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

This continuous blather about "socialism" is just getting old, most average everyday people are just too intelligent to buy this propaganda any longer.Dont mean to be insulting here, but it REALLY is amazing that some folks can still kid themselves into believing in this nonsense, put out by conservative pundants, who have an agenda that has only been good for a small segment of our society.Why cut off your nose to spite your face?

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Specializes in Cardiac.
This continuous blather about "socialism" is just getting old, most average everyday people are just too intelligent to buy this propaganda any longer.

Lol, Michael Moore is the King of Propaganda!

You're right, we are tired of it...

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Lol, Michael Moore is the King of Propaganda!

You're right, we are tired of it...

That is what I was thinking . .. . how anyone can buy what MM is selling . . .well, I think that is AMAZING.

I'm not saying we don't have problems that need solutions . . .I just don't intend to listen to MM's propaganda.

steph

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Specializes in Cardiac Surg, IR, Peds ICU, Emergency.
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.

If the perceived problem is 'bloat' and 'inefficiency,' then I don't understand why people are looking to the gov't for the answer. The last thing our current gov't can claim is expertise in streamlining and efficiency.

Benefits are not just health care; benefits also include the approximate 8-9% required by the gov't (including the highly efficient Soc. Sec. system which I would opt out of given the opportunity), and also include retirement contributions, tuition and/or educational assistance, life and disability insurance (long and short term), paid time off, and lifestyle benefits/perks (my employer provides a lot of these). So now that we've determined that the 25% benefits number doesn't really tell the story on health benefits, just how much of their "benefits program" would they be handing off to the employee to pay themselves via way of increased taxes?

I'm just interested in a more accurate percentage instead of a misleading general number.

And I don't want to see the unions get involved given their history of perpetual corruption; additionally, is there evidence that their involvement will improve efficiency?

Is there evidence that this will improve take-home pay? It looks more like a transfer of cost from the employer to the employee. And I also believe that companies will continue to provide private insurance in order to attract talent, and then we will be caught up again in the cycle of discrepancies in access across the socio-economic spectrum

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I just wanted to express the good and bad about Canada's socialized medicine. I have witnissed these events with my family members who live there.

Brother-In-Law sat in the ED for two days to be diagnosed with walking community acquired pneumonia.

Sister-in law fell down her stairs 7 months pregnant. There wer no OB/GYNs available to assess her. She was told to go home and call if the pain got worse or she began to bleed.

Uncle was diagnosed with colon Ca and could not get his first appointment until 6 months later.

Your take home pay is approx. 40% less than your gross income (includes all taxes fed, state, etc)

A lot of MD prefer not to work in Canada because the pay in less.

But NOBODY is ever turned away.

Just food for thought. I will see the movie, when is appears on cable television.

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Specializes in ICU;CCU;Telemetry;L&D;Hospice;ER/Trauma;.

Hey kids!!

Have any of you seen michael moore's movie?

I watched it last night with my son. I am curious what your view is of it.....

crni:idea:

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Post #42 merged with existing thread.

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Specializes in Critical Care,Recovery, ED.

I've recently seen a private veiwing of this film. I know MM can be controversial and I don't neccessarily agree with all his political veiws. This film, however, I highly recommend. That all people and especially members of the health care industry, see this film.

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

It's nice to see some objectivity

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Specializes in Cardiac Surg, IR, Peds ICU, Emergency.

Dr. Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido.

This is one person who has practiced medicine in Cuba who's name you won't find in Moore's film. That's because with all this supposedly affordable and spectacular health care that is available in Cuba, this surgeon had to be imported from SPAIN to perform Castro's simple GI surgery.

So I ask...do you think that the average Cuban has access to this kind of care? That a surgeon or specialist can be flown in to provide them with the care they need. AND, I ask, do you think it's so affordable if surgeons have to be flown in?

And here is a peek at the superior Cuban healthcare system.

http://www.therealcuba.com/Page10.htm

I can't believe that these simply facts do not represent the hypocrisy of M.Moore and people who share his view.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

I like and respect Michael Moore.

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Specializes in cardiac med-surg.

have enjoyed his previous efforts

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