The American Medical System is Sick-O (Sicko Journal)

Michael Moore’s controversial documentary, “Sicko” tries to prove to the viewer just how horrible the American medical system really is. In The United States, health care is not Universal, or free. To receive treatment you must be paying health insurance, or else paying your own money on treatments. This is very impractical, because he majority of people cannot afford the insanely expensive care when they really need it. To convey his message, our ambitious (though obese) film maker used very emotional heart pulling stories of real people struggling, as well as contrasting the difference between the capitalistic system in the United States and the ease of the free universal systems in Europe.

This powerful film truly made it impossible to argue that this medicalization can be a bad thing. After showing numerous examples of how bad the American system can be for average people, such as an elder janitor forced to keep working in order to allow his family to have the insurance, or a man who cut off two fingers and had to decide which one to get re-attached. Yes all of these stories were meant to really pull at the viewers hearts, but the fact remains that this is a truly enormous issue. Life can be tough for everyone, but one thing that can’t be messed around with is your health. What’s even worse is the main reason behind the denial of care is so that others can PROFIT! Even though that is the way capitalism works, it just doesn’t seem right. If personally you could offer help, I’d like to think pretty much anyone would. However when dealing with large medical corporations who don’t even see the people, its easy to see how they would forget their “customers’” dire situations. Corporations were created for the sole purpose of making huge profits, and for this, they really shouldn’t be in control of any form of health products. Even over the counter drugs is pushing it, as the movie showed just how cheap some products were in Cuba. Health and Medicine just seems like something the Government has to handle. The Government controls the army, to protect the citizens, and should also control the medicine to protect the citizens from DISEASE.

The film also showed just how silly the idea of paying for health care seemed to people in Britain or France, and how happy they seemed to be, just knowing no matter what happens to them, they can be taken care of. It seemed fantastic, although I already LOVE British people! Canada’s system is a lot closer to this, which made me feel happy and secure. The security part seems really important, as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that before you can feel truly happy and reach your full potential, you must fulfill basic needs such as hunger and safety. Americans always seem really proud about their country, which is a good thing, but they really should give Sicko a good watch and think about how it can become even better.