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 Accepted...Master's Entry Program, 2008!.
It is a lot harder to cost shift these days w/ insurance co.'s setting limits aon how much they will pay for a test/proceedure (you can bill for $300 for a stress echo but BC/BS will pay $160 or so - period) but they definitely do get us w/ the higher premiums. Mine has gone up every year for the last four or five years. Makes me want to scream when I see hosp. pt.s pushing their IV poles out to the "butt hut".

While this might be true, I have never paid the same amount out-of-pocket that my insurance would reimburse.

A stress echo might be billed at $300, the insurance would pay $160, and I might pay $120. So they are still shifting costs, but not as dramatically.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
No argument from me there. If we could just get it out of the political realm and put it in the hands of medical professionals ( and not just MDs).

Definately o.k. with me. One thing I love about the hospital I work is that we are not-for-profit with a mission to serve the community regardless of their ability to pay, but we are in private hands, not the county or city. The city leases us land very cheaply so there is an affiliation, but they don't run or fund the hospital.

My version of UHC would keep medicine in private hands as it is now. I think what confuses a lot of people when they hear "Universal Health Care" is that they fear that the government is going to take over all aspects of health care and the nurses, hospitals and doctors will suddenly become government employees. Not true. It's only a reimbursement system. We already have medicaide and medicare paying for millions of people and the medical establishment is still in private hands. Let's keep it that way.

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Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.

I just got back from the movie, where I watched it with a group of nurses, doctors, preachers, legislators, and the head of the local NAACP. It was a very, very good movie. It was not nearly as political as one would think, and it did a good job of showing a broad view of the problems in health care today. We had a big turn out from all walks of life, and both sides of the political fence.

I highly recommend it.

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

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1563758/story.jhtml

Unfortunately, Moore is also a con man of a very brazen sort, and never more so than in this film. His cherry-picked facts, manipulative interviews (with lingering close-ups of distraught people breaking down in tears) and blithe assertions (how does he know 18 million people will die this year because they have no health insurance?) are so stacked that you can feel his whole argument sliding sideways as the picture unspools.

http://onthefencefilms.com/video/deadmeat/

Just another film. People who feel enthusiastic about this issue are just as obligated to watch this much shorter film, "Dead Meat."

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The central question remains:

Is the America we live in the America we think we live in, and the America we want to live in?

Michael Moore is not the issue. The issue is what kind of society do we want to live in? What kind of society are we leaving for our children? At some point we have to get back to asking each other: How can we build a society to promote the common good?

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Or spending millions of dollars to save lives in America and other nations - depends on your point of view. Sorry, don't mean to sound self-righteous (I'm sure you didn't either) but it is not so black and white.

I am afraid I am going to have to disagree with you fronkey, I do think its very black and white. You say the U.S. spends millions of dollars to save people all over the world, I would agrue that the net result of US government spending money throughout the world to "help people" has done much more harm than good. John Stockwell(former CIA officer) has a new book out, the title is "Americas Third World War". In the book, Stockwell claims that through the CIA, the US has been responsible for the death of over 6 million people in places such as Central and South America, Africa, Western Asia (The middle east) and Southeast Asia. If Stockwell is correct, there is no amount of "foreign aid" that could possibly justify a death toll.

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CNN report about Sicko says facts are basically accurate, does have some omissions:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/06/28/sicko.fact.check/index.html

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.
Definately o.k. with me. One thing I love about the hospital I work is that we are not-for-profit with a mission to serve the community regardless of their ability to pay, but we are in private hands, not the county or city. The city leases us land very cheaply so there is an affiliation, but they don't run or fund the hospital.

My version of UHC would keep medicine in private hands as it is now. I think what confuses a lot of people when they hear "Universal Health Care" is that they fear that the government is going to take over all aspects of health care and the nurses, hospitals and doctors will suddenly become government employees. Not true. It's only a reimbursement system. We already have medicaide and medicare paying for millions of people and the medical establishment is still in private hands. Let's keep it that way.

I'm impressed. I work for a not-for-profit too but the only thing they do for the community is hire local construction co.s for all their expansion projects. :uhoh3: (Isay this a little tongue in cheek. As I said before they did treat my brother extensively w/o reimbursement)

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.
I am afraid I am going to have to disagree with you fronkey, I do think its very black and white. You say the U.S. spends millions of dollars to save people all over the world, I would agrue that the net result of US government spending money throughout the world to "help people" has done much more harm than good. John Stockwell(former CIA officer) has a new book out, the title is "Americas Third World War". In the book, Stockwell claims that through the CIA, the US has been responsible for the death of over 6 million people in places such as Central and South America, Africa, Western Asia (The middle east) and Southeast Asia. If Stockwell is correct, there is no amount of "foreign aid" that could possibly justify a death toll.

Governments have given money and support to allies since the beginning of government. The goals are usually to make themselves safer by having a larger base of support in the case of aggression by another country. Our government is charged w/ protecting the citizens of this country first and then our allies and innocent citizens of other nations. You may not like how our gov.t chooses to do this and sometimes things don't work the way they want it to, but that is the goal.

Yes people die in wars, and yes people have died b/c of American actions but the same could be said of every nation on earth.

BTW, since this is off topic, I'll leave it alone after this.

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Did anyone watch this?

Bill O'Reilly: "Michael Moore Is Dodging Us"

http://www.newshounds.us/2007/06/29/bill_oreilly_michael_moore_is_dodging_us.php#more

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Specializes in Cardiac.
Did anyone watch this?

Bill O'Reilly: "Michael Moore Is Dodging Us"

http://www.newshounds.us/2007/06/29/bill_oreilly_michael_moore_is_dodging_us.php#more

:lol2::lol2:

Yeah, this article seems very non-biased and objective...:uhoh3:

Of course he opened with, " Does the government owe every American healthcare ?" using that tone of self righteous authority. However, Kuhl answered " yes" like it was a no brainer and the only rational response possible which had even more authority.

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Universal health care pushed

Groups hope film 'SiCKO' helps bill

...The documentary, released yesterday, depicts problems with America's health-care system. Before the first matinee, nurses, legislators and community representatives held a press conference to support House Bill 676, which would establish health coverage similar to Medicare for all Americans. The bill is pending before Congress.

"Nurses are going to be a key to changing this health-care system because they are in the middle of the crisis," said Kay Tillow, director of organization for the Nurses Professional Organization. ...

..."We have an ugly and broken health care system and it puts profit before patients. … It uses dollars to ration out compassion," she said. "We believe "SiCKO" will touch the heart of a nation."...

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070630&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=706300443&Template=printart

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