SiCKO - The Official Site - In Theaters June 29th

International Health Care ( )

160 Comments

peter waterman Says:
May 26th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Hi, Mike:

Like the Canadians (kinder, gentler Americans) I was not entirely enchanted by the Dutch system, even before it began to be commoditised. I still benefit from the ‘collective insurance’ of my former employer. In other words, even under the old system I was a privileged person, not dependent on the basic health insurance available to and required of those below a certain income level.

I had a very mixed experience when I got cancer of the spleen in 2004. In the first place, this was not recognised - despite my suggestion to the specialist that my symptoms might indicate something other than a kidney proble - until I turned up in an ambulance and in agony. In the second place, once an operation was prescribed, I was offered a compilation of information that looked like something that might have accompanied the T-Model Ford (I had to find something better, from the US, on the web). I was sent home, after the operation, with no information or advice. I had to work out for myself that I should refer to my family doctor, and how I should work the hospital system when I suffered post-operational problems (= agony). Being an (ex-)academic, if a foreigner, I eventually found the relevant hospital phone numbers, email, etc. A return trip to hospital found me in a cancer ward in which the staff were unwilling or unable to provide me pain-killers, and in which the toilet (rest room?) literally stank of cigarettes. Whilst taking advantage, once mobile, of the ground-floor public toilets, I made my protest vocal. Whilst sympathetic to lung-cancer victims who wanted their literal last cigarettes, I wanted at least a no smoking sign on the cancer ward’s toilet door.

Three years later, I am alive, reduced to six-monthly check-ups, and active in the global justice and solidarity movement. Thank you, God, for being in the Netherlands rather than the USA!

However, the point is that whilst there is a world of difference here between the USA and civilised countries, national(ised) health services are not the same as democratic, humane, effective health services. In the surviving welfare capitalist societies of Western Europe, there is still a class difference, and still a need for democratisation and organised community and patient action.

A kinder, gentler America is not and will not be good enough!

Peter Waterman
Zaid Says:
May 26th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
When I was much younger family we traveled to Singapore. Singapore is a tiny island close to Hong Kong (where we also went).

Somewhere along in Hong Kong I got food poisoned (yeah, maybe it’s not the best idea to eat EVERY thing offered to you — that’s another lesson).

Finally when we got to Singapore I went to a small clinic within the airport. I was given a full exam within a few minutes and two or three different prescriptions and medicines that those prescriptions were filled out for. This cost maybe 20 or 30 bucks. I can’t imagine how long this would take or how much money it would cost within the United States — and this was a foreign country being generous to someone who’s not even a foreign national of theirs.

America has some work to do — that’s for sure.
Marie Says:
May 27th, 2007 at 10:01 am
In my home country of New Zealand, we have a pretty good health care system. If you have to go to a public hospital for treatment or to see a specialist, it is all free, with subsidized visits to your local gp (cheaper gp costs for those with large families or lower/fixed incomes). Private healthcare and insurance is pretty much for the wealthier people, and the care that you get is no different to what you recieve in the public health system. I know, because I nursed in both for over 30 years. The only difference for private is that you do not have long waiting lists, and you get charged for every single thing or pill you are given.

I am currently living in North Carolina. We do not have a health insurance for my daughter and I, my husband is a teacher in a small private school, which only covers him. In order for us all to be covered, it would cost just over $1000.00 per month! What a rip-off! That is way out of our financial reach. SO we go without.

I badly hurt my back 3 days ago, and I know I have some nerve involvement as I am getting sciatic pains down my right leg. However, I cannot seek medical assistance, as the cost of a doctor’s visit and probable x-rays, ct scans would bankrupt us. So I am self-treating with over the counter anti-inflammatories, analgesics and ice packs. Fortunately I have my 30 year nursing background to fall back on. Others here are not so fortunate, and I really feel for them.

The healthcare system here totally sucks! I believe it is the government’s responsibility to look after the health of it’s citizens.

I realise the New Zealand system has it’s flaws, as does every healthcare system in the world.. however, were I home I would have been able to visit a doctor for free for my injury, as it would have been covered by an Accident Compensation Commission. A program set up by the government especially to cover almost all the costs of any injury a person in NZ gets. If they are not totally covered, dependant on what you are having done IE: x-ray, then it is very heavily subsidised, where you would pay $25.00 at the most.

