Moore's documentary, slanted by his fervently anti-Bush views though it may be, raises powerful questions about how a democracy should treat its people, and what people should expect from their government. Does a government have an obligation to protect the people from catastrophic medical expenses? Or should it be survival of the fittest (sink or swim)?
The questions raised in the movie have no uncomplicated answers, but we must find answers. And soon.
Universal healthcare would be expensive and raise taxes, but would free many people from crippling debt, allowing them to spend that money - otherwise gobbled up by healthcare alone for a broader range of goods and services. On the other hand, blunting the profit motive in healthcare might reduce competition and perhaps adversely affect new discoveries. Then again, what good are new discoveries if only a privileged few are able to benefit. (Unequal distribution of quality medical care in a society is not the same as uneven distribution of the latest electronic gadgets.)
Sicko's at times painfully heavy-handed tactics don't obscure its core message: It is absolutely embarrassing, and close to criminally unfair, for the richest country in the history of the world to have such unequally-applied healthcare. It is so wrong it hurts to contemplate, that one citizen can get the best possible care while another dies or is permanently damaged because that same care is denied. It is incredibly evil to force anyone to choose between financial disaster for their family and the medical care needed to save their lives.
Critics might say that healthcare is available to anyone who works hard, saves money, and buys the right insurance. But Sicko puts that idea into question as well. Claims denied over the slightest and most inadvertent mistakes on complicated applications. Benefits canceled because of a minor illness suddenly, and retrospectively, considered a 'pre-existing condition'. Insurance canceled after a long illness, with the victim unable to obtain any other coverage. It's a nightmare that plagues the sleep of millions of hard-working Americans. And it is especially frightening for the large but aging 'baby boomer' segment, who are the most prone to debilitating chronic illness and who will depend the most on reliable and affordable healthcare.
More now, in this time of economic crisis and uncertainty, than ever before in the history of this country, the potentially crippling expenses of medical care rise to the very forefront of millions of American's fears. Sicko is a shout for us to pay attention, to get it right, and soon.
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