"Sicko", Moores best yet.

[medicinal]

SiCKO Is Michael Moore's Best and Most Powerful Documentary
By David Corn, TheNation.com. Posted June 23, 2007.

Michael Moore's new movie is a dead-on dissection of America's sick healthcare system. Funny, sad and moving, it's the best of his films.


In 1971, Edgar Kaiser, the son of the founder of Kaiser Permanente, one of the first big HMOs, went to see John Ehrlichman, a top aide to President Nixon, to lobby the Nixon White House to pass legislation that would expand the market for health maintaped, went like this:


Ehrlichman: I had Edgar Kaiser come in...talk to me about this and I went into it in some depth. All the incentives are toward less medical care, because the less care they give them, the more money they make.

President Nixon: Fine.
The next day, Nixon publicly announced he would be pushing legislation that would provide Americans "the finest health care in the world."

When tapes of the Nixon-Ehrlichman conversation and Nixon's subsequent public statement are played halfway through Michael Moore's new movie SiCKO, it is one of the film's more revealing moments. By this point in the film, Moore has already demonstrated that health insurance companies and HMOs are parasitic villains that routinely deny necessary medical care to make more bucks -- even when their money-grubbing leads to the death of patients. Looking for the original sin that led to the present mess, Moore zeroes in on this Nixonian moment, which encapsulates the film's premise that the United States health care system is defined by a fundamental conflict: profit versus care, and -- no surprise -- profit beats care.

Moore makes this point magnificently in SiCKO, which is the best film in the Moore canon. I say this as one who had a mixed reaction to Fahrenheit 9/11. (See here.) This time around, Moore has crafted a tour de force that his enemies will have a tough time blasting (though they will still try). It's not as tendentious as his earlier works. It posits no conspiracy theories. The film skillfully blends straight comedy, black humor, tragedy, and advocacy. You laugh, you cry -- literally. And you get mad.AlterNet: Home

medicinal Reviewed by medicinal on 06-26-2007. "Sicko", Moores best yet. SiCKO Is Michael Moore's Best and Most Powerful Documentary By David Corn, TheNation.com. Posted June 23, 2007. Michael Moore's new movie is a dead-on dissection of America's sick healthcare system. Funny, sad and moving, it's the best of his films. In 1971, Edgar Kaiser, the son of the founder of Kaiser Permanente, one of the first big HMOs, went to see John Ehrlichman, a top aide to President Nixon, to lobby the Nixon White House to pass legislation that would expand the market for Rating: 5

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

I was actually pretty disappointed by it, and went in with high hopes. Not that he didn't make some excellent points, but the overal presentation wasn't very convincing. Rather than making his contentions through statistics, facts, figures etc, he seems to have cherry-picked whatever facts backed up his arguments. All he did was take horror stories from America and stories of happiness and success from socialist medical systems. That's a bit rediculous, considering I could go to any country with a half competent institution and find stories of either horror or hapiness if I just find the right person.

When looking at the Canadian medical system, and the Americans going to Canada to recieve treatment, he left an imression that we live under some socialist paradise. No mention whatsoever of the shortage of doctors and nurses, of the exceedingly long waiting lists for major surgeries, or the lack of critical equipment like MRI's and the such (albeit the equipment shortage isn't too bad as of late).
This is not to say I don't appreciate our medical system, Canada still rates much higher than the states by most international organizations, but its' a tossup. I've seen Rheumatologists, Neurologists, GP's, and Neurosurgeons again and again. I'm ever grateful that I didn't have to pay a single penny, especially since I'd never be able to afford even one of these trips in my current financial situation, but you also have to keep in mind that it takes an average of 6-8 months to see any of these (for me).

He probably should have mentioned as well that the socialist medical systems in Europe are indeed very good, but that's because they allow private practice as well. Everybody in North America is so bent on the notion of outright rejection of socialist or privitized medical, that nobody considers we could perhapse take the best of both. Extremes are seldom the answer. Funny how Moore presented it like Britian and France were 100% socialist.

