Controversial Michael Moore Flick 'Sicko' Will Compare U.S. Health Care with Cuba's

Nurses Activism

Published

Health care advances in Cuba

According to the Associated Press as cited in the Post article, "Cuba has made recent advancements in biotechnology and exports its treatments to 40 countries around the world, raking in an estimated $100 million a year. ... In 2004, the U.S. government granted an exception to its economic embargo against Cuba and allowed a California drug company to test three cancer vaccines developed in Havana."

http://alternet.org/envirohealth/50911/?page=1

Specializes in ICU/CCU/TRAUMA/ECMO/BURN/PACU/.
Just another example of why freedom needs to be teamed with responsibility. Does his film offer any suggestions to "fix" things? Or is it just a cheap shot and then he walks away with the $$ he makes off it. Sad

I've seen the film along with nurses from nearly every state in the country. The painful and shameful conclusion is that the problem with American health care is the bureaucratic, restrictive and morally corrupted for-profit private 'health' insurance industry. FYI, Michael Moore ABSOLUTELY and reasonably shows us that the solution is a Single-Payer, National Health Program.

Mr. Moore has definitely done his homework and he certainly deserves to earn a living in his chosen field. He's responsible and courageous, and frankly, I'm perplexed by your "cheap shot" and "walks away" comment. Mr. Moore was just at a screening of his film among legislators in Sacramento on June 12th, and has issued an open invitation to all the registered healthcare lobbyists in Washington on June 20th. In a quote from ABC News, "Moore is (still) hoping that the film provides them with "their Paul on the road to Damascus moment when they are able to see the real-life consequences of a broken health-care system."

My heart was broken seeing a mother testify about the death of her two year old daughter because of an HMO refusal to authoribze treatment in a hospital emergency room near her home. Her daughter would be 15 if she were alive today. Cheap shot? What's the cost of one human life? These are not isolated cases of human misery and suffering as a result of the exclusions, denials, co-pays, deductibles that restrict access to care for those that have insurance. There are nearly 47 million people rationed out of the system altogether. According to the Institutes of Medicine, 18,000 people per year die unnecessarily because they have no health insurance!

To Mr. Moore's credit, he doesn't walk away from those facts, and the fact that over 25,000 people sent him health insurance horror stories. He researched and created a documentary to help raise the consciousess of the nation. I think he's a wonderful example of what a citizen in a participatory democracy should do in going about holding the government accountable. Profit-seeking private health insurance produces the most severe and universal rationing and restrictions on freedom of choice! If the problem remains invisible many will refuse to believe it even exists. There isn't anything that's untrue in this documentary.

We don't have to reinvent the wheel to fix our system and create a uniquely American guaranteed universal healthcare plan. In Mr. Moore's documentary, we get to take a look at other industrialized nations that have national health programs, such as Canada, England, and France, from the perspective of the people and the providers who live in those countries. We also have our own studies about how to fix our broken healthcare system and many of them are referenced on the Physicians for a National Health Plan website: http://www.pnhp.org, and the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee website, and http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org.

Most nurses get it and rather than walk away and go home and cry because we're so frustrated with the way the hospitals and insurance industry interferes with our ability to provide safe and effective care by cutting corners, we're going to take action too. (I'm sure you know the drill, deliberate short-staffing, rationing critical supplies and medications, "case managers" who push transfers to a lower level of care by moving them out of ICU or Med/Surg to acute rehab or "sub acute" facilities when they're still at risk for major complications, or even discharge home with complex care needs that we're supposed to "delegate" to family or friends).

Thousands of nurses all over this country intend to be at as many theaters as possible to engage the electorate and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to form a grassroots social advocacy movement for single-payer health care. We long for politics that matter, and a government responsive to and responsible for the needs of the people. There's no room for profit in healthcare. Insurance companies profit by denying care. It's just not right.

Please consider joining us on our mission to bring about America's best political solution to our health care crisis HR 676 (Conyers). HR 676 would cover everyone with comprehensive healthcare benefits through an expanded and improved Medicare for all. No more exclusions or being dependent on employment based insurance or being lucky enough to be "cherry picked" for an individual policy. HR 676 puts medical decision making power back into the hands of the patients, their doctors and nurses; freedom of choice as to the clinic or hospital where you receive care and the doctor who provides the care.

We will not deny care by abandoning our mission. Our patients are depending on us for that!

