Sicko

Sicko for me, captures the politics that is holding healthcare hostage for all Americans. Our society has a safety net for healthcare that is based on usage and consumption.  There is an irony to people's reaction to healthcare. They prefer a lottery system of care. Let's play the odds of us getting sick instead of providing comprehensive care for everyone.  If you pay as you go and never use it, than you deserve a lower premium. If you ever need the safety net, you quickly learn that our coverage is never enough to prevent bankruptcy and overburden our personal relationships.

This is what I like about Sicko. It demonstrates how the Lottery system works. The insured are only safe as long as they never really use the insurance for its fullest intent. When someone has a catastrophic event in our country, the burden of coverage can cause stress and deepen the complications of being sick. Michael Moore brings out the debate in a calmer manner than his other films. He allows the viewers to decide for themselves the quality of care we provide in our country by providing first hand accounts of our healthcare system.

Sicko allows the insured and uninsured to tell their story. The facts behind our system of care are disputable, but the overall picture is that our country is failing to provide a system of care that is equitable for all citizens. Congress has successfully created a reality that healthcare is not a right, it is a choice. We are afraid to require a system of care that is both equitable and fair from top to bottom. The income inequalities that exist in our country benefit from a system of care that is systemically not required. For this reason, change will be difficult for future administrations. Can the United States go to a single payer system that is similar to the one's found in developed nations? What is interesting is that the citizens of countries with a single payer health insurance are overall, extremely happy to have a system of care that provides for every citizen.