A Review Of SickO-Why This Movie SHOULD Turn Your Stomach

The movie left me very unsafe and mad as _ _ _

rita me too...I didnt want to reveal too much for the people who have never seen it. I have never been affected by a movie the way this one did.

Everyone SHOULD watch this movie. Just because you're sitting comfortably with insurance, doesn't mean that you won't be affected. Here in Cincinnati, a family just discovered that their children are only covered for $250,000 lifetime (well, birth through 18) on their dad's health insurance. For a healthy kid, that's plenty. But for a child requiring any kind of surgery or chemo-therapy, $250,000 doesn't go very far. And now that their child is sick, there are no other alternatives (in insurance). They thought they had good insurance, and they did - for healthy people.

We - in the US - don't think much about this issue until it hits us personally.

I loved learning that in France doctors receive bonuses for helping people quit smoking, lose weight, for otherwise getting healthier...and for wellness care! Wouldn't that be nice? Wellness care?

Marilyn I agree. It WILL affect you whether you want it to or not.

I haven't seen it. I can't stand the sight of the sloppy man, but I agree we need to do something about health care for all.

It's a must see movie. It made living in France look really good.

Also, I really think we need to concentrate on prevention. In looking at Michael Moore I'm worried he won't be around to benefit us with the great work he is doing.

Carol I would urge you to see it.

ChrisJerri I made the comment to my husband while watching SickO that we are renouncing our American citizenship and moving to France.

Oops I was wrong the healthcare industry bought Hillary for about $900,000.00.

Good reveiw, Lori.

Lori,
There's so much to what you say. Fixing is the problem, a huge undertaking for anyone who takes it on. We've all be victimized by a few at the top and it's time for it to stop.

I'm interested in seeing it even though I'm in Canada not the US... was hoping to watch it tonight but hubby forgot to bring movies home

I find it hard to trust anything Moore says.

The healthcare in Cuba almost killed Castro. He had to send for a doctor from Spain.

I read an article today about HealthNet canceling policies of those who needed expensive care.

I saw Sicko and I honestly feel that our current health care system is going to bankrupt America one American at a time. Divorce, Job loss and Medical bills are the leading reasons for personal bankruptcy in America

Can't wait to see it! Thanks for the review!

Thanks for the post! I hadn't heard of it yet and am very interested in the subject.

Great review Lori. I'm looking forward to seeing the show.

the more I hear about this movie, the more I think I need to view it! thanks!

There is no need to see the movie, Moore trumpets government run healthcare, is this a surprise? Remember, he's spent his career on the far FAR left, so why should he change now? Let's give the devil his due, socialized medicine is good for the delivery of basic health care service. If your problem can be fixed with a couple of doctor's visits and a few prescriptions, great, you're good. If you have serious or long-term health care problems, well, the picture gets grim, FAST

My wife and a friend of hers from online both had the same problem, breast cancer had metastasized to the brain, pressing on the optic area, causing a loss of vision. My wife waited 3 days for her MRI, they diagnosed the problem, they did surgery, her vision returned. Her Canadian friend waited 4 MONTHS for her MRI (it was not considered life-threatening) her surgery was performed, but by then she had lost 70% of her vision.

New procedures? Socialized medicine countries STILL don't cover most weight-loss surgeries, even though some 60% of long-term medical conditions can be traced to obesity. New drugs for things like cancer, MS, lupus, ALS, ect take three times as long to be approved in the wonderful socialized medicine countries as in the US. Often the surgeries or drugs are not approved at ALL.

Moore touts the "quality" of the British health care system in his "documentary" but he fails to mention things like they have 6 times the level of cancer deaths, 5 times the level of death from pneumonia, ect. In short, follow-up care is a little lacking.

If our health care system is so terrible, why is our infant mortality rate comparable to every other Western country and VASTLY superior to China? Why is your life expectancy comparable to other Western countries? You won't hear Michael Moore answering these questions, nor any of the other screaming liberals here.

