This film is basically the antithesis of what we have been told over and over about health care in this country by our government and media.

Focusing on the United States health care system, and primarily on the behavior of large insurance companies and their practices, SiCKO is Michael Moore's unapologetic look at the other side of the argument. Say what you want about him, but he is relentless in pursuing his point – almost to a fault. As with his previous works, his blueprint remains the same: put forward countless statistics, presumably skewed for the benefit of the viewpoint he is trying to convey, while illustrating those points with worst-case scenario examples. That's not to say the statistics aren't alarming (they are), or the examples aren't powerful (they are), so long as you are aware going in that in the grand scheme of the entire argument, the picture has been tangibly distorted.

In the past in his quest to "reveal the truth" Moore has been accused of, among other things, staging interviews and editing out-of-context material together for the benefit of achieving a desired response. My biggest beef with Moore has always been that he attacks the opposing arguments by claiming they are manipulating our perceptions with half-truths, while himself overtly propagandizes his own argument. In SiCKO, this is evident in the way he contrasts the U.S. healthcare system with other countries with universal health care coverage. He scrutinizes the horrors of the U.S. system, but doesn't turn the same microscopic eye on other systems: instead he only summarizes the highlights of the socialized health care systems of Canada, Great Britain, France, and Cuba.

I lived in Canada a few years back for a short time, and spoke to many Canadians about their health care system. Sure it doesn't cost them during their visit, but they are, as the movie states at one point, buried in taxes and the visits are not typically in-and-out procedures. So I guess the basic rule of economics still applies: There's no such thing as a free lunch.

I had a Canadian friend who had to go to the hospital here in the US. While the cost of the visit itself was a non-issue (because of insurance coverage from their work and the illness not being major), one of the first things she said after we left was how "nice" our hospitals are and how quickly we were attended to. When I asked which system she preferred, she said ours as long as insurance covered it. I guess if the coverage applies, our way is better than paying for health care through taxes. But coverage isn't always there and that is the very point the movie tries to illustrate. I guess it boils down to not being able to have it both ways. All that being said, I saw in this movie much the same as I have seen in all of his previous works – a very entertaining and enlightening look at the other side of the coin.

The Rub: The 'David and Goliath' aspect of Moore's pictures have somewhat depreciated with his success over the years, but they are still powerful nonetheless; this one is no exception. Regardless of which end of the political spectrum you occupy, you can't ignore this film. Funny, powerful, and thought-provoking, you can't help but be disgusted at the thought of the greatest country in the world having a health care system so flawed, and to such an overwhelming degree, that it affects almost everyone in the country. And there's the rub.

Rating: *** 1/2 out of ****

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Comments (2)

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Thanks Jeremy for the great review! I have not seen this yet, but I especially enjoyed to hear your own personal insight and views on our Canadian healthcare system!

I can say that I've had personal experience with both healthcare systems there in the US, and Canada. As you've stated, both of our healthcare systems are flawed indeed. In Canada, rural areas especially suffer, with shortage of doctors, long waiting lists for tests, etc., etc.

I agree with your Canadian friend, US hospitals and doctors are better, and in alot of ways have better care. I too would choose US hospitals and doctors to get the best care! Our medicare covered my costs, because it could only be done in the US. It is a real travesty that your great US healthcare isen't covered by your government. Especially for the minorities who are in much more need of healthcare in the US, and those on fixed incomes like seniors, the disabled, those with mental illness, etc., just to name a few.

Lets just hope for our sake, and the sake of our loved ones, that there will be some sort of change for the better! After all, we all don't have the luxury of having a government salary to pay for OUR healthcare!

Jan , November 24, 2007

Very frank and honest commentary!

If we don't like the way you are doing things, we'll kick down the door and beat you in to submission until you see things our way.

Exactly. I was a bit surprised at first how some have reacted so negatively to Moore, especially for his previous docu, and while the political flavor of this film is not as 'explosive' as in his other films, I think the message is loud and clear.

When that Doctor from CNN decided to take on Moore about this movie and made a big fuzz about statistics, the filmmaker decided he need to be on the offensive and I admired him for that. Even CNN, as Moore reported in his website, has come out with an apology for the apparent errors/assumptions by this CNN guest host. I forgot his name, but he's quite popular in the network and perhaps he assumed he can remain popular, but he failed to verify his sources.

I have watched almost all of Moore's movies and while my favorite remains Roger and Me, this one has become a favorite too!

jedmed , November 25, 2007

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