This country totally sucks in it’s care for the everyday American… and don’t even get me started on the Vets… Grrrrr.. or the Elderly..

Thanks for letting me rant Mike.
matt Says:
May 27th, 2007 at 10:17 am
I am an american, but after i finished my university I moved to the Czech Republic for a year. For some of my time there I lived in a small town called Cheb. While there I got sick, I was in the country on a work visa so I had paid my work visa fee and received a small card saying so. I went to the doctor, showed him my card he looked me over. They even got someone to come in and speak English to me (my Czech wasn’t very good). I was told to take some medicine so I went to the pharmacist, showed them my card, and I got my pills. No money. Nothing more than just saying I was legally there. I have since moved back to the states and I’m a freelance editor. I don’t have insurance and I’m terrified to get sick or hurt.

I did recently buy insurance but since I don’t have a corporation it cost almost $400 a month. I don’t know if I can keep it long. Luckily, I’m moving back to Europe.
Matt Huculak Says:
May 27th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
As an American graduate student at McGill University in Montreal, I was covered by Canada’s health care system. My first year there, I came down with a serious condition (forgive me for not divulging it, I don’t want to compromise my ability to get health care in America).
I walked into the emergency room at Victoria Hospital and went to triage. In a moment’s notice, I was whisked away to the emergency room and treated by a doctor immediately. It was then determined that I needed further treatment. Three days and copious tests later (including a stint in the cardio-ward), I left the hospital treated. I offered to pay, but they laughed at me.
Now, I’m a Doctoral student in the United States; my only health care is a plan where I have to pay up front, where I have to visit the school clinic and not a hospital, and where every procedure must be pre-approved. And, I get to pay up to 100% if the condition is pre-existing.
My fellow graduates have an innovative health plan: get a credit card; if they ever get sick, they will max out the credit card and then declare bankruptcy. We only get paid $12,000 a year, so we can’t afford “normal” plans–and even if we did, the pre-existing condition clause would invalidate the care we do need. How can one be older than 30 and not have a medical history to contend with? I am shamed by my country and its approach to health-care. I dream of a day when every one of America’s citizens is treated freely with the expert care I received in Canada.
N.S. Says:
May 27th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
My mother, two years ago, was unfortunately diagnosed with a brain tumor. She was scheduled for her surgey within a week of discovery - in Toronto, Canada. Then came radiotherapy, and then chemo - all paid for by the Canadian government. Based on my research couple of years ago (as I was looking for options and wanted the best care for her possible), I found it would have cost me in excess of $150,000 USD if we happened to reside in the US and elected to do the surgery (alone) in the US. Never mind the after care.

Having said this, we don’t have a perfect system, it may take hours in the hospital emergecy sometimes to see a doctor (if determined by triage that your problems are not serious). FIFO gets thrown out the window, people who need the care most get attention immediately!

The US needs a Canadian equivalent of Tommy Douglas.
RMax Says:
May 28th, 2007 at 4:00 am
I think we need a movie like this in Brazil to know where our politicians put the f*** money we pay as taxes, because they are not in the hospitals.
Andrew Bourque Says:
May 28th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
I am a Canadian. While I know that our system is not perfect, I am very grateful for our system. I never have to worry if I can afford to see a doctor, I just simply make an appointment and go. Recently, both my grandmother and uncle were terminally ill (both have since passed). My uncle was in the hospital for three months, getting top care. My grandmother was in the hospital for about a month. She also was treated with the best of care. At the end we paid nothing. The dAY THEY DIED WE SIMPLY WALKED OUT OF THE HOSPITAL WITH NO CONCERN OR BILLS. Had we been not been living in Canada the cost of taking care of both family members would have wiped us out. With our system we were able to concentrate on taking care of our family members without worrying about money and our ability to pay for the treatement and pallitive care they deserved.

