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

[HM2VikingRN]

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

[pickledpepperRN]

Tricare, that's another gov't run insurance provider isn't it? Huum! I'm starting to see a pattern. I like the thought of "nurse practise groups". that would be an interesting thread.

Not government run. It is a privatized insurance plan for military health insurance.Beholden to shareholders.

http://www.humana-military.com/

About the corporation: http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?n=1&neID=200706203600.3_d7be003674a7e7c1

[fronkey bean]

Interesting..... so does this make everyone in his films liars too? Thank goodness we know the government is honest!!

H___ no they're not! That's why I don't wan't them running health care. Not that I think insurance exec.s are all that honest either but I think they are a little more accountable than the gov't. If we set up a big gov't agency to run this thing then career buracrats will sit on their butts in high paying jobs knowing they can't be sued.

[fronkey bean]

Not government run. It is a privatized insurance plan for military health insurance.Beholden to shareholders.

http://www.humana-military.com/

About the corporation: http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?n=1&neID=200706203600.3_d7be003674a7e7c1

My bad, sorry

[pickledpepperRN]

I do the same thing.

I've got plenty of apologies on allnurses.com.

I was never taught the "five rights of posting" so sorry I say.

[middleageNP]

I agree with Chatsdale. I have no respect for anyone who puts this great country down!

You're kidding right? I don't think that is what MM is saying. He is pointing out a major flaw in the American capitalistic system. Politicians are bought to sell out the American people so that a few extra pennies go into the corporate pocket. Middle class Americans are disappearing as the disparity between the filthy rich and middle class widens. America's broken health system is one of the main reasons. Look at the couple in the movie that lost everything because of their health problems. Their American dream dissipated with the deductibles that ended up with corporate earnings.

With all due respect, how do you fix a problem when you're head is in the sand?

[fronkey bean]

I do the same thing.

I've got plenty of apologies on allnurses.com.

I was never taught the "five rights of posting" so sorry I say.

LOL:lol2:

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

We had no insurance when I had my kids. A local hospital had a plan where we paid monthly for pre natal care. By the 7th month all was paid for. When mt daughter was born healthy we went home the next day.

Two years later my son had newborn jaundice. The bili baby cost the same.

Even when a friends daughter was premature and stayed for more than a month it was all part of the plan. It was a sort of "insurance".

They had a plan for well baby care too.

I still don't understand how the serious accident or surgery would be paid for without sharing the risk.

Say a CT or MRI is needed. Will it be denied if you can't afford it.

Won't people join up to share the risk. Wouldn't that equate to an insurance plan?

What about EMTALA?

Would a person be refused care without proving ability to pay?

I can't imagine getting government out of the picture. Not practicle to eliminate the VA, military, county, state, Medicare, and such.

If you had UHC, then everyone would have the ability to pay. So EMTALA wouldnt be an issue there anymore.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

THE PROBLEM IS EVERY TIME YOU PROVIDE A BIG POOL OF MONEY THAT PARISITES CAN FEED FROM. COSTS GO UP AND CARE GOES DOWN. UHC WILL NOT WORK WELL BECAUSE OF THIS. MARKET FORCES AND CAPITALISM IF ITS PURE IS THE ANSWER. AGAIN GET GOVERNMENT AND COLLUSION BUSINESS OUT OF HEALTHCARE. lET MARKET FORCES DO THIER MAGIC. AND WE WILL ALL HAVE A SYSTEM WE CAN AFFORD AND LIVE WITH.

Government and collusion business, do you mean like Halliburton

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

But how much are we willing to have the government TAKE from our paychecks? From what I've read, in places w/UHC, France for instance, the government takes a MANDATORY 40% out of your check. I don't know about you, but I can't live on 60% of what I make!

Sure you can. Just think take away what you pay for insurance coverage. Or add what your company pays for your insurance to your pay check and you wont notice the difference.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Jim Hightower nails it on the head.

That look like a picture of the Congress or Senate in my mind

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Funny that you mention this. After we watched Moore's movie we decided to start researching France for our retirement.

From what I've reading, the taxes don't get too bad until you're making over $96K per year at current exchange rates. And they do have exemptions and deductions, just like when you do your U.S. tax return so the real tax rate is lower.

Also keep in mind that with the exception of Paris, the cost of living in France is generally lower than the U.S. so, you may have less income after tax but, it may not matter that much with the lower cost of living.

Personally I don't mind paying taxes for the best health system in the world. Everybody here screams about taxes but, how much are they paying for health insurance?

Last time I checked, the average U.S. family health insurance premium is now running about $11-$12K a year. Since average household income is about $50-$60K ... that's over 20 percent of average household income and probably why we have so many uninsured Americans.

Hopefully your employer is picking most of the tab but, I have two friends who are self employed and have to pay those premiums themselves. What good is lower tax rates when you have to pay those kinds of premiums for, at best, mediocre healthcare?

:typing

Very Well Written, I agree.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I love this country. But I saw that movie today. One of the things that made tears come down my face was seeing former Ground Zero workers who have contracted illnesses from breathing the air there, with no medical coverage for the illnesses they have. People just like you and me, while the terrorist prisoners at Guantanamo Bay who helped in causing 9/11, have the best health care there is to offer in this country. I'm not on MM's side or anybody else's except God's. But I hated seeing that. If people out there think that the drug companies and HMO's and insurance companies arent' making money off of us in an awful way, then perhaps this information needs to be given to us. America was not built on complacency. It was built on people speaking freely in order to fix that which is wrong in order to make America even better. Everything could always stand improvement, since nothing is perfect.

Is the good health care they get is beacuse they are in Cuba. Interesting