Sicko: A Documentary Analysis
All around the globe, in places including Britain, Canada, Cuba, France and many other countries the mere thought of pulling out a credit card and paying for health services in hospital seems ludicrous. This is because these countries all have free universal health care, meaning that the majority of health care cost are covered by the government. In other words it is free! However, this is not the case the United States of America, where healthcare is privately funded and covered by insurance companies. Michael Moore, in his documentary Sicko explores the flawed US health care system comparing it to countries with universal health care and resolves the current system is corrupt and full of injustices. Throughout the film interviews that the audience can empathize with are conducted making the viewer feel certain emotions leading them to believe that the American health insurance companies are full of is corruption. In addition, images of past events that viewers can resonate with stir up strong emotions and plant the seed of how flawed the health industry is. Furthermore, Moore literally casts himself as the lead character and is able to manipulate certain scenes in order to convey his message because he is able to guide the flow of the scene. By using several cinematic techniques such as good casting, relatable images and personable interviews Moore is able to construct his version of the American health industry, leading the viewer to believe
The documentary Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare explains the numerous controversies in our healthcare system and where the system is going if it follows the same footsteps it has been taking for the past decade. Throughout the documentary there are many hosts in which they all give their personal insight on the American Healthcare System and how the system is failing and on the verge to a catastrophic breakdown. All of the hosts gathered their data through personal research that they did on the system and from working in their perspective fields over the years and just seeing the trends the healthcare system is taking and going towards.
However, this system has been a part of a never ending healthcare debate. Many argue that this system underperforms habitually as the deliverables are in no match to the amount of spending. The discussion has largely been based on government-mandate of universal health coverage plan and the costs of the healthcare in the country. This structure has repeatedly been questioned on it access, efficiency and quality. Several feel that the beneficiary is not the average American but insurance companies and health care lobbyists. Like everywhere else, where there is refute; there is reform. In the year 2004, the First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s attempt to reform the healthcare scene by criticizing its basis and offering remedies was defeated by the Congress. In 2007, filmmaker Michael Moore’s, Sicko; denunciated the American healthcare system and how it affects its people.
The Michael Moore movie pointed to a myriad of issues relating to the American healthcare system that are both startling and interesting. The movie was produced before the Obama Administration signed the Affordable Care Act into law, but Sicko reports that nearly 50 million Americans do not have health insurance. About 18,000 Americans die each year because they don't have health insurance. The system is clearly broken, and politics seems to have been the reason that insurance companies keep a strangle hold on consumers. For example, Sicko reports that there are nearly four times as many lobbyists in Washington D.C. pushing for their clients' agenda as there are members of Congress.
Two simple questions, without a simple answer to either. In this paper were going to try and answer these questions and a few other important questions about the healthcare system in our country.
The lucrative healthcare companies in America have created an immeasurable gap between good healthcare only being for the privileged upper class Americans which has left a horrible effect on the middle and lower class Americans. As modern medicine achieves new heights, the prices of healthcare seem to tread right behind maintaining an unbroken pattern that American classes have grown accustomed to over the past few decades of paying more for less. Leaving many Americans uninsured, underinsured, or even in debt. In a speech Bernie Sanders a U.S. Senator from Vermont spoke at a presidential campaign October of 2015 which he discussed the unruly problematic healthcare trend of price gouging, that is the medical industry getting the most it can from American citizens. In a blog Bernie Sanders states that “46 million Americans today have no health insurance and even more are underinsured with high deductibles and co-payments” (Sanders). 18,000 Americans die every year from preventable illnesses because they cannot cover the cost and don’t go to the doctor when they should. Sanders summed this situation up with this “Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege” (Sanders). After researching the issue of healthcare, I have come to the conclusion that the American healthcare system is disintegrating due to the ravenousness of modern medical industries, first I will discuss a few reasons to why the healthcare system is failing the modern American
The movie Sicko talks about how hard it is for people to actually get health insurance. They are always trying to find an excuse or little thing that's wrong with people's applications just to decline their request. Then, about how healthcare is in other countries and how it differs from the United States. To try to get people to understand more about the healthcare system. The government and insurance companies make it very challenging to actually get healthcare in the US.