Medical care is a basic human right. I am glad that my country recognises this fact. I hope the Americans will some day gather the political courage to take back their health care system from corporations who always care more about the bottom line than the people they claim to serve. Also, I pray that all countries with modern, socialised health care systems (ie. Canada, UK, Austrialia, etc). realise the great gift that they have and that they continue to fight for its existence.
bonnie Says:
May 28th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Being a teacher, I receive excellent health coverage thanks to my strong union. However, I can’t say the same for health care as a whole, much less all of my friends’ health care systems.

Just after I finished graduate school, I decided that I would obtain a work visa from the UK. This was my first main experience with socialized medicine. I was blown away by the care given to me, even though I wasn’t a citizen of the UK. It was a very nice feeling knowing that I would be taken care of and not have to worry about “how good my insurance is.” After living abroad in a country with socialized medicine and seeing, first hand, what a wonderful society it is when medicine is a right, rather than a privilege, I became a believer in health care for all. This does not mean medicare for some, medicaid for others, and insurance for the ones with good jobs.
Calum Says:
May 29th, 2007 at 2:55 am
Hi, Mike. Glad you’re doing this film. I am only 16, but hey, I have feelings, too.
You see, my friends and I used to sit on these large concrete steps. I was chasing one of my friends (silly, I know), but knocked my face down on one of the edges, splitting my lip. However, I thought that I hadn’t just split my lip, i thought I had broken a few teeth, and my parents were called, and met me at a local hospital. We waited THREE HOURS for help (did I mention we waited in the EMERGENCY WARD? THREE HOURS IN THE EMERGENCY WARD!!), and this help is help which we never got from the hospital. We then travelled to our family doctor’s and got it done within at most 20 minutes. I am appalled that a hospital would treat patients like that, especially patients which are waiting in the emergency ward. I’m also appalled that we are number 32 on the health list featured in the trailer (whether or not it’s true, I agree our health system is shithouse), and it’s not surprising that our health system would be that close to the US with someone like John Howard running this country into the ground head-first.
Thanks Michael Moore - you’re asking the questions everyone else it too afraid to ask.
Calum Says:
May 29th, 2007 at 2:56 am
I forgot to mention that I just split my lip which got stitched within 20 minutes at our family doctors, with the large concrete steps and the incident happening at school during lunch, just to clear some stuff up.

Cal
Nina Says:
May 29th, 2007 at 5:26 am
From Japan:
In honor of the movie that’s getting tremendous attention everywhere, I thought I’d share a personal experience of my own. I just got home from the most amazing experience, it’s called….. (drumroll)… SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!!! It was so exciting.

About 2 weeks ago I slammed my knee running for the train (late as usual). The concrete step crashed into the middle of my kneecap, and I could barely bend it for 2 days. Although it improved, I was worried cuz it was still hurting sometimes. I didn’t want it to heal weird, and start throbbing every time there was a rainstorm, or something like that. So I asked the lady at my foreign-students dormitory where I could get it checked out. She gave me a list of doctors in our neighborhood (about 15, all covering different specialties). We agreed I should go to the orthopedic surgeon; “no appointment is necessary, just show up” she said. I went at about 5 p.m. today on my bike.

Oh my goodness!!!!!! It was about the most divine customer-service experience of my LIFE! Dr. Maeda’s office was a little drab, but functional and clean. Not luxurious-looking like hospitals in the U.S., with lots of fake plants and plaques with donors names. Just wood-panel walls and old magazines. I gave a written description of my problem to ease the language barrier, and after filling out one short form (basically contact info only) and handing over my government health insurance card, I took a seat.
SIDENOTE: Did you catch that part? GOVERNMENT HEALTH INSURANCE CARD!!! It is a cute blue affair that comes with a free plastic cover. I got it the week I arrived in Japan. Fresh off the boat, new immigrant, terrible Japanese. Still, I qualified for inclusion and was so happy to finally be fully insured I hugged and kissed the dude in the City Office, jumping up and down and yelling as he sweated in his polyester shirt. It was the best experience of my first month in Japan. But I hadn’t had a chance to use the card until today…

