As submitted to http://acanac.org/blogs/geek/ 

Time for a movie review...

Yesterday I watched Sicko, a documentary by Michael Moore about the state of healthcare in the United States as compared to various countries throughout the world.  Being a big fan of a few of Moore's past movies (Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11), I saw exactly what I expected to see.  It is a well written and filmed documentary that paints the facts against a logical backdrop.  The contrast of paid services in the U.S. versus the free services of countries such as Canada, Britain, France and Cuba is exactly the opposite of what you would expect.  Paid for services appear to provide a lower level of health management than the free ones.  Is this possible?

This movie touches on many of the tender points of the U.S. health care system.  It opens with a man sewing stitches into his own knee because he can't afford that medical bills to have a doctor do it.  Another scene discusses a man who cut off the tips of his ring and middle fingers with a table saw.  He is offered the choice of having the ring fingertip re-attached for $12,000 or the middle fingertip for $60,000.  Wow.  Who has that kind of cash?  The movie then dives into just how corrupt the insurance companies are.  The list of medical conditions that will automatically reject insurance coverage is 37 pages long.  These companies also employ people who are paid to find holes in the applications in order to reject claims.  It's very wrong.  Many cases identify deaths that happen as a result of rejected claims.  Men, women, children - no one is safe.

Moore travels to many countries to compare health care services.  In Canada he finds that citizens get free health care, but have to pay for dental and drugs.  In Britain he discovers a universal health care plan where all prescriptions are about $10.  The Brits get all of their services for free and are even reimbursed for transportation expenses.  Wow!  In France, their healthcare is unmatched.  Doctors are available for house calls and emergency rooms never wait more than an hour.  The french will even go so far as to have a government employee come to your house after you have a child to help with the housework and similar things. Even Cuba beats America in this race.  They offer free health care coverage as well.  An inhaler that costs $120 in the U.S. costs about $0.05 in Cuba.  That is just 5 cents. 

Not only is it a great eye opener, but it also sheds light on some serious issues.  Very clear and strong messages about the U.S. healthcare system being utilized to keep the nation down are delivered in everyday terms.  If I was the American government I would be afraid.  Some day the people of your country are going to stand up for what is right and a new day will dawn over the America we know today.  That capitalist nation seems to be continually hell bent on self destruction.  All in all I give the movie 5 out of 5 and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.