Remember, gather, the website for the protection of liberal discourse.

I hope people can get beyond any errors in the movie to recognize that health care should be one issue where people of all political backgrounds join together in recognition that more needs to be done.
I have seen a lot of hard-working people with the best health insurance available to them go bankrupt or die without a penny because their medical care cost more than their insurance would pay - or because they got sick, lost their jobs and couldn't find affordable insurance even after they got better.
A doctor we know, someone who works at a major hospital in a lead position, says that people need to save 300,000 dollars above and beyond their other retirement costs to afford medical care, AFTER what their insurance pays. during retirement, medicare or not. In a world where a lot of people struggle to save for retirement, how many are allocating 300K for medical costs alone?
If you don't think health costs could bankrupt you (even with insurance) during retirement or old age, I urge you to visit state nursing homes or talk to nurses and doctors about how many middle and even upper-class patients they see are losing their homes and money, doing everything they can to stay afloat.
It can be hard to foresee this when employed, with good health insurance, etc. But everyone ages.

Mark - Even if you don't want socialized medicine, are you happy with the costs and quality of the medical system now? We've seen some alarming changes, personally. My doctor is more harassed and overworked than ever and the amount of paperwork is overwhelming, compromising time spent with patients. Two ER visits resulted in errors for routine procedures. In one instance, I got home and discovered I had needles left in my arm, under a thick padding, even though the release form noted they had been removed. That was a minor error, considering. But if something like that happened to me (twice, a different error the other time), how many others are affected by negligence or error? And we are paying for this.

Mark as I pointed out yes Moore's tactics can be a bit much but there is a big problem with healthcare in the US. Just because you feel Moore goes to the far left doesnt mean that his point isnt valid.

BTW you point out that places that do have socialized medicine dont have programs for obesity....show me american insurance companies that do.

Mark the biggest threat to health care in this country are not the liberals or the conservatives for that matter. The biggest threat to the health care system is internal in nature, not external. The biggest threat is in one simple word GREED.

Internal greed in the form of pursuing never ending higher profit margins brought down Enron, World Com, the Savings and Loans and now the real estate market is in a downward spiral. In time greed WILL collapse the health care system as we know it today forcing a government take over.

I believe this because I work as a Certified Fraud Examiner and excessive profit pressure in business always leads to unethical practices, fraud and corruption, which leads to collapse. It's all just a matter of time. Micheal Moore did not touch on the issue of end of life medical cost in this country. End of life care will wipe out most people financially. The end of life care for a cancer patient is astronomical!

For more info, just check out my blog at:

http://brian1645.blogspot.com/

Mark, even though your wife's friend had to wait 4 months at least she did get her operation. The outcome might not have been as your wife's but some health care is better than no health care.

Regarding infant mortality rates in this country (brought up by Mark) - these were just in the news again as being 'among the worst.' Figures for 2004 have us losing roughly 7 babies per 1000 births. Quoting the article: "The United States ranks near the bottom for infant survival rates among modernized nations. A Save the Children report last year placed the United States ahead of only Latvia, and tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia."

In short, I don't know how you can say that's 'comparable' to other western nations,' save that it's appalling and inferior when compared, and the cdc and Save the Children disagree with your assessment.

I am amazed at how much more affordable even self-pay medical procedures are in other countries. I myself, travel to Costa Rica to have Plastic Surgery - they have world renowned surgeons there. I also get my eyeglasses there, and have bloodwork done there. I have also gone to Costa Rica to have dental work done - all so much cheaper than paying my portion of the same work in the US.

How true this is! I just wrote an article on how my dental insurance wouldnt pay for a root canal but the same insurance will pay for full dentures on a Meth addict. (the meth ate her teeth away and now shes got prettier teeth than me who takes care of them) The healthcare proiorities need to be straightened out!

Brian T. is right. Medical specialists make 3 to 4 times the yearly wages of general care doctors who refer their patients to specialist after specialist in many cases. This really adds up. We now have a glut of specialists beyond any reason.

