So, I got "Sicko" for Christmas and watched it last night.

[Buzz Clik]

We've been wrestling with our health insurance about a few bills lately. Nothing major, but they have rejected every claim we've sent through in the past six months. We call them back, and then they pay after we jump though a bureaucratic hoop. No biggie, but it's annoying and really transparent -- if we don't call and fight, then we pay and they save. So, we were fairly sympathetic about the basic themes in "Sicko".

One of the huge, defining moments for me was when Moore showed footage of various members of Congress and the President hopping around in front of cameras and being so thrilled at the passage and signing of Bush's medicare drug plan. Moore hung a price tag from the medical industry over the heads of every person there, and the amount of money was staggering. Those price tags also explain some of the interesting turn-abouts by some of our politicians. It was a defining moment for me in many ways.

If you haven't seen the movie, get it and watch it. Prepare to be amazed. Again.

[Angela Shelley]

1. For the next time,

"get Wello"

[Buzz Clik]

3. ?

[Angela Shelley]

6. A silly play on words

first "you get sicko" and then "you get wello".

Happy Holidays!

[Buzz Clik]

9. Ah. Very good.

:)

[derby378]

2. I'm surprised he didn't hang a price tag on Hillary as well

That was one of the more controversial parts of the film when it was first released - the revelation that now Hillary was accepting contributions from pharmaceutical companies.

[Buzz Clik]

5. He did. Other than Bush, her price tag was the highest of those shown.

[FormerDittoHead]

8. I remember that as well. n/t

[Buzz Clik]

10. As I recall, her tag was around $340,000

[FormerDittoHead]

4. The enlightening thing for me was him showing we didn't HAVE to have it THIS way...

There is this narrative attitude in our media as if there is no real alternative to what we have, that it can't be changed, that we have the best possible health care and why would you WANT to change it?

Moore's use of people who DID have insurance but were later dropped, showing how people live in other countries (and not Sweden and Norway, but England and France, from where this country's business and laws grew from) showed what WAS possible, and that things CAN be different... and BETTER.

[Buzz Clik]

7. Agreed. His approach was totally compelling.

His dispelled all the myths -- no modern technology, underpaid doctors, long lines, waiting eons for crucial surgery, etc.

We are owned by these bastards.

[annabanana]

13. I especially responded to the couple who LAUGHED and said

"This isn't America, you know".. After being questioned about how much the maternity stay at the hospital had cost them, and telling the interviewer "Nothing, of course..."

[bullwinkle428]

11. Funny - I watched it last night as well for the second time -

saw it in the theater this past summer shortly after its release.

I'll be damned if I didn't get choked up at a couple of the same parts that did it to me the first time around...

I just felt lots of anger, realizing how things could be, and not just in some kind of utopian, think-tank way!

[Buzz Clik]

16. My reaction exactly.

We lived through an episode with our youngest concerning a very high fever (105!) and a lot of evasion by the doctor. Unlike in "Sicko", our emergency room handled us quickly and resolved the problem (urinary infection), but seeing that mother who lost her daughter was so very sad.

As with you, I was pretty angry by the end.

[YOY]

12. Good isn't it?

Amazing how many people it pissed off for merely pointing out the obvious.

[Happyhippychick]

14. I saw it yesterday as well and was left with this conclusion.

That the healthcare system will never change until we see each other as human beings and not statistics. The entire difference between the U.S. and the "universalized" countries is that the members of those countries have compassion for the plight of someone who is sick and in the U.S. we see it as a burden on our tax dollars and more people sucking off the government teat. We are outraged that we work hard, pay our taxes and then have to pay for someone else to have a transplant.

And where do we get this fine attitude? From the "for profit" system of healthcare which give billions of dollars of profit to personal injury lawyers, pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies. Health care is not a business of compassion for the sick, it is a business of mega-profit and opportunity at the expense of the most vulnerable members of society.

The very first hurdle is our collective attitude about people who are sick. If we see them as a burden, things will never change. If we see them as deserving of our compassion and help (and recognize that it could be us next) then things can change.

And before anybody gets offended, I am not accusing anyone here of this type of attitude. I am giving a royal "us".

[Buzz Clik]

18. The US healthcare system has convinced us that we are privileged and that the system is fragile.

However, how many full-time employees exist for the sole purpose of denying our claims? It's a broken system.

[NewJeffCT]

15. I got Sicko for XMas, too

haven't gotten around to watching it yet, though.

[CrispyQ]

17. I think it was Moore's best film yet.

I like the part where he was asking the doctor in England how he lived. What kind of car did he drive? What kind of house did he live in? Could he afford to eat out & go to the movies? He was showing that, unlike what our media tells us, doctors in England do very well, thank you very much. They get bonuses for healthy patients, not huge salaries to push the latest drugs for big pharma. The doctors actually get to determine the treatment of their patients, not some insurance company.

Here's another great thread about SICKO in case you missed it yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2523349

[Buzz Clik]

19. Thanks for the link.

Actually, I ran a search on "Sicko" before posting this thread, and I found that people have been continuously posting about the movie. I recognize that I'm not putting up anything new, but I thought it would be good to keep the message up front.

[CrispyQ]

20. I love hearing everyone's comments about the movie!

I think I'm gonna have to watch it again this weekend. :thumbsup:

I just wish we could get the right wingers to see it. Of course, some of them would shut down anyway -- can't go against what the authoritarians tell ya. Sheesh!

[Buzz Clik]

21. I've seen very little reaction to the movie from the right...

The only noisy reactions were about Moore illegally taking people to Cuba.

[YOY]

24. They also had a snit about what they viewed as falsehoods about other countries' systems

And of course they were, as usual, full of shit and talking out of their asses with secondhand information provided by the assclowns who get paid millions to give them their opinions.

[lisainmilo]

22. Seen it....

It is an excellent documentary and a real eye opener.
:wow:

[orion9941]

23. I saw it the other night myself too.

My partner and I watched it on Christmas. We were both very moved and I myself even cried several times out of sympathy and anger.

I have several health problems, some of which no one knows what to do about because doctors don't like to compare notes. We have good insurance. VERY good insurance which I get through my partners employer. However, even though the coverage is wonderful and they don't deny us or give us a hard time over any claim, it is still down right damned expensive! From the cost of both of our medications to the extra costs of having to see specialists, it all adds up to one large bill. Plus the cost of our insurance takes a larger and larger chunk out of our paychecks every year.

Yes we are lucky to have such great insurance, but we can barely afford the costs of it as it is now. If our health care costs went up any higher we would have to start cutting back in other areas. Less on groceries, less driving, etc.

The whole problem of health care in our country is gigantic. Massive in its scope and scale. Can the problem be corrected and made fair and attainable for everyone? Absolutely! Can it be done in 10-20 years? I really doubt it.

After watching Sicko, my partner and I are mulling over the idea of moving to Canada. As gay men we could get married up there (yeah I know civil union but its a far cry better than the nothing we have here in the states!) and have health insurance that we wouldn't have to worry about.

I love my country and REALLY don't want to leave. Plus moving is a pain in the ass. But I also don't want to wait for years and years and years to get both universal health care and the right to marry the man I love. Depending on who wins the next election, I just vary well may be moving to Canada.