Sicko - the American Crisis in Living
I've just finished watching the movie, "Sicko". I know. Michael Moore is a very controversial figure. His movie might be considered a bunch of liberal propaganda by a lot of people. I really don't think it matters. Even if only 20% of the situations presented in the documentary about the state of health care and morals in America is not propaganda, we should lower our heads in shame. But I figure at least 80% of it is accurate and to the point.
The point being that almost 50 million Americans have no access to health care in this country and similar numbers don't get what is due them when they have insurance. Millions in this country pay outrageous prices for necessary drugs that people in other countries can get for a fraction of the cost (even you can get them cheaper from these countries by mail).
People's ability to manage their financial lives is the ultimate measure of whether they live at all when they get sick, or live a relatively happy and healthful life. If you've made a mess of your financial life, like I have, or have not had a chance to make a mess of it because of your birth circumstance (being black, Indian, poor, or genetically altered from the norm) you don't get health care or don't get adequate care, and chances are you will die much sooner than the rest.
The fact that the USA is so low in the list of world statistics of countries that provide adequate health care for all of their citizens is testimony in itself that something is dramatically wrong. It's got to be a wake-up call to people who prejudicially think of the United States as #1 in everything to learn that.
The fact that people are continually asked (in so many words) first, how can you pay for the medical care, and second, what is wrong and where does it hurt, tells you something is dramatically wrong in this country.
I've not been able to afford the $1000 to $1200 per month ($10,000 or more per year) for health insurance the past 3 years. My wife and I found an acceptable plan for catastrophe insurance and they wouldn't insure her because of a very common and minor medical condition (minor asthma). So we decided to go it without insurance. We have been self insured for the last 3 years, even though my wife requires several medications and she has had a couple bad medical episodes. The cost still comes out much less than insurance premiums would be. Sure, if one of us has a major problem before Medicare kicks in, we'll be in real trouble. Our drugs are procured from Canada at 40% of the price in America. We go to PA's in small clinics and I'm not afraid to tell them we have no insurance and little means to pay outrageous bills. It works to lower our bill at times. But still we spend a lot of money on medical care.
We are looking forward to Medicare, but my first look shows we won't save anything on prescription insurance, which to date, has been our largest outlay.
OK, you know the problem. Mine personally is no sad or dramatic story. Just a typical uninsured American. Sicko tells of many sad stories, babies dying because of denied insurance, husband denied a bone marrow transplant that seemed to have a great outlook but dying 6 weeks later without it, etc. In fact, I find it interesting that Michael Moore doesn't focus on the lack of insurance in America (that's an obvious problem), but the lack of payment owed to many insured customers for serious diseases. The greed that is the foundation of our health care system (HMOs and Drug companies) is the point of his documentary.
It's also obvious (to me) that many of the rich folk in this country are fearful that they will lose their wealth and power if health insurance companies go under because of a government funded health system. I think that's why some Republican politicians spent so much energy to kill Hillary's health plan and to undermine Bill Clinton. They were representing themselves, their greed and their wealthy political contributors, but not their constituents, for sure. They spread rumors of how horrible health care is in countries that subsidize health care or pay for it in full. Fear is how they try to rule our country. It would be nice to have a leader for this country that would lead our country following the principles that it was originally founded upon. All Men (and Women) Are Created Equal. The conservative right might also remember the teachings of their professed religious basis: the Golden Rule. We should support those less fortunate than us because we'd want them to support us if the tables were turned. What's wrong with giving those less fortunate medical care, in hopes that those that we loved might someday need it too, and receive it?
It's time, NOW, to implement a system that allows everyone to have health care. YES, we might have longer waits, we might have some bureaucratic foul-ups (hard to believe any worse than we see today), higher taxes, and a bit less income for doctors, but we'd have a new beginning in the USA. People would not lose their homes, their pride, their health. They'd have a chance to build this country to a place where we might be proud again.
Thanks to Michael Moore for having the guts to step up and battle the giants (he's pretty big himself). He might not be the best personality to be the poster child of health reform, but he's doing something. Much more than me, and probably you too.
Write your congressmen and let them know you want change now. And vote for the candidates this Fall that sound like they are willing to do something about health care reform.
I've never been a "lover" of the USA, right or wrong. I'm grateful for living in a country that offers me freedom to think, freedom to write this blog, and the opportunity to make a comfortable living. However, a lot of these freedoms have been extracted at the expense of many of the less fortunate in this country. Capitalism has bred greed, and our people need to exercise their right to vote measures to correct this trend towards greed. I want this country to become the best again, but it won't happen until we reform our health system (and our education system while we are at it.)
If you don't agree with this, I'm sorry, but it's your right. No matter how you believe, I challenge you to take the time to watch SICKO. Even if you deny those things in the documentary, you'll know what your opposition is up to.