So Dr. Maeda called for me from behind a door. Only wack thing about the office: the walls don’t touch the ceiling! So I guess they don’t care about patient privacy. Everyone can hear everything, so if you have something embarrassing I guess you write it down and slip the paper across the table, like a bank robber.
Anyways, I sat down and put my purse in the basket conveniently provided for this purpose. Dr. Maeda is a cheerful, tanned Japanese Santa Claus type. I wish I took a picture of him. He was laughing and practicing his English on me: “You run for train! Haha! Is dangerous! Don’t you listen to warning in station? Haha!” After a few minutes of poking and prodding my knee, he said “We do x-ray now.”
He took 2 x-rays and I waited another 5 minutes. Then he called me back into his office. “No break! Just contusion! Haha!! No jogging please!” He thoughtfully looked the word “contusion” up in his ancient dictionary while I was waiting. There was no interpreter but we got along ok with my so-so Japanese and his enthusiastic English.
He called the nurse to put a medicated stretchy patch thing over my whole knee, and cover it with a short white netting thing. Wrote a prescription for more of the disposable patches and sent me on my way with a laugh, saying in Japanese “If you were younger it would have healed faster! Haha, just kidding! Stop running for the train, ok? Haha!” I was glad to provide him with a source of hilarity for the afternoon, and stepped out of the office smiling. I sat back down on the bench to wait for the bill. I had been reassured “it won’t be too much!” but I had no idea what to expect.

Soon the secretary called me up. She returned my health insurance card, and gave me a new laminated one to use if I return to Dr. Maeda’s. Then the bill: $13.24 (JY 1,610). That’s it!! I’m on the “30% plan,” which means the government pays the other 70% of the office visit. That includes 2 x-rays, meeting with the doctor, and getting one patch applied. No appointment, no waiting, excellent service, an immediate diagnosis, everyone’s friendly. The whole affair took 30 minutes, out the door.

As for the prescription for the patches, those of us in from the medical hinterlands called the United States know that getting a prescription filled can be the most painful part of being sick. I remember as a kid waiting for hours in the Kaiser pharmacy, in a packed waiting room with screaming kids, dope fiends in rehab, people with rashes, and lots of coughing. As I started to leave Dr. Maeda’s, I was grateful I could put off filling the non-emergency prescription for the knee patches. But the secretary told me: “There’s a pharmacy just around the corner. Across from the 7-11. Take this there.” I hopped on my bike. “Feel better!” she waved as I pulled away.

At said pharmacy, I walked in and handed the paper to dude. He took it in the back. 4 minutes later, emerged with my stuff. Grand total? $2.80 (JY 340). 2 weeks of treatment, silver plastic bag, my receipt. I’m dumbfounded, but the pharmacist is looking at me like I stole something. “Uhh, do you need anything else?” “Uh, I guess not…” Nutrition posters and bottles of Shiseido shampoo lined the walls as I walk out.

Riding my bike home, I felt re-energized. Enthusiastic!! Healthy!! When did I last feel that way leaving the doctor’s office… Maybe it was the warm reception I received (despite being a grammar-mangling foreigner) or maybe it was the unknown drugs in the stretchy patch thing. Or maybe it was the fact that my life wasn’t interrupted by this minor injury, and society seems to agree that pro-active care for my knee is a pretty good idea. That’s calming. I pedalled down the hill to do some grocery shopping. I’m not worried about my knee, or any other part of my health, and can focus on my work and life.
Wee Wille Says:
May 29th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
I am a Canadian and I am so proud of our country’s medical system. For small pains… I can get a doctor to look at a boil on my bum. As for more serious emergencies, my friend just did 6 weeks in hospital with a broken pelvis and he has no medical bills…

Also, I lived in Japan and got quite sick and was treated to their wonderful system! Some major tests were all completely covered under the national health system.

Thant’s the ticket my American Brethren - Socialized Medicine !!!!

Sure, there are pros and cons to Socialized Medicine, but at least the people are healthy and out of bankruptcy!

