedure, which is denied by his insurer.
His family cannot afford the procedure out-of-pocket, so he forgoes care and dies
shortly thereafter, leaving behind his wife and young son.
A young mother calls 911 and has the ambulance rush her
feverish 18-month-old daughter to the nearest emergency room, only to be denied
care because it was a non-network hospital. By the time the insurance issue was
straightened out, it was too late to save her daughter's life.
A sick and disoriented woman is discharged from a hospital
and dumped in front of a homeless shelter. She is wearing nothing but a
hospital gown and wanders aimlessly up and down the street until someone from
the shelter sees her and approaches her to assist. It turns out that the
hospital had discharged her because her insurance benefits had run out.
Sicko was a great documentary for one because it a thought
provoking documentary. He showed you how our healthcare system was broken and
he did a great job at convincing viewers that they shouldn’t be satisfied with
the way our health care system is being ran. Moore’s film is a call to action
for the American Government. While watching Sicko I really questioned staying
in America.
This film as you stated was a great documentary. I mean of course America's healthcare system is fair from great, but this documentary shows how the insurance companies are built only on the idea of making money. After watching this film I actually felt depressed about the conditions that many innocent citizens here in America have to face because their insurance company will not cover whatever procedure that they need in order to survive. Obviously, America is not Cuba or France but I feel that it is rather sad that people are not willing to help each other to survive. Take for instance the volunteers that helped after 9/11, they were denied insurance after they risked their lives to help our country. It is unmoral how insurance companies are making money from people whom pay for coverage yet when the time comes for help the company denies the patient and is making money off someone dying. This idea is very sinister. How can you put a price on a life? How can you be more centered on the idea of making money rather than saving many lives?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and Tierney. After watching the documentary I was almost discouraged to live in America. I think it is a horrible misfortune that in America when you get injured you mainly focus on 'can I afford this' instead of 'will I recover and be okay from this'. The insurance companies want to make money and don't care how or at whose expense. I think that Insurance should be handled by the government, just not our current extraordinarily corrupt one, the ideal of the American government that is supposed to have the best interest of the people in mind because the people are the ones who fund it through their tax dollars. Taxes don't have to go through the roof to make a difference, some spending needs to be reallocated and focused on the health of every American citizen.
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