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Specializes in burn, geriatric, rehab, wound care, ER.

is anyone going to hand out flyers on June 29th ?

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I am. I don't know which theater yet.

If my rep doesn't ask I'll go with DH to the nearest theater on Friday.

And with DD and her friend on Saturday, my sisters on Sunday.

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ACCESS HEALTHCARE is a fun new play on ACCESS HOLLYWOOD by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee. Our first webisode promotes Michael Moore's new film SiCKO as a movement for Guaranteed Healthcare in America. Join the nurses in theaters for the national release of the film June 29, 2007 and help change healthcare in America. Visit http://www.GuaranteedHealthcare.org/sicko

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Very informative movie. I just watched the movie "SiCKO" and its very eye opening. It shows how our country is so far behind all countries in the healthcare arena that it makes us all look dumb in a sense. Put a shame to us all because we all can be honest with ourself and im sure have seen first hand what happens when u dont have health insurance or a hospital has to boot our a patient because they are there too long.

I think we can adapt a new healthcare system like that of the french, canadian, or even cubans. Again, we all pay taxes, why not include it in our taxes like them and allow all americans healthcare. The doctor in france can make 200k a yr, own a 1million dollar house, and live comfortably, so why wouldn't everyone be in agreement. I think thats the reason we all went into healthcare, not for money, but to help people.

We are already socialist like they said when it pertains to the postal service, library, and other services. Why wouldn't healthcare be any different. We could all live longer and do more good.

Oh also, after watching, im thinking, if i dont have insurance, its probably cheaper to pay the airplane ticket to cuba where they only ask for your name and birthdate than to pay what they charge here in america for anything in healthcare. Might be a huge surge in airline ticket sales.

end of rant. good movie though. seen better, but good documentary.

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The California Nurses Association sent me a flyer today announcing the premier of "SICKO" and it was done to look like every single nurse in California is in agreement with CNA and this movie. I'm not even a member of CNA. It won't do a bit of good but I'm voicing a complaint to the organization.

As to the movie - I still stand on Mr. Moore's history of distorting facts, especially with the sad and sickening movie about 9/11 and won't give him a dime of my money.

He is a hypocrite and a liar.

steph

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Specializes in Cardiac Surg, IR, Peds ICU, Emergency.
Very informative movie. I just watched the movie "SiCKO" and its very eye opening. It shows how our country is so far behind all countries in the healthcare arena that it makes us all look dumb in a sense. Put a shame to us all because we all can be honest with ourself and im sure have seen first hand what happens when u dont have health insurance or a hospital has to boot our a patient because they are there too long.

I think we can adapt a new healthcare system like that of the french, canadian, or even cubans. Again, we all pay taxes, why not include it in our taxes like them and allow all americans healthcare. The doctor in france can make 200k a yr, own a 1million dollar house, and live comfortably, so why wouldn't everyone be in agreement. I think thats the reason we all went into healthcare, not for money, but to help people.

We are already socialist like they said when it pertains to the postal service, library, and other services. Why wouldn't healthcare be any different. We could all live longer and do more good.

Oh also, after watching, im thinking, if i dont have insurance, its probably cheaper to pay the airplane ticket to cuba where they only ask for your name and birthdate than to pay what they charge here in america for anything in healthcare. Might be a huge surge in airline ticket sales.

end of rant. good movie though. seen better, but good documentary.

Our country is not behind in the "healthcare" arena. We execute superior outcomes in many critical areas. Our downfall is prevention, which requires a certain element of self-discipline. People love to use benchmarks like infant mortality to measure success, but the truth is that these numbers are blatantly false. MOST socialized countries don't include premature infants in their numbers; the US does. And the US can't be touched by these countries in our success rates for premature infants.

The life expectancy benchmark is more reflective of our prevention practices, not our healthcare system. Again, we are terrible at teaching prevention, but it's not like Americans haven't figured out the mysteries of living healthy, many Americans simply choose not to.

I didn't see the film, but the average French physician makes about 1/3 of what the average US physician. Additionally, even with the socialized system, you still have to pay fees to see a French physician, and many French purchase additional private insurance.

The Post Office isn't socialized; you have to pay for anything you want from the Post Office, from stamps to travelers checks. And if you don't want to use the post office, you can choose UPS, or Fed-Ex.

I know this painted a rosy picture of Cuba, but the truth is that this film showed an arranged situation where Americans were given healthcare in Cuba that the poor average Cuban does not have access to.