Hope your days are healthy. I'm counting on mine being that way, because I don't want to think of the alternative while living in this country.
The point being that almost 50 million Americans have no access to health care in this country and similar numbers don't get what is due them when they have insurance. Millions in this country pay outrageous prices for necessary drugs that people in other countries can get for a fraction of the cost (even you can get them cheaper from these countries by mail).
People's ability to manage their financial lives is the ultimate measure of whether they live at all when they get sick, or live a relatively happy and healthful life. If you've made a mess of your financial life, like I have, or have not had a chance to make a mess of it because of your birth circumstance (being black, Indian, poor, or genetically altered from the norm) you don't get health care or don't get adequate care, and chances are you will die much sooner than the rest.
The fact that the USA is so low in the list of world statistics of countries that provide adequate health care for all of their citizens is testimony in itself that something is dramatically wrong. It's got to be a wake-up call to people who prejudicially think of the United States as #1 in everything to learn that.
The fact that people are continually asked (in so many words) first, how can you pay for the medical care, and second, what is wrong and where does it hurt, tells you something is dramatically wrong in this country.
I've not been able to afford the $1000 to $1200 per month ($10,000 or more per year) for health insurance the past 3 years. My wife and I found an acceptable plan for catastrophe insurance and they wouldn't insure her because of a very common and minor medical condition (minor asthma). So we decided to go it without insurance. We have been self insured for the last 3 years, even though my wife requires several medications and she has had a couple bad medical episodes. The cost still comes out much less than insurance premiums would be. Sure, if one of us has a major problem before Medicare kicks in, we'll be in real trouble. Our drugs are procured from Canada at 40% of the price in America. We go to PA's in small clinics and I'm not afraid to tell them we have no insurance and little means to pay outrageous bills. It works to lower our bill at times. But still we spend a lot of money on medical care.
We are looking forward to Medicare, but my first look shows we won't save anything on prescription insurance, which to date, has been our largest outlay.
OK, you know the problem. Mine personally is no sad or dramatic story. Just a typical uninsured American. Sicko tells of many sad stories, babies dying because of denied insurance, husband denied a bone marrow transplant that seemed to have a great outlook but dying 6 weeks later without it, etc. In fact, I find it interesting that Michael Moore doesn't focus on the lack of insurance in America (that's an obvious problem), but the lack of payment owed to many insured customers for serious diseases. The greed that is the foundation of our health care system (HMOs and Drug companies) is the point of his documentary.
It's also obvious (to me) that many of the rich folk in this country are fearful that they will lose their wealth and power if health insurance companies go under because of a government funded health system. I think that's why some Republican politicians spent so much energy to kill Hillary's health plan and to undermine Bill Clinton. They were representing themselves, their greed and their wealthy political contributors, but not their constituents, for sure. They spread rumors of how horrible health care is in countries that subsidize health care or pay for it in full. Fear is how they try to rule our country. It would be nice to have a leader for this country that would lead our country following the principles that it was originally founded upon. All Men (and Women) Are Created Equal. The conservative right might also remember the teachings of their professed religious basis: the Golden Rule. We should support those less fortunate than us because we'd want them to support us if the tables were turned. What's wrong with giving those less fortunate medical care, in hopes that those that we loved might someday need it too, and receive it?
It's time, NOW, to implement a system that allows everyone to have health care. YES, we might have longer waits, we might have some bureaucratic foul-ups (hard to believe any worse than we see today), higher taxes, and a bit less income for doctors, but we'd have a new beginning in the USA. People would not lose their homes, their pride, their health. They'd have a chance to build this country to a place where we might be proud again.
Thanks to Michael Moore for having the guts to step up and battle the giants (he's pretty big himself). He might not be the best personality to be the poster child of health reform, but he's doing something. Much more than me, and probably you too.
Write your congressmen and let them know you want change now. And vote for the candidates this Fall that sound like they are willing to do something about health care reform.
I've never been a "lover" of the USA, right or wrong. I'm grateful for living in a country that offers me freedom to think, freedom to write this blog, and the opportunity to make a comfortable living. However, a lot of these freedoms have been extracted at the expense of many of the less fortunate in this country. Capitalism has bred greed, and our people need to exercise their right to vote measures to correct this trend towards greed. I want this country to become the best again, but it won't happen until we reform our health system (and our education system while we are at it.)
If you don't agree with this, I'm sorry, but it's your right. No matter how you believe, I challenge you to take the time to watch SICKO. Even if you deny those things in the documentary, you'll know what your opposition is up to.
Hope your days are healthy. I'm counting on mine being that way, because I don't want to think of the alternative while living in this country.
posted by RVGuys, Newt Perdue at 5:55 PM
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