Can you imagine the insurance company has that many people at the top pay scale? No, it's just as you might imagine, one CEO, a few under him/her, a slightly larger group under them, etc. This is why the insurance industry will still be standing after health care is fixed from it's broken state.

The message of the movie in a nutshell. While interviewing a Canadian man whose had severed fingers reattached surgically, Moore asks him what he thinks of the American man who cut off two fingers with a table saw (the surgeons told the American how many tens of thousands it would be to reattach each of them; since he could only afford to have one reattached, he chose to have his wedding ring finger reattached--the romantic). As Moore relates this story to the Canadian, the look of horrified disgust in his eyes says everything about American health care.

Probably nobody else on Gather is old enough to remember Maggie Kuhn, the founder of the Gray Panthers (she was forced to take mandatory retirement at 65; on account of her and the other older adults who got pissed off alone with her, we no longer have mandatory retirement). Way, way back in the mid 70's, Maggie and some of the other Gray Panthers staged a demonstration: they went to a public venue (had something to do with the AMA) and had a dummy dressed as a doctor; they pretended that this doctor was dying and pretended to perform all sorts of tests on him; they gave the dummy injections and shocked him and did CPR on him--but nothing seemed to help; then they did surgery on the dummy--opening his chest; when they did, money burst out--dollar bills were flying everywhere; when they took the money out, the doctor came back to life. . . . And that was 30 years ago.

I am willing to watch Sicko. Moore is definitely worth the time. Fahrenheit 911 was actually pretty good in many ways, despite the firestorm of criticism that dropped on it. Moore was actually one of the first to realize the basic identity of GWB as no mental giant, and he deserves a bit of credit for that.
As to Senator Clinton selling out, well, that oversimplifies. She is trying to zig or zag her way to her former abode, the White House. To do that, the best route is to LOOK like you are a person of strong principles, but TELL people exactly what they want to hear.
You can't do both.

This is the type of fraud and ripping off that will collapse the health care industry in America.

Medical Equipment Suppliers Going to Prison for Medicare Fraud
Four Family Members to Serve Nearly Five Years and Pay $1.4 Million
By neile mcgrew
Three brothers and a stepson of one of the brothers have been sentenced to 57 months in prison for their part in a scheme to defraud Medicare of $1.4 million through false claims for oxygen and aerosol medications. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the sentences and restitution amount Friday in Washington.
The family members owned three medical equipment supply companies in Miami, Florida. Carlos Berenguer, 61, and Aristides Berenguer, 64, owned Select Medical Equipment Incorporated. Brother Robert Berenguer, 58, owned and operated a similar business, Professional Medical Equipment, Inc, and Carlos' stepson, Ivan Aguera, 34, owned Palm Medical Equipment. The Berenguers and Aguera "recruited and paid cash" to Medicare patients to submit false claims to Medicare, according to the DOJ press release.

The scheme consisted of Medicare patients turning in claims for oxygen concentrators and "compounded" aerosol medications, which are medications that are created by a pharmacist, rather than being pre-assembled by the pharmaceutical company that sells the drug. As medical equipment suppliers cannot bill Medicare directly, the Berenguers and Aguera worked with owners of Miami pharmacies to bill Medicare through patients. The pharmacy owners and the Berenguers and Aguera then split the money that Medicare paid the pharmacies.

Patients received cash payments for the use of their Medicare cards and information. The patients, who were clients of the three durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers owned by the Berenguers and Aguera, were referred to three Miami pharmacies, Lily's Pharmacy, Unimed Pharmacy, and Prestige Pharmacy, which "compounded" the aerosol medications illegally, and then billed Medicare for the unnecessary medications. The Berenguers and Aguera also worked with some doctors to write fraudulent prescriptions for the medications.

