SiCKO

FLICK Who’s a sicko? That would be anyone who can’t see that there’s a better prescription for the health-care system than is currently in the USA. Michael Moore examines this subject in his documentary Sicko and there is no debating the fact that his heart is in the right place.
Some may consider his presentation biased since Moore interviews few who work for the US health insurance companies. He did locate a man whose job it was to find excuses not to provide coverage and a woman who had to turn down claims. But the higher-ups probably wouldn’t want to talk with him anyway, especially when they would have to explain numerous Americans who’ve been victims of the system, like the woman whose baby daughter needed immediate attention and died because the hospital she took her to insisted she take her to another one covered under her plan. Moore exposes a few more horror stories then juxtaposes them with the uncomplicated and free national health care systems in England, France and Canada. In addition to many of these perceived humorous but powerful comparisons, he pulls the plug when he takes a group of chronically ill 9/11 rescue workers, who can’t get government help because they were volunteers, to Cuba (oh my God!) for treatment.
In a taped conversation, it seems our downward spiral began in 1971 when Richard Nixon approved a proposal to offer less care by maximizing profits. Wanting to reverse this should seem a no-brainer, especially when you consider that this country, one of the richest in the world, offers free public education and police protection but makes the physical and mental well-being of its people expensive, if not difficult to obtain. At least Bill Clinton tried to make changes when he appointed Hillary to oversee system reformation, only to be shot down by opposing forces that prefer to see their First Lady host Easter egg hunts. It’s a long shot but perhaps the current administration could watch the film and take advice from the former British MP, Tony Benn, when he says, "If we have the money to kill people (with war), we've got the money to help people."
I receive spam e-mails every day offering to save me hundreds and thousands of dollars on health-care insurance. So, it’s no secret that we're spending tons of money and even going into debt to maintain our bodies. And just like good Americans, these companies hope to profit and make more money from the deficient system.
You may not like the way Moore operates, but you can’t deny his desire to heal parts of this country that require repair. Anyone who isn’t moved by what happens in Sicko must be psycho. My Score: 9 out of 10.

The movie is making a big impact and obviously there are many stories out there about people losing their life savings just to cover an operation, not to mention their lives by avoiding treatment. Here is a story about a family that Aetna was forcing to pay a $65,000 hospital bill that the insurance company was supposed to cover! And there are more stories at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz7uRmMUSZM

Visit Michael Moore and check out the facts at: http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/checkup/