Nanny State Michael Moore Analysis
After watching Michael Moore’s controversial documentary Sicko and reading “The Nanny State” I felt that America was in big trouble as far as health care is concerned. Not only does Moore expose how bad our healthcare system actually is, he takes it the next step further by exploring how to fix it and he does that by going to other countries who have already done just that. It’s impossible not to relate to it, since it’s a movie about common fears we all face.
At first, he isn’t telling us anything we don’t already know. Anyone who has spent any time dealing with insurance companies knows what a mess is. You pay your deductibles and then when you actually need them they go out of the way not to help you. Sicko isn’t only about the 50 million people who don’t have health insurance, it’s also about the 250 million of us that do and are in just as much trouble.
Moore goes on to talk about how the American system of health insurance is a disaster, while that of a state- run system, like the ones that exist pretty much everywhere else except America would be much better. This argument is illustrated with statistics- terrible stories about Americans denied healthcare who are forced into bankruptcy to pay for it. Moore …show more content…
tells us about a woman who gets denied payment for use of an ambulance because the health provider felt she should have called to get approved before she actually took the ambulance, even though she was unconscious at the time. Or about a woman being dropped from her health care provider because she didn’t disclose that she had a yeast infection in the past. He goes onto another story about a man who had to choose to save only one of two fingers he severed in an accident. Sicko also presents us with the case of Doug Noe, whose young daughter Annette was born with an acute hearing disability. When a doctor suggested a pair of cochlear ear implants, Noe’s insurance provider, Cigna Health Care, approved the procedure for only the left ear, arguing that a two ear operation was “experimental.” But when Noe alerted Moore to Cigna, the company quickly reversed its decision, fearing bad publicity. Julie Pierce, a middle-aged woman, struggles to contain her emotions as she talks about her husband, who had kidney cancer. His brother was a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant. These transplants can halt and sometimes eradicate the disease. An insurance company, however, denied the transplant, claiming it was experimental. Her husband died.
Moores heads to countries such as Canada, Britain, France and even Cuba to show us the alternative systems in which wellness is a priority, everyone is looked after as needed, and doctors are actually free to care for their patients. He finds that British doctors are well paid and happy and that Canadians don’t have to wait very long in a waiting room. He also shows how the doctor’s are well compensated for their services and even receive bonus’s for getting patients to quit smoking or lowering their blood pressure. In France, Moore even drives with a doctor kept on full time house- call duty. They show how the only money exchanged in hospitals is given to you when you leave for your cab fee.
The problem to me seems to be that the government allows big corporations to fully control our heathcare system. They allow them to charge astronomical prices for medicine and don’t have any limitations. The testimony from former HMO employees, who quit their jobs because they were so disgusted with what they had to do to keep people from the health care they needed, is absolutley trecherous or the politicians who enable this demented system and are paid off. He shows one politician who ends up becoming a CEO for an HMO for an incredible six figure salary. One former HMO employee even states that “any payment for a claim is considered a medical loss”. The health insurance companies attemped to rationalize this by claiming they were only denying payment, not medical care.
I feel that America is better then this.
We should not be ranked # 37 for health care. America needs to look after its people just like other countries but instead American people are among the most disease ridden people for advanced nations. We spend more on health care then anyone, we pay the highest prices for medications, and were constantly told that we have the best medical technology in the world. But if our health care system is really so good why do 50 million Americans not have health insurance? Why are the hospitals dumping uninsured patients on the street, abandoning the sick to protect profits while our politicians negotiate on behalf of pharmacutical companies to make sure Americans pay the highest prices in the world for
medication.
“The Nanny State” tells us that in recent years pay for CEOs and other top executives has soared. They now get as much as multi- million dollar salaries because they are “highly productive” but the bottom line is they are no more productive then CEOs of 30 years ago, who were still compensated well. The problem seems to be that in America, unlike other countries when it comes to health care our government and our politicians are working against us, not with us. We need to come up with a solution, one that lowers costs of deductibles and medicine, one that cares for its people. I believe we could do this even given the policies of “The Nanny State”. First we would need to lower the salaries of these CEOs. Rather then have one man make millions to basically do nothing, put this money towards health care. We’ve given the entire health care system over to the insurance industry, they have total control. If they had limitations on what they can charge patients, they would lose some of the control they now possess. It’s not like they are upping the prices of medicine by 10 or even 20 percent, but more like 40 to 50 percent. They make you choose between either living a somewhat comfortable life or your health. Both of which you should have in America. In “The Nanny State” we learn about how copyright and patent laws are now being abused in recent years. Maybe we shouldn’t allow patents for drug companies, or at least the government should limit how many they give. Allowing so many patents to drug companies lets them charge whatever they want.