There's a reason why people like the former PM of Italy (ranked near the top by the WHO), came to America and not Cuba when he needed surgery.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Our country is not behind in the "healthcare" arena.

Like most Americans, I have world class healthcare. I wouldn't want to give it up for a "fair" share in a dismal, gov't restricted system.

That's not "fair", for anyone.

Besides, my healthcare is really none of Uncle Daddy's business. And it certainly isn't Uncle Daddy's perogative to not only pick and choose my care, but to pick and choose the limits on that care.

My nation entered into the noble cause of revolution for less government interference. The gov't doesn't own my natural rights; I do. And THAT has made all the difference in the greatness of this nation. Why trade that away now, for a "fair" share is a dismal, socialist (or "progressive" or whatever you want to call it) welfare state.

Socialism is a failed system. History has proven time and time again that it belongs on the ash heap of history. Why? Because it's simply uncompassionate.

Gov't restricted healthcare is uncompassionate healthcare. I'm a much better patient advocate than that.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Current System

Current Average wage 30$/hour or 4800/month.

Real wage value is about 40 dollars per hour benefits included or 6400 dollars per month.

Single Payer

Under single payer the new wage value would rise from 4800/month to 5595$/month. (Adding 795$ to base wage. This is the value of the family coverage with a Canadian expense ratio of 17%.) Negotiated wages would go into your pocket not the health insurance companies.

Family health insurance cost at 10% payroll tax would be 560 dollars/month. You and your family would end up with 398 dollars more each month to spend. There would obviously need to be some tweaking around the edges for single people without dependents and the working poor but the central point remains that more money would be available for your family.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Current System

Current Average wage 30$/hour or 4800/month.

Real wage value is about 40 dollars per hour benefits included or 6400 dollars per month.

Single Payer

Under single payer the new wage value would rise from 4800/month to 5595$/month. (Adding 795$ to base wage. This is the value of the family coverage with a Canadian expense ratio of 17%.) Negotiated wages would go into your pocket not the health insurance companies.

Family health insurance cost at 10% payroll tax would be 560 dollars/month. You and your family would end up with 398 dollars more each month to spend. There would obviously need to be some tweaking around the edges for single people without dependents and the working poor but the central point remains that more money would be available for your family.

Prove to me that moving to a gov't restricted healthcare plan would yield a higher salary. Prove to me that employers would pass those savings along.

Show me the statistics from any nation that switched to gov't restricted healthcare where this was the case.

In fact, you argue just the opposite in many of your threads, that the Big Three and other companies would catch a break that would make them more competitive if the gov't just instituted restrictive care for everybody.

Tell me, how are these companies gonna do so much better if they are gonna translate all of these savings to salaries? There is a load of pollyanna bull here, if not an outright lie. I'm not saying that it comes from you, but since you primarily link sites to make your argument, there is a deception coming from the sites you link.

You can't have it both ways.

~faith,

Timothy.

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I have never argued for "government restricted health care." What I have argued is that our current system is bloated and inefficient. We can and must do better with our health care spending.

It would be a grand bargain for health care reform. Benefits are usually around 25% of employee compensation. Since corporations would be handing off the single biggest part of their benefits programs to society at large they would immediately have increased profitability. The unions would be able to negotiate for a fair share of this money for employees, or as part of the enabling legislation Congress could dictate that the benefit dollar savings be passed down in salary increases for the working poor. (Aka raise the minimum wage from 7 something an hour to 10 dollars per hour). Corpoarations may very willingly agree to redesign their salary structures to pass these savings on to their employees. (If you think about what I wrote originally the pass on to employees wasn't the full value of the family coverage it was the value of the coverage with a 17% administrative expense. Corporations would retain the 13% of remaining administrative money in exchange for passing on the balance to their employees in increased wages.)

As to the point about increased salary costs adversely affecting profitability: Who buys the products of companies? People who have dollars to spend buy products and stimulate the economy through consumption.

Who are the winners in this proposal:

Patients-Health care dollars go for health care not administration.

The uninsured-Everybody would be in the system with no opt outs.

The working poor-Salaries would be raised to closer to the living wage.

The middle class-Increased take home pay.

Business-More money circulating in the economy means increased domestic demand and greater profits.

As your fellow texan Jim Hightower puts it: "Everybody does better when everybody does better."

http://www.americanprogress.org/aboutus

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