So, I do enjoy the Michael Moore movies. I think he challenges us to see things in a different light. I think he opens some people's eyes and severely angers others.
But his new movie Sicko must be taken with an extra grain of salt.
No, I haven't seen it yet. But I have heard enough clips to know there is a serious exaggeration in his comparison of our health care system to others.
First, we do not pay the kind of taxes it takes to run a universal health care system. Not anywhere near.
Second, a lot of people in this country already get free health care or have their bills erased away if they are unable to afford it. No, not everyone. But a lot of people. And I know at least two people, in different states and situations that have had just this happen.
Third, healthcare in other countries is not as accessible as we would like to believe.
Canada: 1. A friend's mother missed her American wedding ceremony because she had been waiting for an appointment with an oncologist for over a year.
2. While the day to day, general needs are well managed--people go to Buffalo from Toronto to get treatment with specialists because the wait is often so long.
3. Physicians have strict caps on what they can charge. In order to entice people to go to medical school it can be paid for by the country. Just another added cost to the overall picture.
England: 1. A friend's mother was pretty ill but not so medically compromised she was going to die soon. She still required a lift to get out of bed and was completely dependent for all activity. They needed her hospital bed and so they sent her home. Her husband had to manage her like this. Yes, eventually people in the US have to make a choice. But the options in other countries are not as varied as here.
China: You can only have one child there because you are only allowed one insurance card for a dependent. Only those in positions of power have the chance to get additional insurance cards and actually have multiple children.
I am not trying to say that our system is perfect. But it is so hard to compare the medical system of this country to other countries.
Taxes, population numbers, expectations. There are a lot of reasons you can't make a side-by-side comparison. Which, unfortunately, it seems Moore is trying to do.
When you think about Universal Healthcare (which I think would be wonderful if we could sustain the quality we have come to expect) think about what it would cost. Not just monetarily.
But his new movie Sicko must be taken with an extra grain of salt.
No, I haven't seen it yet. But I have heard enough clips to know there is a serious exaggeration in his comparison of our health care system to others.
First, we do not pay the kind of taxes it takes to run a universal health care system. Not anywhere near.
Second, a lot of people in this country already get free health care or have their bills erased away if they are unable to afford it. No, not everyone. But a lot of people. And I know at least two people, in different states and situations that have had just this happen.
Third, healthcare in other countries is not as accessible as we would like to believe.
Canada: 1. A friend's mother missed her American wedding ceremony because she had been waiting for an appointment with an oncologist for over a year.
2. While the day to day, general needs are well managed--people go to Buffalo from Toronto to get treatment with specialists because the wait is often so long.
3. Physicians have strict caps on what they can charge. In order to entice people to go to medical school it can be paid for by the country. Just another added cost to the overall picture.
England: 1. A friend's mother was pretty ill but not so medically compromised she was going to die soon. She still required a lift to get out of bed and was completely dependent for all activity. They needed her hospital bed and so they sent her home. Her husband had to manage her like this. Yes, eventually people in the US have to make a choice. But the options in other countries are not as varied as here.
China: You can only have one child there because you are only allowed one insurance card for a dependent. Only those in positions of power have the chance to get additional insurance cards and actually have multiple children.
I am not trying to say that our system is perfect. But it is so hard to compare the medical system of this country to other countries.
Taxes, population numbers, expectations. There are a lot of reasons you can't make a side-by-side comparison. Which, unfortunately, it seems Moore is trying to do.
When you think about Universal Healthcare (which I think would be wonderful if we could sustain the quality we have come to expect) think about what it would cost. Not just monetarily.
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3 comments:
yeah, i know. we do have one of the most expensive medical system, but we also have one of the most innovative in the field of medicine. unfortunately or fortunately, capitalism is at work here as well. when you take that competitive market drive, it's hard to say that we'll have the same kind of innovation and quality of medical care. nonetheless, i want our govt to be thinking about better ways to deliver good medical care. one of those steps will have to deal with litigious nature of the medical market. it's really sad how much manpower, time, and money is spent preventing litigation, not to mention how much is rewarded by the jury, which all add to the sky-rocketing cost... i could go on, but we all know the story... what are you gonna do when all the people sitting at the legislative bench happens to be lawyers themselves mostly?
Good commentary. I've heard similar things about the movie. It's a pity; it would probably be more striking and engaging if it wasn't such a black vs. white comparison of US healthcare and other countries'. What if it really explored the sacrifices and benefits of different ways of managing a country's healthcare; contrasting the perils of the uninsured, unenven care across socio-economic classes, innovative medicine and some highly qualified professionals in the US with gauranteed universal care, sometimes-long waits and high taxes in other places. It would be a great exploration of different ways of handling this tricky issue, and *might* eventually lead to something better than the systems we have now. I think in his dogmatic mode, Moore missed an opportunity here.
Moore's M.O. is shock value - not necessarily truth.
We could revamp our health care, education AND social security systems with the money that W is throwing away in Iraq!
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