According to the documentary film Sicko, almost fifty million Americans are uninsured while the remainder, who are covered, are often victims of insurance company fraud and red tape. Interviews are conducted with people who thought they had adequate coverage but were denied care. Former employees of insurance companies describe cost-cutting initiatives that give bonuses to insurance company physicians and others to find reasons for the company to avoid meeting the cost of medically necessary treatments for policy holders, and thus increase company profitability.
Moore contrasts U.S. media reports on Canadian care with the experiences of Canadians in hospitals and clinics there. He interviews patients and doctors in the U.K. about cost, quality, and salaries. He examines why Nixon promoted HMOs in 1971, and why the Clintons’ reform effort failed in the 1990s.
He talks to U.S. ex-pats in Paris about French services, and he takes three 9/11 clean-up volunteers, who developed respiratory problems, to Cuba for care. He asks of Americans, “Who are we?”
Released May 19, 2007. Director: Michael Moore. Documentary Film.
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3 Comments
No video available in UK. Can this be fixed?
Its up again
I don’t usually like Michael Moore documentaries because they are so preachy. However, that said, I really liked the people he interviewed in this documentary. I am a European and it is not unusual for Europeans of my generation to mock America and resent its foreign policy. Politics to one side, one has to like and admire these Americans. They should treat themselves better. The world would be a better place. Also, I liked the soundtrack. I must emigrate to France — for the French cover versions of 1960s pop songs if nothing else. :-)