And lastly, he argued the superiority of certain medical systems based on average life expectancy. Life expectancy has far more factors to it than what medical system is available, including national diet, lifestyle, and climate. I have no doubt that the sunny climate and more laid-back lifestyle of Cuba contributes to their longevity, or the fact that in France people work 4 days a week and take more time to relax.


America desperately needs to fix its medical system and start taking care of it's people, or more accurately start putting its people first. It seems Republicans have so thoroughly managed to instil a fear of SOCIALISM DUN DUN DUNNNNN.... that Americans treat it like a dirty word in and or itself and fear eternal hellfire if they only consider the possibilities of such.

Am I the only one who believes we can accomplish more when we drop extremist ideologies and start living in balance?

[medicinal]

Mr. Grey, I certainly can entertain the notion of preserving private medical care, but we need a comprehensive plan that would include all people having free medical (I realize that nothing is free and we'd have to increase taxes on the rich to pay for it), but the rich could still have their high cost medical. The VA system, If not underfunded, works well, and yes there is a wait to see a specialist, but if it is an emergency like a cancer, they'll send you to a specialist in your area. I personally have VA and an HMO and use VA for my Meds (8.00 per scrip) and my HMO for emergencys and normal illnesses. I see a VA Dr. twice a year and do a comprehensive blood test that checks all my Vitals, PSA etc. I could probably use VA exclusively and would but for the fact my wife has no medical except my Union retirement plan, so I pay 260.00 a mo. for her basically. The Va basically costs me 100-150 per mo. for meds and dr. visits.

[postmandave]

I dont unsterstand the way the health system works over in the states.If you dont have insurance what happens if you need a op?I know our nhs system is in a bit of a state but at it seems better than what goes on in the states.Can anyone give me a quick run down on how it works?thanks . dave

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

I dont unsterstand the way the health system works over in the states.If you dont have insurance what happens if you need a op?I know our nhs system is in a bit of a state but at it seems better than what goes on in the states.Can anyone give me a quick run down on how it works?thanks . dave

I believe the deal is that no doctor can deny you service, but you'll be in debt so deep you can never expect to get out. If you're awaiting a transplant, you get put at the bottom of the priority list behind those who can pay. I'm not sure what priority they'd give you if you're broke.

[Sugarblaster]

your right gandalf about the other stories moore leaves out, but he just wants to prove his point. the movie was long enough.

and i was so happy to see him tackle "SOCIALISM!" and how its not so EVIL!

extremes need to be destroyed, it's ruining the world.

[delusionsofNORMALity]

(I realize that nothing is free and we'd have to increase taxes on the rich to pay for it)

since when have the rich ever funded any government give away in this country. once again the middle class will be hit with huge tax hikes to fund another mismanaged government program. the very people who will scrimp and save to be able to afford something better than the substandard government care that will be offered, will also be paying for the bureaucracy created to run a system doomed to failure.

[rebgirl420]

The idea of socialized ANYTHING is bad to me. And the rich shouldn't have to pay more of anything. The whole notion of taking from the rich and giving to the poor is shady to me. They pay more taxes anyway.

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

[COLOR="Magenta"]The idea of socialized ANYTHING is bad to me.

Hmmmm, does that include the socialized postal service, education system, military, welfare, disability income support, etc? I tell's ya, it's nice not having to pay for my many visits to the doctor and specialists. Of course one could say "let the poor rot if they don't have the money" (IE me), but that's why you have such a larger rich/poor gap in the states and a considerably larger underclass. I don't consider it acceptable that parents have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to get by, while in Canada land of EVIL SOCIALISM, we have a smaller rich/poor gap, a much higher income and spending for middle class (with an average wage of $50,000 a year), and the average person is working 1 job to support themselves.

[rebgirl420]

Actually I believe that welfare should be eliminated and the education system is completely screwed up. And socialism doesn't work. People begin to realize that they dont have to work to get the same damn thing that the working people do. Why work when you can get it for free? Not everyone has a good work ethic.