SiCKO

[astfgl]

Just got back from Michael Moore's Sicko, and I must admit I enjoyed it. It had its classic Moore moments (1950s era footage of the American dream, vignettes about working-class Americans, unbalanced portrayals of other countries, and a handful of sheer self-aggrandizement), but on the whole I was mildly impressed. It had a clear message, one that

Comments

[astfgl]

I agree. At this point, the money we're devoting to "solving the problem" seems to be used for stop-gap measures only. We're not exactly reforming any of our existing practices, we're just trying to streamline how people are processed at a hospital so more of them can go through per hour. And in comparison to the systems in Great Britain, France, and even Cuba, we still fall remarkably short. I think Moore glorified Canada in the movie because if he had taken a more realistic perspective, we wouldn't look much better than the Americans when compared to these other countries. Prescriptions cost $10 in Britain, regardless of what drug you need or how much of it you're getting. France has state-sponsored nannies who will come by twice a week to take a bit of the pressure off of new mothers. Even Cuban hospitals seem luxurious by our standards, and the admittance time (which may have been altered or glossed over by Moore) was next to nothing.

But in spite of all that, I don't think our system is permanently broken. I think we're running a serious risk of moving in an American direction, especially since we still have to seek coverage that is not directly provided by the government. But in the long run, I doubt people will be in favour of any reform that brings us closer to the American ideal. Moore hit upon it really well in the movie: the freedom to choose isn't really freedom at all when you're impoverished and terrified of the government. Canadians seem to understand the importance of genuine choice, and I don't think we'll ever forget that.