Another member of the family, Ricardo Aguera, was sentenced to 121 months in prison back in March for his part in the scheme. It was during Ricardo Aguera's trial that the Berenguers and Ivan Aguera entered their guilty pleas in this case. The pharmacy owners involved in this case are Henry Gonzalez and Alfonso Rodriguez. All in all, nearly $20 million was paid out to the pharmacies, with $1.4 million in claims being directly attributed to Carlos, Aristides, and Robert Berenguer and Ivan Aguera from 2001 to 2003. The four men will pay that amount in restitution for their part in the fraud scheme.

This particular type of "compounding" scheme is the most common healthcare-related fraud in Southern Florida. The DOJ has been cracking down on Medicare fraud as part of an initiative launched in December 2005 between several federal agencies to address the growing number of healthcare-related fraud schemes, especially those that occur in Florida. The Miami-Dade area alone has more claims filed for DME-related costs than most states.

Sources: US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Here is another example of internal greed and unethical practices that is going to force a government take over of the health care industry.

One of the state's largest health insurers set goals and paid bonuses based in part on how many individual policyholders were dropped and how much money was saved.

… Health Net Inc. avoided paying $35.5 million in medical expenses by rescinding about 1,600 policies between 2000 and 2006. During that period, it paid its senior analyst in charge of cancellations more than $20,000 in bonuses based in part on her meeting or exceeding annual targets for revoking policies …

The revelation … comes amid a storm of controversy over the industry-wide but long-hidden practice of rescinding coverage after expensive medical treatments have been authorized.

… These "rescissions" … typically leave sick patients with crushing medical bills and no way to obtain needed treatment.

… The bonuses were disclosed … in a lawsuit brought by Patsy Bates, a Gardena hairdresser whose coverage was rescinded by Health Net in the middle of chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer.

… (Bates) owns a hair salon in a Gardena mini-mall between a liquor store and a doughnut shop. She said she was left with nearly $200,000 in medical bills and stranded in the midst of chemotherapy when Health Net canceled her coverage in January 2004.

… "I've got cancer, and I could die," she said in a recent interview. Health Net "walked away from the agreement. They don't care."

Great review. I want to see this.

My Doctor urged me to get into the Home Healthcare business a couple of years ago. She told me I could "clean up"! Yes, "CLEAN UP". All you have to do is rent a building, hire a few CNA's, file claims with Medicare and wait for the checks to come in. Oh, certainly you have to deal iwth clients but what is actually done is so minor and the financial benefit so great!

I didn't do it. Thanks God, I didn't do it. But, I see these Home Healthcare places popping up everywhere. They are nothing but cash cows and you and I pay the price for someone to get rich.

This is only one of the problems.

Wait until you're on Medicare and get Cancer or have a heart attack! You'll get the treatment but the amount Medicare now pays has been reduced again so you're stuck with almost 30% of a $500,000 bill! The Doc gets 1/2 and the hospital gets 1/2. You get to file bankruptcy.!

Sicko only scratches the surface of what's wrong with the health care system in this Country. God help you if you get sick.

Insurance companies are in business for a reason ~ the almighty buck. They're holding all the aces in a card game with our lives...and we keep feeding the kitty; terrified of being caught without insurance, yet knowing that the dealer of the deck can call the game at will. In my view, the medical care in America is excellent. If you can get it. And why is care so expensive? Our physicians are paying the same insurance companies that we are ~ for malpractice coverage ~ and the cost is unbelievable! Many doctors will turn patients away based on the insurance carrier the patient has. Why? The doctor can't get paid by the carrier.

There are millions of horror stories that will never be heard from patients that have experienced loss of their jobs, their homes and their lives because they got screwed by an insurance company. Our political leaders put their hands out for personal financial gain from insurance companies, and they turn their backs on the citizens that put them in office.

Costa Rica is looking better and better every day.

There are people who need home health care and are getting it from relatives, from exhausted spouses, scared parents, and not the Drs who should be providing it. Not from visiting nurses. Thank you for this article. When you are sick it's no big deal, but when your kid is sick, life is upside down!

