Sicko

This past weekend, Matt and I finally had a chance to rent Sicko, the latest Michael Moore documentary. I honestly don't know what took me so long, as I am an avid fan of his. But no matter your opinion of Michael Moore (or your political leanings), this film is a necessary expose of what really goes on in this for-profit system, and I can't imagine anyone walking away from seeing it without being persuaded that real, lasting change is needed.

I have my own beef with my health insurance company, which refuses to pay for my personal trainer sessions at the gym, which have helped improve my health dramatically as well as facilited a 37.5 (and counting) weight loss, but would have easily approved me (at my starting weight) for weight loss surgery, an expensive, risky procedure with long-term side effects. I pay almost $275 a month for my trainer sessions plus my gym membership, and if I didn't think it was worth every penny, and absolutely necessary for my long-term health and well-being, I wouldn't have such a high credit card bill right now.

I've also been deeply affected by our nation's failure to provide healthcare as a basic, fundamental service to all its citizens. In 2002, Matt's godmother was out of work and had been for some time. However, she made too much money with unemployment -- $20 a month to be exact -- to qualify for medical assistance. She suffered what she believed to be a heart attack, and despite her lack of insurance she went to a local emergency room and tried to get treated. The hospital ran some tests, claimed they couldn't figure out what was causing her pain/shortness of breath/fatigue/etc., and sent her home. Later she tried the same thing at another hospital, where her weight was blamed for her problems. A few weeks later, she died at home, having suffocated as a result of her heart not getting enough oxygen due to scar tissue caused by the heart attack that the hospitals said she never had. She was 54. I believe fully that if she'd been insured, she'd still be alive today.

In Sicko, Michael Moore exposes the lies and propaganda we've all been fed for so many years regarding universal care. He takes a look at the government-provided health care systems of Canada, Britain, France, and even Cuba, and finds that not only do citizens there not have to pay for their health care, they receive care that is superior to what we offer here -- including preventative care -- and they live longer, healthier lives than we do, have lower infant mortality rates, and nobody EVER goes bankrupt because they can't pay their medical bills.

In what was for me the most deeply moving part of the film, Moore exposed the sickening practice of hospitals kicking patients out for not being able to pay. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I watched these poor, often elderly people dumped on the sidewalk, some still in hospital gowns. What kind of a country do we live in, where hospitals can treat people this way? Where profits are so important that we can treat human beings like garbage?

After the first of the year, our insurance co-pay is going up to $20 for a visit to the primary care doctor; $30 for a specialist. The co-pay for my thyroid medication is going up to $40 a month -- that's almost $500 a year out of pocket just for one drug, and Matt takes medicine, too. How long will it be before we have to decide between paying for healthcare and paying our bills?

In my state, SCHIP -- the State Children's Health Insurance Program -- has recently been expanded to cover ALL children not already covered by private insurance or medical assistance. This is definitely a necessary step in the right direction. However, until everyone in this country has the ability to receive healthcare, without worrying about how they're going to pay for it, I really don't think we can call ourselves a civilized country.