catscradle

I saw Sicko over the weekend for some light pre-holiday entertainment. I jest, of course. The movie was utterly depressing and demoralizing if you’re an American. But what do you expect of a Michael Moore propaganda film? They should arrest him and throw him in the can for speaking such dismal words during a time of war. Doesn’t he know he’s just aiding the enemy?

Well, whatever you think of the man, Sicko’s power comes from the fact that so many of us have been hosed by the insurance companies. If you’re an American and have dealt with the healthcare industry, you’ve been there. Moore’s argument isn’t made through the film, it’s made though our collective experience nodding in unison as he illustrates example after example of the nightmare US healthcare system. His argument is a no brainer, and if you didn’t know better you’d think Moore was setting up a straw man. Any business set up for profit must maximize profit and minimize liability; therefore one must eliminate as much cost as possible to maximize profit. This means the sick or potentially sick are unprofitable - hence medical insurance should be a human right under the protection of the government rather than a privilege dolled out by for-profit insurance companies. Well, duh. Unfortunately, this is no strawman, it is America's reality.

The real demoralizer isn’t the case studies, however, it’s when he goes to other nations to see examples of their systems. While it is pointed out that these national systems (notably of Canada, the UK and France) are not perfect, healthcare is indeed open to all of their citizens. Health is deemed a human right, not a privilege. As a result they have a higher life expectancy and their infant/mother mortality rates are much lower than ours. Moore points out that of industrialized, first world nations, the USA is dead last on that list. I couldn't help but feel very angry when I saw this segment of the movie. Why haven't we as a nation decided to take care of our own like these other nations have? Why is it every-man-for-himself here? Moore points out over and over that we are not a bad people, we are a generous people, so why aren't we taking care of ourselves? He suggests we make a study of each of these systems and take the best ideas of each one, rather than cling to our current system of healthcare for profit.

Some of you have heard of House bill HR 676 sponsored by House Representatives John Conyers and Dennis Kucinich – the bill is design to take the profit motive out of healthcare through providing a single payer insurance. This freaks a lot of people out because it would be government run and would socialize our medicine. This means… higher taxes! What Moore rightfully points out is that while it would raise our taxes, we wouldn’t have things like a monthly healthcare cost coming out of our checks. We wouldn’t have high co-pays. We wouldn’t be gouged at the pharmacy. We wouldn’t see all these hidden costs that we bump into accidentally once we need a medical service. But best of all, everyone would be covered regardless of job status, age or pre-existing conditions.

The real freakage, though, comes from the term “socialized medicine.” Apparently this will end civilization as we know it. It will possibly mean that the terrorists have won if we embrace this concept. Do you want the government in control of your medicine!?! OMG! Look what they did with Walter Reed! OMFG! Yeah, we call that under funded, understaffed hospitals under bad government management. It’s a false dilemma to tell the American people that we either have rat infested government controlled medicine or privatized out of control for profit medicine no one can afford. We don’t need to get rid of government involvement in our healthcare, we need to get rid of bad government involvement in our healthcare. And for those of you that didn’t know, much of the VA system has been privatized under the Bush administration. So while it was no picnic before, privatization certainly did not improve anything. Why? There’s no profit to be made in dealing with the sick.

I think the genius of this film is not to tell the stories of those that are uninsured, but to tell the stories of those that are insured and are still screwed over by the system. The insurance I currently have says I cannot be discriminated against due to any pre-existing conditions – BUT – they can deny my claim by stating I don’t need a certain type of treatment or that it’s “experimental” or I don’t actually have what I and my doctor are claiming I have. This is scary, and it should scare every person in this country. The insurance you currently have isn't really insurance at all. In many cases, you are paying into something and getting nothing in return.

Another scary thought – and Moore doesn’t point this out in the film – is that our current system totally negates any job mobility we have with regards to insurance. For instance, I was diagnosed with diabetes. Because of this if I leave my job I have to find another job that, 1) offers insurance and 2) does not exclude pre-existing conditions. My goal is to work from home as an online adjunct instructor. This means if I actually accomplish this I will not have anyway to be insured as no private insurance will cover me. So much for the American dream.

Moore tries to remain upbeat. We can change things. There are more of us than there are of them! While this is true, it seems a tough thing to get us to get up and really do anything about it. I wonder why that is. What has made us so complacent and willing to accept the shit we’re dealt on a regular basis? Is it crisis fatigue with Iraq, gas prices and global warming? Or is it that we’re so isolated here in our little country and kept stupid by the schools and media that we just don’t know any better? My own guess is that it is the latter. If nothing else this movie is a call to wake up and to start thinking about the issue. There are other ways. We are not trapped. We don’t have to give up the American dream.

Though just in case, Moore does provide us with a link if we want to marry a Canadian.