13 Responses to “Just Watched ‘sicko’ – Is It That Bad In The Us, Regarding Your Medical Health Care ?”

1. 

   Jasmin said on Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 17:59

   i’ve never seen sicko but i can tell you it’s pretty bad… my family doesnt have med. insurance (family of five, >100k) we did at one point and it was costing $500 per person per month. we had it for a few months when my sister came down with a flu we took her to the dr. and gave them our insurance which wouldnt cover a dime. if you don’t get exhausted form constantly arguing with your insurance providers than i guess it’s not that bad…. but it is.
   I would also like to add that a few months ago i was having severe stomach pains that lasted over an hour. i was shaking and i couldnt even talk. i was taken to the emergency room where they told us (like always) it would ONLY cost 200.
   when i got to the hospital i had to wait 45 min in the emrg. waiting room then i got to see a nurse and by the time the dr got there my pain had subsided and i didnt even need him. he gave me a lecture about how i shouldnt have come to the emergency room and how this is for EMERGENCIES only etc etc. and charged my dad $1000… i though i was dying, folks!!
2. 

   London NW3 said on Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 20:14

   This is a cracking documentary.l normally do not go in for one way scorn and criticism,but he hit the jackpot with this film.
   You are exaggerating a bit.He did not say the health care system was bad,just bad for the poorest people.He points out the health care insurers have to pay dividends so put clauses in the insurances which means they do not pay up to clients in need of treatment(tricking them effectively).He also show up H.Clinton for what she really is,a hypocrite.He also shows how generous Cuban people are to Americans.He also shows how unrealistic the French system is,and how overpaid the British medical profession is.A very sad film
3. 

   whoknewt said on Thursday, August 6, 2009, 2:16

   I am unemployed and I receive FREE health insurance in my state – I get free: prescriptions, doctors visits, dental visits, vision appointments and eye glasses, lab costs, everything is free. When I lost my job this year, the government really stepped in and has helped me and my kids while I am in college and am low income.
   I think its a great movie and I can see how people cannot afford to take care of themselves when they are sick. It is unfortunate how the insurance companies capitalize off of the Americans being sick. However, if the government will allow this and not take over health care, then what can we do? I don’t know anyone who is thousands of dollars in debt because they cannot afford prescriptions or doctors visits. That is what social services is for – provides affordable/free health insurance for those who cannot afford it on their own.
   Each state offers assistance to those who cannot afford it. Maybe those people should sell their $300,000 homes and move into something they can afford so that they can afford their prescriptions each month, or get a prescription plan that covers their prescriptions that they need? Why stay with a plan that doesn’t cover it?
   In my state, there is a law that says the hospital cannot turn anyone away because of their inability to pay for the visit. They HAVE to do what is necessary to get you better and take care of you. You tell the registration office that you don’t have health insurance, and they refer you to a Hospital Assistance program that basically pays for your hospital bills depending on how much money you make. I used this a few years ago when I was between jobs once again. The state of NJ paid every single dime of my $3000 in emergency room charges because I made less than like $44,000 a year.
   If people would just let the government help, I don’t see why they would be in such a crisis. I am not a rich person, college students are broke. And I still make sure I am taken care of. NJ has excellent social services and health insurance programs for those who cannot afford it. I know that Pennsylvania also offers similar programs, I am sure that most states if not all offer similar programs as well. If people want to just wallow in their misery and be sad about their situations, then let them be sad about it. I ask for help when I need it. Because when I graduate college in 1 year and I start making lots of money, I will pay back into it with my taxes.
4. 

   kittenz_ said on Thursday, August 6, 2009, 8:36

   I’m sure the cases that he showed in the movie were real-life examples, but I don’t know how common they are. Thank goodness nothing that severe has ever happened to myself or anyone close to me, but I do think the statement he was trying to make was directed to be very biased against America. I agree that the health care system needs to be reformed, but I also think he took the worst cases in America and compared them to the best cases in all the other countries. I can’t help but imagine that every one of those countries have an example similar to those he showed in America – he just chose not to record them since it wouldn’t support the point he was trying to make.
5. 

   Irrelevant infomer said on Thursday, August 6, 2009, 12:14

   I’m not from the states but I know the health system is crazy, the ambulance service is private but the law dictates that the nearest ambulance takes the person to the nearest hospital but the private ambulance firms will pass a pick up over if they have no medical cover. Micheal Moore is a sensationalist and has be known to fabricate stuff in his films, Bowling for Colombine for example the scene with Chuck Heston where he has the rifle held aloft at a NRA rally that wasn’t one straight scene or even the same function where he held the gun and shouted “From my cold dead hands” His very first docu film “Roger and me” had contrived scenes, the lady selling the pet rabbits for the pot, rabbits breed like crazy and taste damn good. I know plenty of people who breed rabbits. One as the pet and the rest for the pot.
6. 

   Anonymous said on Thursday, August 6, 2009, 17:54

   Yes it is bad. The people who say that it isn’t probably are rich enough to afford good insurance. I was in a car accident that was right in front of the hospital. The ambulance drove me across the street and they charged me $800. I do not have insurance and I’m an unemployed student. My current hospital bills are $3000. Is it bad? HELL YES. All I did was lay in the hospital for two hours and they’re charging me $3000 for it.
   I told them about my situation and all they did was deduct $600 from my bill. I still have to pay regardless of my circumstances.
7. 

   Tim said on Thursday, August 6, 2009, 22:10

   Michael Moore can not present just the facts. he always needs to spin the information to get attention for himself.
   I haven’t had the bad experiences he wants us to think are everywhere. I do pay for my own health insurance, so I have the choice or where I go and who I have insurance through.
8. 

   Tony R said on Friday, August 7, 2009, 2:05

   I don’t think there system is as bad as it was made out to be on sicko.
   Moore just took the most controversial case’s and turned it into a film.
   Moore also likes to think the worst about almost anything.
9. 

   midrare said on Friday, August 7, 2009, 2:28

   I haven’t seen the movie so i can’t say whether it is as bad as he portrays it but yeah we Americans are being totally fubared by our health care system.
10. 

    Bill C said on Friday, August 7, 2009, 7:19

    There was some truth,but Michael Moore is viewed as being somewhat radical here.
11. 

    edward e said on Friday, August 7, 2009, 14:10

    it’s worse than bad
12. 

    Franky B said on Friday, August 7, 2009, 15:29

    yes ,to them its all about the$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
13. 

    youngfas said on Friday, August 7, 2009, 21:49

    You can call Micheal Moore what ever you want but he is telling the truth about healthcare in the US. If you do not have health insurance or are under insured in the US and you get sick you are screwed! You cannot get sick in America without health insurance! You will go bankrupt!
    People have really gone bankrupt because of this! Even when you have insurance there are many things that they refuse to pay and you still get stuck with the bill. There is one state that is an exception to the rule. MA (1 state out of 50!) has free universal health care.
    There is also free healthcare provided to any of the following groups: elderly, disabled, military service families and veterans, children, and some of the poor. Please note that even though these groups get the free healthcare it is not the best care. There have been scandals about the care given to these underprivileged groups.
    You can get your health insurance on your own but
    1. Its expensive and
    2. If you have preexisting conditions or are not perfectly healthy they will deny you coverage.
    You can also get coverage through your job, if they offer it. And still coverage can be very expensive, especially if you have children!
    There is no exaggeration in the film. It really is like this. This is why universal healthcare was one of the top 5 issues of our US presidential election.