Who else watched it? What did you think? Let's discuss... :P

I thought it was about as good as the rest of his movies. Entertaining but too full of "maybes".

Not a big fan of propaganda, from either side. Just not interested.

Maybe someone else will have something to add to this conversation :lol

I found it very interesting, and it really drove home to me that not having a universal health care system in this country, and letting insurance companies decide what potentially life saving treatment we get judged solely on their bottom line, is IMMORAL.

I see the point of that argument, but why should a company have to pay $300,000 on a treatment when you haven't even paid in $300,000? Just because they have the money? Well then Bill Gates needs to pay for my boob job.

No one would have to pay $300K for a treatment because the insurance companies and drug companies wouldn't be allowed to charge whatever they want to make a profit. If the system wasn't a for profit system, those procedures wouldn't COST $300K. A few q-tips wouldn't cost $10. One pill wouldn't cost $50.

Yeah but that has less to do with the whole healthcare thing and more to do with everyone in the world being a moneyhungry bastage. :D

I wanna see it.. time to netflix it i guess. :thinking i agree with Trina, if you read your hospital statement the price of things are ridiculous. i mean i can buy a bottle of name brand Tylenol for 7 bucks, but they want to charge me three times that for the same pill i can buy at the store. :dunno

I've never watched it, but I would love to. I worked in the financial and insurance side of the medical industry for years, so this really intrigues me.
I could tell you so many things I had to bill for that were completely outrageous - nothing like a $30 charge for SHAMPOO that you used while in the hospital. :suspect

while i think our healthcare system needs reform i don't know if universal healthcare is the way to go. i also think michael moore is just as biased as the things he claims to hate.

Yeah but that has less to do with the whole healthcare thing and more to do with everyone in the world being a moneyhungry bastage. :D

Those go hand in hand when you have a for profit health care system. ;)

while i think our healthcare system needs reform i don't know if universal healthcare is the way to go. i also think michael moore is just as biased as the things he claims to hate.

Well, even a large number of Republicans praised this movie. I think health care is an issue everyone can agree needs work in this country. Michael Moore or not. This movie isn't a movie about Republican versus Democrat or anything like that. It's about how the health care system in our country is broken. When an insurance company gets to decide if you live or die based on how much money you will cost them, even if you paid their premiums, that is pretty f'n broken.

oh i agree with you wicked that our healthcare system is f*ed up but universal healthcare definitely has issues too. i think perhaps a balance between the two would be ideal kwim? i'd be more open to the movie if it wasn't by michael moore the man sickens me.

Well, it's easy enough to get over that and watch it anyway. LOL. It has a good message.

I don't think we can strike a balance as long as the industry is a for profit industry. We need a system like Norway or France. Hell, even England has had a universal health care system since 1948 for goodness sake. They haven't crumpled under the strain. In fact, they are starting to beat us in a lot of things globally and we aren't the ones who had to rebuild after WWII. Europe has a lot of universal health care in their governments and the euro is beating the dollar. There is no reason why we can't take the best part of every working system out there and build our own.

that's what i'm saying i don't think either extreme is right for us i think we need to devise something of our own

Norway! :woot

(:giggle half my family lives there)

Well, it's easy enough to get over that and watch it anyway. LOL. It has a good message.

I don't think we can strike a balance as long as the industry is a for profit industry. We need a system like Norway or France. Hell, even England has had a universal health care system since 1948 for goodness sake. They haven't crumpled under the strain. In fact, they are starting to beat us in a lot of things globally and we aren't the ones who had to rebuild after WWII. Europe has a lot of universal health care in their governments and the euro is beating the dollar. There is no reason why we can't take the best part of every working system out there and build our own.

I agree Trina...Healthcare should never be a matter of profit. Its really sad that our country seems to be taking steps backwards, while alot of other countries are moving forwards.

I just finished watching this movie... and I must say.... it makes me extremely sad knowing that there are actually people out there who are thankful that they DON'T live in America.

It makes me sad to think that there are parents in other countries with sick kids saying "Gee, sweetie, we should be really thankful that we don't live in America... we wouldn't be able to afford your treatments."

This is definitely an issue I'd like to better educate myself on.... our government is full of money-hungry pigs... it absolutely disgusts me that half the politicians who worked so hard to earn insurance companies & drug companies more money... are now WORKING for those freaking companies.

:pukey

I'm too disgusted to even think clearly.

i haven't watched it but i'm torn on the issue. i definitely think our healthcare industry needs some work, there is something jacked up about not being able to get treated because you can't afford it. on the other hand, i don't think totally universal healthcare is right either. they have major issues too. not that i have a solution in mind, just that there's something wrong with the current system. i kind of want to rent that now.

Norway! :woot

(:giggle half my family lives there)

All my aunts and cousins on my dad's side are there, I'll come with :giggle

Having lived in Canada for the better part of my life, I have some strong opinions on this subject.
The universal healthcare system is nice. I gave birth to all three of my kids up there... not once did I ever fear a bill. We have had broken arms, RSV, MRI, ect... and I never had to worry about a bill. But there were some challenges. Any surgery deemed "elective" and non life threating can have waits for years. These will include hip replacements and the like which can seriously dampen someone's life.
When I first got here to the states, hubby had a civilian job. There were to have had a great healthcare plan. I read it... very crazy. A maze of copays and what not.
I think a two tiered system will be the answer.
Anyhoo...
Looking forward to getting Sicko in the mail this week.
:)

:gaah

I had to stumble on this after having 4 Cape Codders.... So forgive me, I'm slightly buzzed.. :duh

Moore has no credibility for me, and I watch his propaganda with EXTREME pessismism just for the sake of TRYING to be able to know a little about the subject when it comes up in convo.... In some senses I agree with the principle of his arguments, but his debating skills are awful. He's not articulate, and he gets flustered because you can tell he's personally wounded.