It's an awesome movie. I saw it several weeks ago and could hardly believe what I saw the other countries did health care wise! I was thinking who's a backward country?? Definitely the U.S.! I just heard a story today about a 52 year old man who had an easily repairable cleft palate and was unable to speak. He could not get surgery for it because his parents had not had health insurance and he had no health insurance now. (probably since it was a "pre existing condition" it would not cover now anyhow) This man had to wait 50 years for surgery and go through life without speaking because he could not afford surgery! Some Dr. finally agreed to donate his services and perform the procedure. Now tell me this system we have isn't broke!?? Great article and great review

I feel so out of tune with everything. I think I've heard of it, but I'm not sure. Now I simply must find it and watch. Thanks for the heads up and review. See what these reviews are for? Out of touch ppl like me( but I have been sick lately, if that's any excuse) TY.

Here in Oregon we have a version of socialized healthcare, so does Minnesota and both are going BROKE! The creator of this thread mentioned England, France and Cuba... WOW! Besides watching that movie that's filled with lie after lie. Question: have you done any research at all regarding those countries you mentioned? I know you haven't or you wouldn't have mentioned any of them.

Back to Oregon... Do any of you remember in the mid-90's a young teenage girl needed a kidney transplant, and a judge said the state run PPO could refuse that operation and end her life because of the cost? DO ANY OF YOU REMEMBER? IT WAS IN ALL THE NEWSPAPERS!
That happens every single day in England, France, and Canada. Those who can afford it, come to the UNITED STATES, imagine that. Why, because we have the best health care and are the most advanced then anywhere else in the world. Now that's a FACT... Sicko is just that... A sick bastardization of history masquerading as facts. And that's SICK!

If you do a search regarding the movie Sicko and the facts… You might actually learn something… Oh, and that teenage girl, the PRIVATE sector stepped in a saved her life! In a socialized society that is not allowed.

Cheap seats get expensive fast if your not willing to study and learn the truth on your own!

So sayeth,

Charles Marcello

Re: OHP "GOING BROKE" - of course it is. A 2003 press release by Gv. Kulongoski puts it into perspective pretty well: ""Almost every state in the nation is facing huge budget deficits this year with totals exceeding over $80 billion. Likewise, Oregon is desperately trying to balance its books in the face of falling revenues and increasing citizen needs. Oregon has already cut $2 billion out of its budget, and may have to cut more in the coming months. No one will be left unaffected as we are forced to make steep budget cuts, shorten the school year, and cut badly needed human services."

and:

"The dire situation we face is exacerbated by continuing high levels of unemployment"

Of course OHP is struggling. But that speaks ill, not of the program, but of the policies and actions of our warmongering leaders who are routinely underfunding and cutting programs here at home to fund their agendas.

Capitalism is the enemy here, not socialized medicine.

***Capitalism is the enemy here, not socialized medicine ***

This kind of nonsense needs to be challenge every time it raises its ugly head. Capitalism is not the problem, people who are to damn obtuse to understand the benefits and their part within it, now those lazy bastards are the real problems. Not only for medicine, but in every other facet of life.

Capitalism is to blame... damn, please do tell what style of market planning and people planning do you think brought you all these brand new life saving drugs, machines, techniques? That's right capitalism, and not communism. Do you people know why???? Because communism and this lets share everything with everyone, is completely and absolutely anti-people and will continue to hurt and kill more people then any other form of government on this planet. In a capitalist society you choose your own failures, in a communists society it does it even matter, they choose everything for you. Is that what you people really want? Seriously? Then prepare for two America's… I won't live under it and I will fight and die to avoid it?

Until Next Time...

Charles Marcello

I can't say capitalism is the blame, but I'm going to say greed is the cause of our health care crisis. Not liberals or conservatives, but plain old fashioned greed. Eventually this greed will be the undoing of the health care system as we know it. The system will collapse itself. There are already plenty of signs this is already going on namely the fraud and corruption within the medical system. Second double digit increases in annual health care costs are non sustainable in the long run. The sytem will collapse, it's all just a matter of time. Enron and World Com fell because of greed, so will the American health care system.

