Film Review: SICKO!

Fear&Loathing

Fear&Loathing

Grumpy
I am currently watching a pirated version of the movie SICKO, namely because the movie has not yet been released in the Czech Republic.

If even one story in this movie is true, there is a serious problem with our country. The stories are sad and terrifying. The grim reality of health care in America should scare everyone making less than 1 million dollars a year. What kind of country is America to treat it's citizens so poorly? What kind of country allows this?

Here in the Czech Republic they are currently in the 18th year of celebrating democracy and capitalism. In addition to this they also celebrate free health care for all their citizens. If a person is sick they are taken care of. If a person is dying they are cared for. They like it this way. The Czechs pay a flat tax of approximately 25% of their income in taxes for this.

So if this can be done in a small, insignificant country like the Czech Republic, why can't it be done in a country like the U.S.?
 
Fear&Loathing said:
I am currently watching a pirated version of the movie SICKO, namely because the movie has not yet been released in the Czech Republic.

If even one story in this movie is true, there is a serious problem with our country. The stories are sad and terrifying. The grim reality of health care in America should scare everyone making less than 1 million dollars a year. What kind of country is America to treat it's citizens so poorly? What kind of country allows this?

Here in the Czech Republic they are currently in the 18th year of celebrating democracy and capitalism. In addition to this they also celebrate free health care for all their citizens. If a person is sick they are taken care of. If a person is dying they are cared for. They like it this way. The Czechs pay a flat tax of approximately 25% of their income in taxes for this.

So if this can be done in a small, insignificant country like the Czech Republic, why can't it be done in a country like the U.S.?
Click to expand...

Because America cares more for profit than it does for its citizens.

In spite of the illusion that "we have the best healthcare in the world", that in reality is far from the truth. The World Health Organization ranks France as having the best healthcare, the US ranks 37th in the world on healthcare. It isn't just the WHO study that points to the failures in our system, there are many other studies that say the same thing, like that of the Commonwealth Fund of New York, which mirrors the analysis, and points out that we are near dead last in performance.

Many Americans will suggest that studies can be rigged, but just as one can rig studies, one can also ignore studies, data, and information they refuse to accept. You can ignore that our veteran hospitals are SERIOUSLY lacking, and in fact, are an embarrassment to this nation. You can ignore that US health care is the most expensive in the world, double that of the next most costly, yet measures near the bottom on access, patient safety, efficiency, and equity. You can ignore we will soon (2010) be spending 20% of the GDP on healthcare.

You can ignore that infant mortality in the US is atrocious and higher than most developed nations, even Cuba. You can ignore life expectancy in the US ranks 45th out of 78 nations, even behind Greece, Bosnia, and Jordan. You can ignore that 47 million (16%) of Americans have no healthcare and 24 million (30%) of US children lack regular access to healthcare.

You can ignore that the US lags behind most nations, including Germany, New Zealand, and the UK in adoption of information technology that enhance physicians' ability to monitor chronic conditions and the use of medication, including that prescribed by other physicians.

You can ignore whatever you choose, but it doesn't make it any less true or any less of a reality for Americans.

This, and a great deal more demonstrate that the most expensive healthcare system in the world is a dysfunctional mess .. but one can ignore the facts and reality and focus on things like how much disposable income Americans have and our ability to buy toys. What good is making more money when you have to spend more money, don't have adequate healthcare, and you rank 45th out of 78 in life expectancy?

Like children, we are consumed by money and toys. Even the concept of democracy has a giant gaping hole in it called MONEY. Infuse enough money in a democracy and what you'll have is a plutocracy which is what we have today. Our politicians are bought and serve their plutocratic masters, not the will of the people.

The good news is that today, 65% of Americans believe that we should have universal healthcare, even if it means higher taxes. In California, the governor has proposed a shared healthcare plan which is supported by 72% of Californians and opposed by 22%. Americans are not very good at demanding from our government and getting results because our politicians are owned.

We pompously believe that all the world wants to be us, but, as you correctly point out, there are a lot of lessons we can learn from the rest of the world.
 
We have the best money can buy? I guess that's true if you have the money, but like I said, if you make under a million a year, which I'm guessing most do then it's not so great.

