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February 2009 
9 Points From The Movie “Sicko” Every American Should Know
Posted on Jul 21st, 2007
by 
Joseph
Joseph
I saw the movie Sicko by Michael Moore last night I must admit to leaving the theater feeling upset and filled with questions about what you and I can do? Here are 9 points that stand out for me and that I think you should know from this film.
- We are the only country of the Western industrial powers that does not have universal health care.
- In counties that have universal health care there is a longer average life span and lesser infant mortality then here in the USA.
- In Cuba, a poor country, the health care is free and of very high quality. Cuban doctors provided free humanity medical services to places in need around the world. They also provided free care to three emergency workers from the New York City 9/11 site that were not able to get reasonable care in the USA.
- The number of lobbyist in Washington DC supporting the medical and pharmaceuticals industries far exceeds the number of elected officials in Congress. There is a huge amount of money spent on influence.
- Insurance companies don’t pay benefits for one main reason – that is to maximize profits. Insurance company profits and CEO pay has sky rocketed upwards in the last 25 years.
- Medication in the countries with universal health care is very low cost and free for those in need. In the USA there is almost no regulations on medication pricing and profit making.
- The prisoners at Guantanamo Bay receive free medical and dental care that is better then many in the USA.
- In countries where people live in fear, in debt, without the care they need, or are down on themselves, they don’t turn out to vote. If this group voted there would be a massive change in results for the betterment of people.
- The USA is one of the richest countries in the world and yet we take some of the poorest care of those in need.
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I've thought about this a lot. I've got a friend whose child's meds cost $600/month. My husband's medical expenses are easily $900/month. My best friend is in physical therapy, and is trying to walk again. Although she is a heavy woman and also has spinal injuries, if she doesn't keep up with the actuarial norm of how far she should be walking by a certain time, they can kick her off PT for “lack of progress.” And the norms are the same for everyone, regardless of age, weight, other complications, etc. I think medical care in this country is set up on a heartless and vicously greedy basis. So, for me Job 1 is simply not to be resentful and self-righteous, because that is a subversion of my energy. The devastating inequality of care is easy for anyone to observe. The other half of my Job 1 is to keep the quality of my life raised to a loving level, so that when people interact with me, they have a greater probability of having that part of them supported that is able to SEE what is observable. My job, and I have nothing much to do with health care provision in my day-to-day life, is to live and interact in a way that makes it safe and OK to care about others, and to speak up and look for ways to create a better world. We can develop the will to create a better society together.
Nice thinking and attitude Martha. Yes together we can make the world the kind of place we would be proud to life in.
Thanks for sharing,
Joseph