Watch the movie for what it is, a documentary. Moore is a brilliant filmmaker. I wish he'd stay focused on that!

Okay, just a reality check here because I'm curious: everybody on this thread who 1) thinks that the movie was a pack of lies and that the United States is the best place to be sick and 2) does NOT currently have health insurance please post now.

And AFTER they post, everyone who wants to say 1) that they DO have health insurance and are legal citizens (my Chickasaw ancestors would like to speak with you about that, btw), but 2) that has NO BEARING on why they hate Michael Moore and feel the need to defend the medicine/insurance/pharmaceutical cartel should post.

I have health insurance ( good health and dental) and I stilled paid two grand for a couple of simple dental procedures Tony who works at a hospital as a nurse has good insurance too and it cost him nearly 4 grand out of pocket. I am a citizen and I pay taxes and pay for my health insurance and still have large out of pocket cost for necessary surgeries but people can get absolutely unnecessary elective surgeries for free on Medicaid, something does need to be fixed whether you lean to the left or the right.

good review

I am extremely curious to see this movie. From what I have heard, it is a very one-sided view of the state of the health situation in the US. People here forget that the present situation was not created by the government, rather it was the numerous extremely greedy malpractice lawsuits, which drove the cost of malpractice insurance through the roof, and in many cases, it forced physicians to close their private practices and become "employees" of a health care provider medical group.

I know people who benefit from socialized medicine and claim they not only have no choice in which doctors they see, but they don't always see the same doctor, and not having the relationship with one physician has led to very dangerous mistakes in prescribing medications which cause negative reactions to drugs already prescribed. I strongly believe that the idea of having the government run anything is detrimental to the country's welfare. Privatization allows people choices. Although we don't have a perfect system, we have the freedom to choose. HMO, PPO, private etc. we can choose, and even Medical works for the very poor in some levels.

Mr. Moore wants to convince people on the wonders of socialized medicine of other countries, yet he fails to mention how many people die waiting for an MRI, CAT scan and a hospital bed to become available for an emergency surgical procedure. Our culture is such that it expects and demands instant results, instant attention, and instant services, and never in a million years would it tolerate a system that because of overcrowding burdens people to wait for even the simplest services or procedures, let alone a doctor's appointment. This of course would probably allow another Michael Moore the opportunity to trash the US for having a lousy government sponsored and administered health system. If Mr. Moore feels so strongly about the blessings of Canada's health care system, maybe he should consider moving his residence permanently to Canada. Would you trust any government offices to run and oversee your health insurance? "Remember FEMA."

Another consideration is that the millions of people found without insurance, include single young adults who believe they don't need medical insurance. Medical insurance as I remember was obtained as a "just in case" something major occurred people were covered and had something to fall back on. Let's try to improve what we already have instead of comparing it to a system, which apparently "seems to work" and before we actually discover that it too has issues, which affect the quality of care people get.

Of course, this is my opinion BEFORE watching the movie.

thanks for the review. I've been wanting to see this movie for such a long time, but never have had the chance. I'm hoping to get a copy of it soon so I can check it out.

great article

People that abhor socialized medicine often point to horror stories in other countries and ignore the greater volume of them right here. They also have a tendency to ignore the many socialized functions we already have here, such as law enforcement, fire control, emergency responders, libraries, I could go on for hours. Socialism is not communism, and not something we know nothing about. You can harp on the socialized medicine model as much as you want, but no one looks at the countries that have implemented it, and have great care because of it. France, and some of the Scandinavian countries are non existent according to foes of social medicine. They like to cite Great Britain and some other's problems, without mentioning that several of them have those problems because of severe underfunding, at the hands of recent conservative governments that have sabotaged it on purpose. We have the most expensive health care, yet we aren't even close to number one in quality of care. Sicko is but the tip of the iceberg, but it should be required watching for every person on both sides of this issue, if nothing else as a primer.