You seem to be blind to the fact that people are being denied health care on the basis that they're sick. Leave it to a Republican to defend blood sucking insurance companies.
 
Fear&Loathing said:
I am currently watching a pirated version of the movie SICKO, namely because the movie has not yet been released in the Czech Republic.

If even one story in this movie is true, there is a serious problem with our country. The stories are sad and terrifying. The grim reality of health care in America should scare everyone making less than 1 million dollars a year. What kind of country is America to treat it's citizens so poorly? What kind of country allows this?

Here in the Czech Republic they are currently in the 18th year of celebrating democracy and capitalism. In addition to this they also celebrate free health care for all their citizens. If a person is sick they are taken care of. If a person is dying they are cared for. They like it this way. The Czechs pay a flat tax of approximately 25% of their income in taxes for this.

So if this can be done in a small, insignificant country like the Czech Republic, why can't it be done in a country like the U.S.?
Click to expand...
It depends on your starting point as well as your population count. Higher population = More difficulty. Also the starting point. The Czech republic didn't have the myriad of choices we have in Health Care. Which way do you take this? Government ownership? Contractual relationship?

What do you do about the fact that Health Care is already overpriced? Do you just pass the cost on by hiding it in taxes? Do you pretend that just negotiating with Big Pharma for pricing will fix the cost problems and still pass on the cost by hiding it in taxation?

By simplifying it you can pretend that the US is equal in relation to the Czech republic in this, but you would only be pretending that the US doesn't have larger obstacles to overcome before just "Universal Healthcare" is announced and blessed, otherwise we are only giving ourselves the shaft.
 
"Because America cares more for profit than it does for its citizens."

A truly uncaring government would run it's people into the ground and regulate the shit out of them until they were in poverty.



"In spite of the illusion that "we have the best healthcare in the world", that in reality is far from the truth. The World Health Organization ranks France as having the best healthcare, the US ranks 37th in the world on healthcare. It isn't just the WHO study that points to the failures in our system, there are many other studies that say the same thing, like that of the Commonwealth Fund of New York, which mirrors the analysis, and points out that we are near dead last in performance."

I've rarely heard people say we have the best in the world, and I've heard a lot of stupid things about America from nationalists. We do have damn good healthcare, it's just that it's too damn expensive to think about. Our national policies and directives do little but inflate prices and line pharma's pockets. We need a universal insurance system that does more than send money into the pockets of the big companies, and we need a system that doesn't have two year waiting lists, also, even if two year waiting lists would hide our high costs.

The WHO statistics are based only 1/4th on "performance" of the system, and the three other factors they used basically overlap each other and vastly favour government run universal healthcare systems where private healthcare is banned.

"Many Americans will suggest that studies can be rigged, but just as one can rig studies, one can also ignore studies, data, and information they refuse to accept. You can ignore that our veteran hospitals are SERIOUSLY lacking, and in fact, are an embarrassment to this nation. You can ignore that US health care is the most expensive in the world, double that of the next most costly, yet measures near the bottom on access, patient safety, efficiency, and equity. You can ignore we will soon (2010) be spending 20% of the GDP on healthcare."

I'm not ignoring it. I'm saying the statistic is pure bullshit and is being used wrongly.

We spend more than twice as much as the next nation in TOTAL. We do spend more per capita than any other nations, but as I've told you before Black, DON'T QUOTE TOTALS TO ME WHENEVER PER CAPITA SHOULD BE USED. YOU'RE TELLING A LIE IF YOU DO. The difference isn't half as dramatic in per capita statistics. We'd have higher total costs than any other nation even if we spent like 2% of our GDP on an amazingly efficient healthcare system, simply because we have such a large population.


"You can ignore that infant mortality in the US is atrocious and higher than most developed nations, even Cuba. You can ignore life expectancy in the US ranks 45th out of 78 nations, even behind Greece, Bosnia, and Jordan. You can ignore that 47 million (16%) of Americans have no healthcare and 24 million (30%) of US children lack regular access to healthcare."

Life expectancy is like 76 for women. It's like 80 in Japan, and Japan is 1st. It's more our genes and our lifestyle choices than some giant conspiracy.


