Pensive Gargoyle

Last night, we saw Sicko, the latest documentary from modern-day muckraker Michael Moore.  In the film, Moore carefully constructs an argument for universal heath care in the US by juxtaposing portraits of insured Americans whose lives have been irreversibly affected by the atrocities of our for-profit heath care system with glimpses into the health care systems in Canada, England, France, and—gasp!—even Cuba where everyone is insured.  Unlike his previous polemic documentaries, such as Bowling for Columbine or Fahrenheit 911, Sicko hits to the heart of an issue upon which most Americans agree and which many facts support:  our current health care system is morbidly ill.  One symptom of the malady: we spend a significantly higher percentage of our gross domestic product on health care (15.4% as per the World Heath Organization’s statistics) than do other comparable Western countries only to have a higher infant mortality rate and a lower life expectancy.  Another symptom:  although millions of Americans don’t have health insurance, millions more who ARE insured are unable to receive the care they pay for when they need it due to a dysfunctional and corrupt system that callously puts profits before human lives.    

While most everyone agrees that our health care system is broken, we can’t seem to agree on a way to fix it.  In short, I think our current for-profit system is inherently flawed and can’t be fixed because it is not run by an impartial third party, such as the government.  Those opposed to a government-managed system—many of whom are our elected leaders who receive gross sums of money for their campaigns from the drug and health care industries—throw around “dirty” words like communism or socialized medicine in attempt to conjure up fears in the general public, or caution that “putting more power in the hands of the government” would have catastrophic results on our health system, such as unimaginable waiting periods for treatment, inferior care, and fewer choices for the patient.  The insured middle-class in America already have unreasonable wait times to see specialists, numerous hoops to jump through with HMOs, and limited choices in doctors and treatment as a result of a privately-run, for-profit system in which health insurance and pharmaceutical companies get rich by fleecing the sick.  How could a government-run system be any worse?   

Having lived and worked in France and benefited from their health care system, I can say that it is not “free;” the French are taxed—often heavily—to pay for universal care, which is acknowledged in Sicko, but glossed over.  But being taxed to make sure that ALL citizens are taken care of is a value and a responsibility that is natural to the French.  How have our values, as a nation, degenerated to the point that health care, or, more specifically, the access to it, has become a capitalistic commodity to be bought and sold rather an inherent right?  We already provide (dare I say—socialized?) services such as education and police protection to all members of our society, paid for through taxes, because we believe they are essential and fundamental rights.  How is health care less of a basic right?   

And what about long wait times and quality of care?  Since my first encounter with the French health care system in 2001, I have NEVER had a problem with either long wait times or poor care, nor have I heard anyone else complain about them.  I have been in the emergency room in Biarritz, in a general practitioner’s office in Paris, and have received house-calls from SOS Médecins in Dijon, where I also saw a specialist.  In each case, my care was superb, swift, and hassle-free.  When my father-in-law, who is French, was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002, he was in the hospital operating room in Bordeaux within days of the doctor’s discovery of his tumor.  In 1997, when my grandfather was diagnosed with the same type of cancer in New Mexico, he waited at least 3 weeks before having his tumor removed.  I guess we should just be thankful that his cancer didn’t spread and that his claim wasn’t denied.  Although my experiences and the experiences of my family are not all-encompassing, from what I’ve encountered and seen, I’d take the French health care system over ours faster than you can say “pre-existing condition.”   

Back to Sicko.  One thing I didn’t like about the film:  since he so strongly advocates a governement-run health care system, I think that Moore should have more thoroughly examined the government-run health care agencies we currently do have in place in the US–Medicaid, Medicare, and the Veterans’ Administration.  What are they doing wrong?  What are they doing right?   

In any case, whether you like the film (like me) and agree with Michael Moore’s solution to America’s health care conundrum, or whether you think Moore is a liberal demon, no one can deny that his films incite debate on issues that are important in our current zeitgeist.