Introduction
When watching a documentary or any film, you must always consider the reason, motivation and the angle at which the creator of that piece envisions in it. Michael Moore's documentary film is as much entertainment as it is educational. Of course it raises the serious questions about our Health Care system while highlighting its failures but throughout the film, you will find yourself more entertained than being lectured. That may be intentionally done to expose the broken Health Care system in the US with a comical atmosphere while addressing a serious issue without having to rave on like a raging lunatic. Or, it could have simply need a marketing ploy to get the viewers in America to watch his films, thereby earning him yet another title he can be proud of while his wallet bulges with some serious cash. But whatever his personal reasons are, the film does raise valid questions and objections to unethical practices of the insurance companies and the broken system.
Land of Opportunities
America has always been called a land of opportunities where equality of opportunity is championed by its average citizens. So should the child of an investment banker and a child of a gasoline attendant worker deserve the same health care in America? I would say why not. Children are our future and in a country that is easily labeled as the most powerful and the richest should just as easily be labeled the most caring with the least child mortality rate. Sadly, this is not true of America. We are rich, powerful and famous but our Child mortality rates are not the best especially when considering that certain 3rd world nations have better child health care than us. But does that mean everyone should receive care? That is the debate that still rages on in our country but it is essential that all Permanent Residents and Citizens of US should receive full child health care, if not full health care privileges for all - period.
Corporate America
In Sicko, one of the most touching anecdotal accounts was a woman that was working at the insurance company. She is a phone receptionist and in a documentary where the insurance companies are portrayed as unfeeling demons, she serves as a human face that is touched by the issue. You have to understand that insurance companies are essentially people also, business trying to make a living. And even though the companies have made some serious cash, in the end, it is a business practice. Before I saw this account of this woman, I had that image of uncaring individuals sitting behind computer terminals denying claims from patients. But that account was very shocking to see because I just did not expect to see people that "feel" the pain and understand the situation working for the insurance companies. So it was essentially a shock as that view that I had was changed dramatically within few minutes. But that was somewhat replaced when the statement from the hearing of Dr. Linda Pino was made that claimed that insurance companies gave doctors who worked for them better pay and bonuses and ratings if they denied claims. Then in the movie by the time all the explanations was done, I was placed with a feeling that the insurance company exists to only reject the claim with any sort of excuse they can get. Such a notion I cannot possible imagine without getting a shiver of fear and foreboding - because then our Health Care system if truly doomed. I do however; disagree with the wide unethical practices applied by the health care insurance providers in determining how many drugs, how long and for how much a patient can receive health care. I also totally disagree with the practice of kickbacks and other "privileges" the companies give doctors who prescribe formulary drugs or other prescriptions that they want the doctors to give out to the patients. So to hear that from Dr. Linda Pino was not all too surprising as it already happens throughout our country's hospitals, private practices and other health care facilities - even though it is generally illegal.
Issues Raised & Facts
Sicko also raises the issue of how we are not able to fix our health care system when our friends in Europe and near our border are capable of fixing theirs. We also begin to see the encroachment of greed and corporate influences into our health care policies and the politics that determine those policies. The President's Commission on health care goes just short of declaring the need for better health care (universal) in America so I want to know why, if not what, prevents our political parties and forces from instituting wide reaching health care reform for the sake of the people. The documentary also showed me the widespread consequences of our current system of care. I never imagined the insured people would have so many problems. Usually we only hear of the 48 million uninsured Americans but the plight of even the insured Americans is just or even worse than the uninsured. That is one important message I learned from the movie. And of course, it is time we fix our system even more. The movie praised Canada and Cuba a lot for their good care system even though on the world list, Canada is ranked #30 and Cuba is #39 while we are in #37. Even though that seems really bad, we are doing well in regards to the medical care but it is the expense that is destroying lives and making our system worse than it really is. If we can find a way to manage our Health Care expenses - perhaps with taxes or some other means, then we will surely have the best Health Care system in the world.
