Précis: A film that unravels the intricate problems with Health Insurance in the United States. From hospital bills not being covered to a 79-year-old man still working so he can pay for his pills. Insurance companies make it clear that if you have a preexisting condition you can almost guarantee you won’t be insured. Moore approaches the situation from many angles, showing the audience clips of Nixon, Hilary Clinton and even Bush. The audience is exposed to alternative health care systems in Canada, New Britain and France. As the film progresses the audience picks up on the abnormality of the Health Insurance in the United States, making it clear that among the western world it is the only country without FREE Health Insurance.
Evidence:
1A:
· In countries such as Canada, New Britain and France people live longer than they do in the United States. They all ironically have a free medical system. “Even the poorest person in New Britain is healthier than the richest person in America.” (News reporter from New Britain)
1B:
· The advantages of having a more socialist medical system in comparison to the United States medical system. Not only is it free for everyone it also has shown longer expected lives.
2A:
· Bush and other members of congress were paid to pass the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, bringing in $800 billion tax dollars to the drug and health industry.
2B:
· The government isn’t in it for the people they are in it for themselves. Moore used this piece of evidence to open that drugs in New Britain are $10 and if you are over 60 or under 16 they are free. So while senior citizens in the United States are paying over $2000 a year, Britain’s senior citizens are paying nothing.
D – While first trying to find more information on New Britain’s Health System I had difficulty finding anything past 2005. Then I came across a website that gave help to people who needed to know the real deal with their prescription drugs. Moore’s facts in Sicko were completely right. The age now though is people over 59 can receive free prescription drugs and if you are still in school at age 19 you can also receive free prescription drugs. If you have low income, medical exemption or just had a baby in the last twelve months it is also free! In the United States the Health Insurance Companies exclude people with pre-existing conditions. For example one of the pre-existing conditions is diabetes, while in New Britain if you have diabetes you fall under the medical exemption and end up having to pay nothing for your drugs. (“Help With Health Costs NHS Business Services Authority." NHS Business Services Authority. Web. 20 Dec. 2010.
3: I find it quite frightening that my body has a big price tag on it, just another concept that makes us a number. After watching Sicko I thought to myself, maybe I should move…? I feel like everything in our country is just another sale and WE are the best deals out there. I can’t imagine being a member of congress and being able to sleep at night, knowing that someone out there is suffering physically and mentally because of me. However, I had to remind myself that Moore has a reputation for exposing the truth in a one sided point of view. Andy also pointed out that his thesis and what he was arguing didn’t always match up. Yet the audience is so disgusted by this information that they don’t have time to say, “wait? Doesn’t that contradict what his thesis was?” Just like the Food System in our country the Health System is also directly linked to members of the government. What is it about the United States that makes people who are already rolling in the dough need to have more? What gives them that superiority? It seems as though people in other Western countries are perfectly fine being equal… and isn’t our country based on equality?
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