In the modern era, health is an essential topic that deserves all people to notice. Relatively, health insurance fee is getting higher and higher as time goes by because of the increasing number of the sick and costs of medicine, which is difficult for those in poverty or live with a passable standard of work to pay such an expensive expense. But health insurance is crucial when people get sick. Take a simple example to illustrate. Eli Saslow (2011) in the book Ten Letters shows Natoma Canfield’s story about health care insurance. Though Natoma Canfield’s pre-existing condition makes her rejected by nearly all insurance companies and make her live in a miserable life, she still wants to have a health insurance. As time goes by, the rate of health insurance fee keeps inflating until she can’t pay
Michael Moore chose a great variety of patients in the video: those who were too poor to afford the insurances; those who tried to
In the movie, The Big Sick we are bombarded with all different types of issues that occur within the family. The movie focuses on the main character, Kumail, and his different relationships. Kumail's relationship with his girlfriend, her family, and his family all display some challenges and dysfunctions that can occur in families. As the movie unfolds the various complex familial issues in the family as a whole is revealed. There are cultural issues, secrecy issues and conflict issues.
The book “Sick In The Head by Judd Apatow”,is an interesting and unique book about Judd and his exciting life.Judd grew up being the kid that was always picked last and no matter what was always looked down upon.He describes in detail how when you are picked last that you always are given the worst position and thus cant prove yourself to be good or not.Because of this he looked to something else to show what kind of person he was and that was comedy.At age 15 he joined his friend Josh Rosenthal to help run a radio station called WKWZ 88.5 FM.After that Judd made a plan to call the agents of some of the greatest comedians of that time and ask for an interview neglecting to tell them he was 15.They would accept and show up to the interview only
I think Michael Moore’s movie Sicko educates audience on not to take too kindly, not to look too positive on notorious America’s health care system. I think it reveals that America’s health care is market-driven, profit-oriented health insurance and health providers where as in Canada, United Kingdom, Cuba, and France, health care is free. But, I also think that the movie overall looks too much negative aspects of USA health care system and too positive on health care system in other countries, UK, France, Cuba, and Canada. In USA, health care is not basic fundamental right, not social justice. For instance, the film shows audience that a group of September 11 heroes, who are suffering from devastating and debilitating ailments, have been denied medical care or denied treatment by health insurance companies that they require in America. The documentary also reveals the defective, unreliable, cruel America’s health care system that has been so subscribed to and fixated on making huge profits and large sum of money out of the sick and injured patients rather than saving their lives. For example, the movie shows that America insurance process claims not to pay beneficiary’s ailing claims or the medical claims but dismiss them as evidenced by confession of a former employee of an insurance company. This does not only impact uninsured but also insured people who are covered by insurance whether through employer based or self-purchase.
In conclusion, the film “Sick around the World,” displayed how behind the United States healthcare system really is. I am excited for the new innovations to take place and I know that once the reform actually takes place many more will follow. I believe the United States will end up copying
In the documentary, an issue that I found to be presented in a factual light concerned the assertion made that our medical system is a disease care system whereby it really does not want you to get better (Escape Fire, 2012). I believe this to be factually correct, but downplayed to some extent within the system. I think the majority of physicians have the best outcome of the patient at the core of their interest; however, there is a profitable motivation that comes into play as well. A medical practice or hospital must make money to continue running, and patient flow is the means to that end. It has been found, that owing to a twofold function as a doctor and business partner, physicians face a conflict of interest (Lo & Field, 2009). This
This movie went around the world to different countries to show the comparisons and differences in healthcare compared to each other and the U.S. The first country that was visited was the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom spends 8.3% of their GDP on healthcare. The citizens pay nothing for premiums, all of it is paid trough taxation. Some services require co-pay, but all young people and all elderly are exempt from drug co-pays. The United Kingdom calls their healthcare system “socialized medicine”; the government provides for and pays for all healthcare. The taxes that Britons pay gets distributed up to different healthcare providers. Since the United Kingdoms’ system is taxed,
Michael Moore depicts the American health care system as one that contains many flaws. He goes on to show different people who have not been able to afford the ridiculous sum of money to perform certain procedures. While scrutinizing the American health care system Michael ventures to Canada, France, Cuba and Great Britain in an attempt to compare health insurance and pharmaceuticals.