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 Cardiac.
Amazing ,the rush to judgement, when the film isn't even out yet.

If you actually read the threads on this, then you would see that nobody is judging the film, only the man.

Specializes in ICU.

Talk to Canadian nurses working here about how their healthcare system is not what it's cracked up to be...things like having to wait for months for imaging (there are more MRI's and CT's in my hometown of San Antonio than are in the entire nation of Canada). When I visited Great Britain two years ago, there were ads in the paper for "medical vacations" to India for people wanting CABGs done promply, and not having to wait 3-4 months with the NHS. Our healthcare system is broken, but it still is better than socialized medicine. Moore is just out there to self promote...do you think if he had an MI, he would hop a flight to Cuba, or go to Hopkins, or the Cleveland Clinic, or the Mayo, or even his local Level-1?

Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
Talk to Canadian nurses working here about how their healthcare system is not what it's cracked up to be...

Here we go....Thankfully there are several Canadian nurses who post on these forums, I sincerely hope they do ring in about their healthcare system.

I despise the thought of the general public associating us with MM! What an absolute disgrace!

Perhaps you personally feel disgraced by the association with MM, but you do not speak for "us." You speak for yourself.

Here we go....Thankfully there are several Canadian nurses who post on these forums, I sincerely hope they do ring in about their healthcare system.

Indeed. Just because it's not American does not mean it isn't good. We would do well to take some lessons from other healthcare systems.

Michael Moore is a self promoting douchebag who uses the suffering of others to pay for his million dollar apartment and his vaction homes. Do not believe for a minute that he gives a damn about anyone but himself.

Having said that, yes our health system is screwed up. No doubt about that, but to believe in universal healthcare provided by the government is naive. Just look at the current state of medicare and medicaid, do you really think our government can provide effective healthcare?

Canada has universal healthcare, yet Canadians DO come across the borders to get care here rather than wait for months to get it there. Cuba?? Friggin Cuba?? You have got to be kidding me, they probably used up all their medical supplies to take care of these patients for the cameras. If you think Cuba is great I suggest you study your history or better yet talk to an ex-pat in Miami. Their system is so great people risk there lives to leave and come here, 50 to a boat that supposed to hold 10.

Instead of the U.S. government taking over healthcare and wasting away trillions I have an idea. Why not have the U.S. government pay the PREMIUMS to private healthcare companies for people who cannot afford health insurance. This would make the insurance companies happy and fat and get people healthcare. Even if the premiums were a $2000 a month that is still only one ER visit.

Simple idea so of course they will never even think about that.

Now please continue with the praises of Michael Moore; go see his movie; he needs another vacation home, maybe Aspen this time.

Peace,

Tripps

Michael Moore is a self promoting douchebag who uses the suffering of others to pay for his million dollar apartment and his vaction homes. Do not believe for a minute that he gives a damn about anyone but himself.

Having said that, yes our health system is screwed up. No doubt about that, but to believe in universal healthcare provided by the government is naive. Just look at the current state of medicare and medicaid, do you really think our government can provide effective healthcare?

Canada has universal healthcare, yet Canadians DO come across the borders to get care here rather than wait for months to get it there. Cuba?? Friggin Cuba?? You have got to be kidding me, they probably used up all their medical supplies to take care of these patients for the cameras. If you think Cuba is great I suggest you study your history or better yet talk to an ex-pat in Miami. Their system is so great people risk there lives to leave and come here, 50 to a boat that supposed to hold 10.

Instead of the U.S. government taking over healthcare and wasting away trillions I have an idea. Why not have the U.S. government pay the PREMIUMS to private healthcare companies for people who cannot afford health insurance. This would make the insurance companies happy and fat and get people healthcare. Even if the premiums were a $2000 a month that is still only one ER visit.

Simple idea so of course they will never even think about that.

Now please continue with the praises of Michael Moore; go see his movie; he needs another vacation home, maybe Aspen this time.

