Just finished seeing Michael Moore's SiCKO

by Jourles 82 Replies latest social entertainment

  • sammielee24
    sammielee24
    You who live in the other above mentioned countries do not realize how well off you are in terms of medical care compared to us in the USA. Even those of us who have insurance can be screwed. There was one girl in the film wh

    Oh yes some of us do! I was born and raised in Canada - now a US resident and I can vouch first hand for the security and safety of the Canadian vs the US. I constantly hear people scream 'socialized' and rant and rave about taxes, but I can tell you quite easily that I would take the Canadian system over the US any day. There are all sorts of scare tactics that abound about the Canadian system - most often that you don't have a choice of doctors, long waits and so on. Well - I had the same family doctor for 20 years - my choice and the waits that I had for my own elective surgeries were not long at all. Not one person I know in Canada has had to sell their house or cash in their pension funds in order to have a surgery, but one of the biggest things is the security. You have the security of knowing that if you lose your job, you still get health care; if you move you still have health care; if you go back to school you still have health care. I can't wait for the film and I think in the not too distant future you will see California become the first to switch to a national health care fund. Can't wait! sammieswife.

  • zeroday
    zeroday
    Oh yes some of us do! I was born and raised in Canada - now a US resident and I can vouch first hand for the security and safety of the Canadian vs the US.

    I've heard good and bad about the Canadian health care system. Not having first hand experience I can not judge. I have heard of Canadians with means buying American Health insurance so that they can come to the US for immediate elective care. I don't know. What I do know is Americans HATE taxes and to adobt a Canadian or other National health care system would require a massive increase in taxes. I personally would be willing to pay for it. I have health care (excellent actually) thru my employer. I use it alot and could not live without it. But I am tied to a job I don't really like to continue my insurance. Canada is a VERY high taxed country compared to the US the question is the American public willing to part with a much larger share of their earnings for a National Health care system. We can not even secure our southern border against illegal immigrants and we want the same government running our health care??? It scares me a little...

  • brinjen
    brinjen

    Love him or hate him ( I personally love Michael Moore), at least he has bought the documentary back. He's made them as entertaining as they are informative.

    I've heard many things about the US health care system. Our prime minister is working on making ours the same as the US. He believes that would make our health system better and more fair. In other words, enable his mates to get even richer.

    I haven't seen the film yet, will when it opens here in oz. Sounds like a winner. Lets hope it brings some change.

  • Jourles
    Jourles
    What I do know is Americans HATE taxes and to adobt a Canadian or other National health care system would require a massive increase in taxes. I personally would be willing to pay for it.

    I forget who said it in the film, but someone said(paraphrasing): A country whose individuals that focus more on the 'we' rather than the 'me' is a great country. In the context of this quote, they were saying that it takes the nation as a whole to want to look after its citizens. In other words, if you care about other people's welfare, you would have no problem with a small increase in your taxes to help pay for medical costs. But, if you're a selfish person and only care about the 'me,' then you're one of those that could care less about universal health care.

    Judging from this person's statement, I can see how this is true in America's case. Not everyone who lives in the USA has this attitude, but a vast majority do.

  • zeroday
    zeroday
    In other words, enable his mates to get even richer.

    WOW your Prime Minister sounds like George W. Bush are you sure he isn't...Maybe GW took over Australia and you don't even know it.

  • choosing life
    choosing life

    I have been working in the healthcare system for over 30 years and it is getting nothing but worse. I have seen people experience severe side effects from their poor care and even die because someone wanted to save some money. And those are the ones with insurance.

    In Germany, the insurance even pays for a stay at a spa once a year for everyone. They feel people need time to relax and they have spas that focus on different ailments, according to a person's needs or interests.

    Fixing the healthcare system isn't going to be easy though. Too many special interest groups who are out to get rich. The extreme waste in our system needs to be addressed. But it can be done.

    I am looking forward to seeing this film. Someone needs to put the mess we call healthcare up to the bright light for everyone to see. What about the lady who just died in an emergency room because they refused to give her care? Go Michael Moore!

  • brinjen
    brinjen
    WOW your Prime Minister sounds like George W. Bush are you sure he isn't...Maybe GW took over Australia and you don't even know it.

    There is a long standing joke here, that Bush and our Prime Minister (John Howard) are lovers...

    During the eighties, we had the Medicare system introduced. It was a good system. For example, those on a low income, could see a GP for for free. Just rock up, show your card and pay nothing for the visit. Some (like pensioners) didn't even have to pay for their medication. Others would only pay a couple of dollars. There was a limit (think it was $15, not sure) that anyone would have to pay for most medications.

    It's nothing like that now. Even pensioners are finding they have to pay for a consultation as it is rare to find a doctor that still bulk bills.

    When we signed a 'Fair Trade' agreement with the US a few years ago. Our then Opposition Leader Mark Latham had a clause added that prohibited pharmaceutical companies from taking out patents on medications, enabling them to be the only producers and charging whatever the hell they liked. They needed Latham's approval to get the FTA through parliament so they agreed. The next election, John Howard won by a landslide and now his party has control over both the lower and upper house of parliament. So they have bowed to pressure from the US pharmaceutical companies and had the clause removed. They tell us it's not necessary as the pharmaceutical companies would never do such a thing.

    You can't take something as important as health care and run it as a business.

  • brinjen
    brinjen
    I forget who said it in the film, but someone said(paraphrasing): A country whose individuals that focus more on the 'we' rather than the 'me' is a great country.

    Interesting.... Mark Latham made a similar statement when comparing Liberal (conservative) voters with those of Labor (democratic).

    Labor voters talk about what's best for the country. What is fair for everyone. Liberal voters talk about their job, their morgage.

    Our media has been downgrading the poor for years. Like its their fault they're poor. They pay less tax and expect the same 'privileges' as those who pay more. Our government has been sending people over to the US to learn about the tax system, to make ours the same. After all Americans love their IRS (true!)

    Heres another comment you'll hear here often: Australia is the 51st state of America.

  • Stephanus
    Stephanus
    I've heard many things about the US health care system. Our prime minister is working on making ours the same as the US. He believes that would make our health system better and more fair. In other words, enable his mates to get even richer.

    How does getting people who can afford it to take up private insurance, thus taking the pressure of the public system, bad?

    And how is protecting patents on inventions a bad thing? Patents expire in very short order these days. Companies that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in getting a drug to market get a small window of opportunity to make a bit of money on that investment. When the patent expires, you see all the generic brands coming out. Lexapro wasn't here fo 5 years before the patent expired. Now I'm on some generic version. I must admit I felt a bit sorry for the company that invented Lexapro - they single handedly changed my life by bringing my bipolar episodes under something akin to control. Now some fly-by-night mob that risked nothing to invent Lexapro can undercut the original firm and still make huge sums of money for basically doing very little.

    As for the hero Mark Latham, wasn't he the guy who broke taxi-drivers' arms and journalists' cameras?

  • Gopher
    Gopher

    Brinjen, it's interesting to compare and contrast Aussie and American politics.

    Your "Liberal" wing is conservative, but here in America the terms liberal and conservative are polar opposites. Our Republicans tend to be conservative , our Democrats tend to be liberal.

    The conservatives have preached trickle-down economics, that if you make it good for the wealthy, they will create jobs which eventually will benefit the common man. The liberals tend to want to raise the taxes more, to provide more opportunities and assistance to those who are less well off.

    My take on it is that you need a good balance between right-wing and left-wing ideas. A bird needs two wings to fly straight. There's some good ideas on both sides, but if one side or the other takes over then a nation will veer off course.

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