He cites the US for being 37th out of the world in health care quality, but touts Cuba as a shining example of where we should be going. Cuba was 39th on the same list.....this guy has more moves than John Kerry, who is like on the top 5 list of weasels who would be President.. But for the sake of drunk ramblings, I'll leave Kerry out of this....

He doesn't hide the fact that Cuba is 39th on the list. What's really interesting about that is that, he pointed out, Cuba spends nearly $300 per capita on health care, where as the United States spends nearly $7000. Now ask yourself, is there something wrong with that picture when Cubans and Americans have almost the same life expectancies? Given the resources of America, do you think it should be ranked anywhere near Cuba?

My Sweedish vodka has run out CRAP....

:gaah

I had to stumble on this after having 4 Cape Codders.... So forgive me, I'm slightly buzzed.. :duh

Moore has no credibility for me, and I watch his propaganda with EXTREME pessismism just for the sake of TRYING to be able to know a little about the subject when it comes up in convo.... In some senses I agree with the principle of his arguments, but his debating skills are awful. He's not articulate, and he gets flustered because you can tell he's personally wounded.

He cites the US for being 37th out of the world in health care quality, but touts Cuba as a shining example of where we should be going. Cuba was 39th on the same list.....this guy has more moves than John Kerry, who is like on the top 5 list of weasels who would be President.. But for the sake of drunk ramblings, I'll leave Kerry out of this....

He doesn't hide the fact that Cuba is 39th on the list. What's really interesting about that is that, he pointed out, Cuba spends nearly $300 per capita on health care, where as the United States spends nearly $7000. Now ask yourself, is there something wrong with that picture when Cubans and Americans have almost the same life expectancies? Given the resources of America, do you think it should be ranked anywhere near Cuba?

My Sweedish vodka has run out CRAP....

:giggle have a drink for me.... I have a midterm tonight :sigh

I have mixed opinions on Moore. I think he has good intentions.... he tries to be the voice for Americans who otherwise wouldn't have one. But... I think he has a tendency to go overboard.... and so far left that nobody takes him seriously. Which is really sad, I think he truly does mean well. :shrug

It blew me away that a $120 inhaler in the U.S. costs $.05 in Cuba.... FIVE CENTS! Is that how much it costs to make? Or does their government pick up the rest?

Either way... there's NO reason an inhaler should cost that much. I think it's seriously fucked up that people are denied treatment because it'll make the drug companies & HMOs more money. When did we abandon our morals? Why is money more valuable than human lives??!!

Agghhhh..... this whole thing just pisses me off. :duh Has nothing to do with whether or not I like Michael Moore..... he's right. We DO have a healthcare crises.

:giggle have a drink for me.... I have a midterm tonight :sigh

I have mixed opinions on Moore. I think he has good intentions.... he tries to be the voice for Americans who otherwise wouldn't have one. But... I think he has a tendency to go overboard.... and so far left that nobody takes him seriously. Which is really sad, I think he truly does mean well. :shrug

It blew me away that a $120 inhaler in the U.S. costs $.05 in Cuba.... FIVE CENTS! Is that how much it costs to make? Or does their government pick up the rest?

Either way... there's NO reason an inhaler should cost that much. I think it's seriously fucked up that people are denied treatment because it'll make the drug companies & HMOs more money. When did we abandon our morals? Why is money more valuable than human lives??!!

Agghhhh..... this whole thing just pisses me off. :duh Has nothing to do with whether or not I like Michael Moore..... he's right. We DO have a healthcare crises.

I would blame the drug companies first..... Do you know how generic/name brand drugs work???? This is just an FYI....

A drug company spend MILLIONS of dollars, and 10 years developing a drug. This drug is then copyrighted and sold for the period of, say, 5 years. No generic allowed until the 5 years is up. This allows the company to make back some of their investment dollars that they spent in the last 10 years. I can TOTALLY understand that the pharmicutical business is indeed a monry making business, and they can't throw out a generic the next day, because they drug company would lose all that money....

After the copyright is up, a generic drug is marketed.... Foriegn countries aren't liable under the same copyright laws the US is, so they can grab up that drug, and market it for cheap..

I wasn't too informed about universal healthcare pre-Sicko but I found the whole thing really informative. Plus, it was way more interesting/entertaining than the last Moore film I watched. I'm not smart enough to figure out a solution for our healthcare crisis so I'm just going to leave it at, "the jokes were funny"

I wasn't too informed about universal healthcare pre-Sicko but I found the whole thing really informative. Plus, it was way more interesting/entertaining than the last Moore film I watched. I'm not smart enough to figure out a solution for our healthcare crisis so I'm just going to leave it at, "the jokes were funny"

Without meaning to be condecending, PLEASE don't base your opinion based solely on Michaels Moore's interpretation.