Peace,

Tripps

:yeahthat:

Oh Captain Tripps . . . you made my evening and I laughed out loud ("friggin Cuba??"). Great post. Thanks!

steph

Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

I love MM's work. I can't wait to see the movie. It is my hope that it will point out what is wrong with the system so people who don't work in the medical field, can see how difficult it is to give decent medical care. It is my hope that people will stop blaming nurses for everything and get some insight into why things are the way they are.

Anyone actually seen this movie and listened to some of the things MM has to say??? His only mission is to open peoples eyes to some of the things going on that most of us don't know. Sicko was a great movie and points out so many of the issues we Americans have with healthcare that other Countries don't. MM is not out to get everyone to agree with him..he is a really good man. He actually anyonomously donated money to one of his biggest enemies so that that mans wife could have surgery. Watch the movie...you might change your mind about him!

Ah yes . . . . I read that on the biggest enemy's website. There is more to the story than that.

http://www.moorewatch.com/index.php/weblog/C23/

steph

While I simply cannot disagree that this country's healthcare system needs a serious overhaul, I don't think that a centralized healthcare system is the answer. As previous posters have mentioned, countries such as France, Canada, and Great Britain do not have the health coverage that Michael Moore portrays-- it takes months to get in to see a physician, the time with him/her is always limited, and getting tests such as MRIs and CT scans is difficult and takes time. Furthermore, if you have rare or complicated conditions; for example, say you need a lung transplant, you can pretty much put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye. Now that's all good and well as long as it's the guy next door but when it's your sister or brother that needs that organ, you're a hurting cowboy. Also, we have the benefits of a free market-- a free market means drug companies are able to produce new drugs all the time. Again, do these drugs benefit the majority of society? No. However, if it's your Aung Ginny who develops a rare form of malignant breast cancer, you may thank your lucky stars that you live in America where Glaxo Kline Smith is.

What Moore also fails to mention is that a lot of these people are eligible for federal benefits which they never apply for. He also fails to mention that it is illegal for an emergency room to turn away a patient in need of care.

Do we really want to go to a centralized healthcare system, because once we go there, is there any way back? Why don't we just cut the pork? Do we really need all this hospital administration? At the hospital where I work, we have people who sit at desks just making up more paper work for other administrators to administrate to nurses who are overwhelmed because they are understaffed because they are busy trying to take care of patients. And it's really stupid stuff. Don't tell me that you don't have stupid administrative paperwork to fill out that has no purpose whatsoever because I know you do. Everyone does.

How could we cut back and save money on this troubled healtcare system?

1. Cut back on useless administration. Eliminate all unnecessary paperwork so that the nurses and other staff could actually do their jobs.

2. Put a cap on malpractice suits. Doctors, contrary to popular beliefs, do not try to kill patients, and in the fear of missing some obscure disease that the patient has 1/10000 chance of having will order an expensive unnecessary test. Malpractice suits also raises which raises patients bills

3. Let the doctors and patients make the medical decisions, not the insurance companies

4. Shoot Michael Moore

5. Kill the politicians

There, that felt good.

Specializes in Med/Surg, ER, L&D, ICU, OR, Educator.
I read some of these posts and I just have to laugh. Instead of so-called professionals watching a documentary that will probably give them some insite into the mess thats called the health care crisis, these "professionals" would rather rant and rave about how they loathe Michael Moore. Micheal Moore directed a documentary (Fahrenheit 9/11) that did an excellent job in showing some of the HUGE contradictions between what politicians say and what they actually do, it also allowed G.W. Bush to show how unqualified he is to hold the office of president. So what? It happened get over it and take the time to look at the world from a perspective that may challenge you to actually THINK.

"Documentary" is not the word I use to describe any of his work.

Specializes in Med/Surg, ER, L&D, ICU, OR, Educator.

There is a government run healthcare institution already. The VA. Anyone read anything about how that's going lately?

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