"You can ignore that the US lags behind most nations, including Germany, New Zealand, and the UK in adoption of information technology that enhance physicians' ability to monitor chronic conditions and the use of medication, including that prescribed by other physicians."

Newt Gingrich and Hillary Clinton (interesting combination, eh?) have been trying to push to a digital health record keeping system, which would save us about 20 billion a year. Unfortunately, that would only reduce healthcare costs by like 2%.


"This, and a great deal more demonstrate that the most expensive healthcare system in the world is a dysfunctional mess .. but one can ignore the facts and reality and focus on things like how much disposable income Americans have and our ability to buy toys. What good is making more money when you have to spend more money, don't have adequate healthcare, and you rank 45th out of 78 in life expectancy?"

*Sigh*


"Like children, we are consumed by money and toys. Even the concept of democracy has a giant gaping hole in it called MONEY. Infuse enough money in a democracy and what you'll have is a plutocracy which is what we have today. Our politicians are bought and serve their plutocratic masters, not the will of the people."

*Sigh*

Plug socialism elsewhere. I don't believe in socialism because I don't want everything in my life run like the DMV.


"The good news is that today, 65% of Americans believe that we should have universal healthcare, even if it means higher taxes. In California, the governor has proposed a shared healthcare plan which is supported by 72% of Californians and opposed by 22%. Americans are not very good at demanding from our government and getting results because our politicians are owned."

It's also true that 65% of Americans have no goddam idea how to go about universal healthcare. That's why we have elected representatives to think on these things. The average Americans solution to everything is to tax "other people" and raise the deficit. Pardon me if I have little trust in them. I don't even have much trust in the reps, but they at least have proper information in front of them.
 
Topspin said:
that's horseshit we have the best money can buy
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That's exactly the point of the movie. Only those with money get the best care. What about everyone else?

They suffer and die without treatment because the insurance companies, in order to make a profit, deny treatment to them.

The other point in the movie is: Health care should not be a for profit business. Insurance agencies should be cut out of the middle and health care should be between the doctor and the patient.

Why should a insurance agent determine the treatment a patient should receive? Only the doctors should be determining that.
 
The problem with that, Viola, is that healhcare happens to cost money. A society in which everyone lives to 90 and spends 90% of their disposable income paying for healthcare isn't going to be a very happy society. We do need to decide which treatments a patient needs, and just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean they should lord over in that area. In Canada they solve the problem by waiting lists. Instead of paying for immediate care, you don't pay and recieve care in 2 years, if you were lucky enough to live that long.
 
The problem with that, Viola, is that healhcare happens to cost money. A society in which everyone lives to 90 and spends 90% of their disposable income paying for healthcare isn't going to be a very happy society. We do need to decide which treatments a patient needs, and just because someone is a doctor doesn't mean they should lord over in that area. In Canada they solve the problem by waiting lists. Instead of paying for immediate care, you don't pay and recieve care in 2 years, if you were lucky enough to live that long.

Then why not adopt a Canadian system that prevents those who aren't wealthy from missing out on essential healthcare....only run it better....?
 
"There is no crisis."


How did this one slip by without any comment?

That's like calling Iraq a minor distraction. What a friggin' buffoon...
 
frear I'm a way left democrat except on business and economics.
Yes, it's a very good "whinney" card to play if you have money.
Well everything else cost money, people are getting health care free if they can't afford insurance.
 
Good point, toppy. I can't see where unsustainable, double-digit increases in health & insurance costs could possibly hurt business.

What an economic genius you are.
 
Our governemnt is way way inefficient to simply have a flat tax of 25% and have an effective healthcare system. We've got a war machine to run. The Offense industry would have to take a huge hit and that wouldn't happen with their lobbying powers.

Secondly, I personally don't support a federal healthcare run system. I'd support a federal umbrella, but if we must move to government run health care systems I'd prefer it to be on a state by state basis with federal oversight to make sure everyone is getting treated fairly. Secondly the only that would happen with a federal system is the poorer red states would suck all of the money from the blue states like with most social programs. No thanks.
 
Topspin said:
frear I'm a way left democrat except on business and economics.
Yes, it's a very good "whinney" card to play if you have money.
Well everything else cost money, people are getting health care free if they can't afford insurance.
Click to expand...

Topper what the hell are you talking about?
 
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