Public health care is definently the only health care which should be placed within society. When health care is socialized it ensures that it is available to everyone equally. No person, no matter their social class, or economic status should be denied medical attention for any reason. In a private health care system people could be rejected health care for a previous or current health condition. Having a history of health problems only means they need more attention not less. The more someone may need health care, the more they are being denied it.
At first, he isn’t telling us anything we don’t already know. Anyone who has spent any time dealing with insurance companies knows what a mess is. You pay your deductibles and then when you actually need them they go out of the way not to help you. Sicko isn’t only about the 50 million people who don’t have health insurance, it’s also about the 250 million of us that do and are in just as much trouble.
Moore goes on to talk about how the American system of health insurance is a disaster, while that of a state- run system, like the ones that exist pretty much everywhere else except America would be much better. This argument is illustrated with statistics- terrible stories about Americans denied healthcare who are forced into bankruptcy to pay for it. Moore …show more content…
tells us about a woman who gets denied payment for use of an ambulance because the health provider felt she should have called to get approved before she actually took the ambulance, even though she was unconscious at the time. Or about a woman being dropped from her health care provider because she didn’t disclose that she had a yeast infection in the past. He goes onto another story about a man who had to choose to save only one of two fingers he severed in an accident. Sicko also presents us with the case of Doug Noe, whose young daughter Annette was born with an acute hearing disability. When a doctor suggested a pair of cochlear ear implants, Noe’s insurance provider, Cigna Health Care, approved the procedure for only the left ear, arguing that a two ear operation was “experimental.” But when Noe alerted Moore to Cigna, the company quickly reversed its decision, fearing bad publicity. Julie Pierce, a middle-aged woman, struggles to contain her emotions as she talks about her husband, who had kidney cancer. His brother was a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant. These transplants can halt and sometimes eradicate the disease. An insurance company, however, denied the transplant, claiming it was experimental. Her husband died.
Moores heads to countries such as Canada, Britain, France and even Cuba to show us the alternative systems in which wellness is a priority, everyone is looked after as needed, and doctors are actually free to care for their patients. He finds that British doctors are well paid and happy and that Canadians don’t have to wait very long in a waiting room. He also shows how the doctor’s are well compensated for their services and even receive bonus’s for getting patients to quit smoking or lowering their blood pressure. In France, Moore even drives with a doctor kept on full time house- call duty. They show how the only money exchanged in hospitals is given to you when you leave for your cab fee.
The problem to me seems to be that the government allows big corporations to fully control our heathcare system. They allow them to charge astronomical prices for medicine and don’t have any limitations. The testimony from former HMO employees, who quit their jobs because they were so disgusted with what they had to do to keep people from the health care they needed, is absolutley trecherous or the politicians who enable this demented system and are paid off. He shows one politician who ends up becoming a CEO for an HMO for an incredible six figure salary. One former HMO employee even states that “any payment for a claim is considered a medical loss”. The health insurance companies attemped to rationalize this by claiming they were only denying payment, not medical care.
I feel that America is better then this.
We should not be ranked # 37 for health care. America needs to look after its people just like other countries but instead American people are among the most disease ridden people for advanced nations. We spend more on health care then anyone, we pay the highest prices for medications, and were constantly told that we have the best medical technology in the world. But if our health care system is really so good why do 50 million Americans not have health insurance? Why are the hospitals dumping uninsured patients on the street, abandoning the sick to protect profits while our politicians negotiate on behalf of pharmacutical companies to make sure Americans pay the highest prices in the world for
medication.
“The Nanny State” tells us that in recent years pay for CEOs and other top executives has soared. They now get as much as multi- million dollar salaries because they are “highly productive” but the bottom line is they are no more productive then CEOs of 30 years ago, who were still compensated well. The problem seems to be that in America, unlike other countries when it comes to health care our government and our politicians are working against us, not with us. We need to come up with a solution, one that lowers costs of deductibles and medicine, one that cares for its people. I believe we could do this even given the policies of “The Nanny State”. First we would need to lower the salaries of these CEOs. Rather then have one man make millions to basically do nothing, put this money towards health care. We’ve given the entire health care system over to the insurance industry, they have total control. If they had limitations on what they can charge patients, they would lose some of the control they now possess. It’s not like they are upping the prices of medicine by 10 or even 20 percent, but more like 40 to 50 percent. They make you choose between either living a somewhat comfortable life or your health. Both of which you should have in America. In “The Nanny State” we learn about how copyright and patent laws are now being abused in recent years. Maybe we shouldn’t allow patents for drug companies, or at least the government should limit how many they give. Allowing so many patents to drug companies lets them charge whatever they want.
Public health care is definently the only health care which should be placed within society. When health care is socialized it ensures that it is available to everyone equally. No person, no matter their social class, or economic status should be denied medical attention for any reason. In a private health care system people could be rejected health care for a previous or current health condition. Having a history of health problems only means they need more attention not less. The more someone may need health care, the more they are being denied it.