Friday, June 22, 2007

Michael Moore's SiCKO has something for everyone


I was lucky enough to snag a ticket for an advanced screening of Michael Moore's new documentary on the American health care industry last night, with a post-film Q&A with the director, and I have to say this is probably Moore's best film yet and definitely worth seeing.

The main strength of SiCKO is that it offers a balanced view, with something for everyone, without sacrificing the truth. Moore eases off the vitriol as well, and while the film has lots of serious, heart-wrenching, "how can we live with a system that is so cruel" moments, it also has its funny, light-hearted, and warm moments, and a couple of moments that were punctuated by applause from the audience -- made up largely of doctors and nurses.

Long time proponents of universal care will find that the movie largely restates things they've always known: treating health care as a profit-driven commodity makes about as much sense as treating police protection, fire protection, or adoption as profit-driven commodities.

But for independents and conservatives, the film is a real eye-opener. There's a great montage of clips of Hillary Clinton, cowering in flowery dresses and acting like anything but a future President in the wake of the defeat of her health care plan (I loved the scene with Big Bird). There's an interview with a Conservative Party member from Canada -- who looks like he could just as easily be golfing in Wilmette -- sharing his experiences with both the American and Canadian health care systems. And there's a great interview with one of the many doctors who "suffers" under Great Britain's Socialized Health Care System. That is if you can consider living in a $1 million four-bedroom flat in London's posh Greenwich neighborhood, with a family of three, driving an Audi, and pulling down $200,000 a year "suffering." Which, BTW, he didn't.

For me, the film pointed out serious flaws in Governor Blagojevich's "Illinois Covered" proposal, which relies on private insurance companies to deliver health care to the middle class. As the film points out, HMO's were founded 35 years ago on the premise that the way to make money is to deny people coverage for care, and that's how they continue to operate until this day. The film documents how one insurance company simply ran out the clock on one of it's insureds. Denying his claim and tying it up in red tape for so long -- laughingly calling a simple bone marrow transplant for his cancer "experimental" -- until he finally died. Guess what? Insurance companies pay nothing when you die.

Lt. Governor Pat Quinn was there, perhaps someone should ask him what he thought.

On the other hand, the film does offer some intermediate steps that lawmakers could take to improve the current system without replacing it all together. Chief among them: end the insurance company practice of setting quotas and providing bonuses for denying claims.

Moore said afterward that he hopes the film will serve as a tipping point in the debate over universal care in America, much as "An Inconvenient Truth" tipped the deb over global warming (the films share the same editor, ). The Tribune covered his pre-film rally in Millenium Park here.

I'm a little less optimistic than Moore, noting that the Consumer's Union called universal health care "imminent" back in the 1930's, and if the Great Depression couldn't tip this country toward universal care, I'm not sure one film will.

However, Moore's film could jump start the debate, and for that reason, folks should go see it when it opens for limited release in Chicago this weekend. Listings here.

15 comments:

Anonymous,  11:28 AM  

Healthcare is not a right!

Anonymous,  12:00 PM  

Not yet. Someday soon I hope.

Extreme Wisdom 1:22 PM  

Michael Moore is rank propagandist, and nothing else.

The idea that we must go down the road of Canada and Britain when both those nations are backtpeddling from their substandard systems would be a mistake of monumental proportions.

We can solve our problems here (and there certainly are many) with out resorting to proven socialist failures.

As with education, get a panel, line up the location and venue. I'll debate this anytime, with anybody, any where in Illinois.

steve schnorf 2:18 PM  

Dog;
"Moore's best film" is setting the bar pretty low.

Anonymous,  4:40 PM  

Hey EW, where were you during the public hearings held by the Adequate Health Care Task Force? Presumably, you were all over that, right?

And I'd really love to see some reputable numbers for once from people who talk about the "failed" Canadian system. Otherwise, it's just another case of the "if I say it enough times, people will believe it's true" strategy.

Yellow Dog Democrat 6:16 PM  

Zap! - Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights. Try to achieve them without health care.

Better yet, since health care isn't a right, you won't mind if I take yours away, right?

Yellow Dog Democrat 6:19 PM  

extreme wisdom - Rather than parrot the propaganda about Canada and Great Britain's "failed" systems, why don't you watch the film first and here what Canadians and Britons have to say?

Better yet, listen to what Americans living in Canada and Britain have to say.

And then, explain to me why, if universal health care is such an abyssmal idea, we're the only Western nation that doesn't have it?

Yellow Dog Democrat 6:20 PM  

Steve -

Which ones have you seen?

- Dog

Marathon Pundit 10:12 PM  

Moore's best film" is setting the bar pretty low.

Kinda like the best "Police Academy" film.

I saw that "Roger & Me."

The people in Flint hate him for it. It made them out to be a bunch of rabbit-eaters.

Flint of course is NOT Moore's hometown.

Extreme Wisdom 10:25 PM  

YDD and Eligius,

I don't have to watch a film (and therefore make him rich) of a propagandist (and a bad one at that).

I follow Health Care fairly closely, and I've posted on it often on my site.

Here is one post on the number of people who died early based upon British Health Care.

I also recall the Canadian Supreme Court recently finding their ban on private health care unconsitutional.

Eligius,

What does a task force have to do with anything? Any group can put together any task force to reach any conclusion, so I tend not to give them much weight.

Our system suffers from nearly the same problem that "single payer" systems suffer from - a disconnect between the payer and provider.

The idea that you have a 'right' to health care as you smoke, drink and eat to excess is a crock.

The idea that every person have some "single payer" source for "first dollar" coverage is an invitation for disaster.

The idea that "government knows best" is a proven absurdity.

There are many comparisons to be made between 'single payer' systems and ours, and we don't win every category.

There are also ways to meet societies needs with out going down the road of socialized medicine - but why bother to discuss or debate those matters with liars like Moore stoking the fires of closed minded ideology?

Why think when a liar does your thinking for you.

Data

Unknown 8:01 AM  

Every time and think of Flint I think of Doberman and Rabbits.

I thought "Roger & Me." was funny.

I don't understand the appeal of his new movies, I would rather watch a PBS Frontline.

Anonymous,  8:23 PM  

The Blagojevich plan is bound for failure.

Mary Flowers has introduced a bill (HB 311) which is in line with the rest of the world, which, if anyone is paying attention, is not backpedaling from their universal care systems at all. In fact more than 90 percent of Canadians say they'd rather keep their system.

http://www.healthcareforallillinois.org

Anonymous,  2:17 PM  

I thought this film was a self-titled biography of Michael Moore...

Anonymous,  4:02 PM  

I don't have a problem with Mike Moore disliking Hillary, so long as if she does win the primary he SHUTS UP about it. I don't want to see Mike Moore / Ralph Nader Redux for 2008, or him trotting around the country at rallies with Bloomberg, helping divide the Democrats and put another Republican in power for 8 years. Once was enough, Mike. We don't need a repeat.

Anonymous,  5:43 AM  

Health care in this country is a mess. The profits drive everything. Are you willing to bankrupt the country to keep the current system?

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