But for some reason the U.S.A government prefers to spend its money on defending your American Freedoms in the Middle East…

Hmmmm

N1MM - thx
Mandel Says:
May 30th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
I’m spanish and got to say our health care rules.. yes you have to queue and wait… and the ER is full of old people waiting (but is there fault they go to the ER instead to the GP when they just have a cold) but our Social Security(health care in Spain) is great. 12 fractures on my right arm, broken left arm, a dislocated knee and appendicitis are the proof… And by they way, I didn’t have a car accident, I just play rugby
S.I.L. Says:
May 30th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
I’m 20 year old Belgian woman, and currently reside in the USA. I have a rare heart condition (I’d rather not specify which) since my birth. In my homecountry, my parents never paid for ANY operation, x-ray, scan, prescription drug. NEVER. They only had to pay 50% for my stays a the hospital (which is $10 per day). Now, as I grow older my condition is getting worse. My doctors in the US concluded that I needed heart surgery, and request I visit the hospital monthly for a standard check-up. These are doctors that have been treating me for 2 years now, while my doctors in Belgium have been treating since the day I was born. My American insurance makes my parents pay for close to everything because of the rarity of my condition. I do not know how much my parents pay monthly, and they wish to keep this so. Luckily for my parents, my brother, and I, we are wealthy thus are able to cover these bills without making compromises.

Back to my heart surgery. My Belgian doctors have checked up on my and told me that there was no need for surgery yet. It’ll just complicate my health conditon. My US doctors told my parents that I was going to DIE in a couple of month without the surgery. Complete BS. I found this so sad. Just recalling the agony my family went through when this news was brought upon us… UGHHHH….

I believe that the US health system is just in itself a violation on human rights.
gregg hoover Says:
May 31st, 2007 at 9:01 am
I’m an American who has lived in France for 25 years, and visit family and friends every year or so. When (inevitably), notes are compared concerning health care, ie. cost, quality, etc.., I’m shocked at how bad things have become in the U.S.. Here, I have approximately five percent of my salary withheld for health care coverage, which generally covers seventy percent of all medical costs, icluding medication. When you realise that simple doctor visits average about twenty five dollars, and medication is about ten times cheaper than in the U.S., you begin to get the picture. More importantly, the quality of care you get in France never ceases to amaze me; whether for trauma, (I’ve had more than my share, since I ski and manage to fall more often than I’d like!),or more general health concerns, the professionalism and human contact is top notch. And they still do house calls! Anecdote; I had a complicated thumb injury a few years back, (titanium screws and other hoopla stuff), was operated the same day, spent the night in the clinic being extrodinarily well taken care of, checked out, went home, and waited for the bill. You guessed it; Total to pay ZERO! (Actually, I had a couple of phone calls to pay…). The pain killers prescribed cost a whopping 8 dollars! Not only that, I’ve had two American orthopedic surgeons look at the job done on me, both of whom oohed and aahed the work, asking what specialist had done such a nifty job! Sure, just like in the U.S. demographics present big problems for future costs, but the essential difference is attitude; health care is considered part of the society’s obligation to its members in the name of solidarity, not a service in the market that one shops for to better “consume”.
James Perry Says:
May 31st, 2007 at 12:50 pm
well the uk system isn’t all its cracked up to be as mentioned in the brief trailer i’ve seen so far. the NHS has its problems, just like any organisation. not everything is free, for example it cost me £225 ($550) for a few injections last year to go travelling, but thats one of the exceptions.

far too many people complain about the limitations the NHS has to offer cancer drugs that come at extortionate prices that they complain people get in the USA. what they don’t mention is that in the US, you’d be paying for everything from the bed you sleep in to being taken to the toilet or washed or that cancer drugs only prevent and often unreliable.

fair play for raising this issue of health care, its about time the US took some of the 42% of its tax money from the military and started investing it in the people of the country!
Melanie Wildman Says:
May 31st, 2007 at 1:16 pm
I am a 32 year old Canadian. I am currently 7 months pregnant with our second child. I work and travel frequently in the United States. In fact, I found out I was pregnant while I was in the US, and booked my first prenatal appointment for the day I arrived home. I remember very well the palpable feeling of relief when I went through customs and was back home on Canadian soil.

I remember going to a spa in New York, and the woman telling me that she didnt have insurance through her work, and her little boy was a hemopheliac. I was horrified, and as a mother - near tears.

I went back to the office and told some of the staff about this poor woman. I was stunned to find out that the company I work for does not provide health insurance to its employees either.

While they struggle to pay high insurance premiums, I am recieving the very best health care available. My doctor is wonderful, the hospital I will deliver in is a world leader in labour analgesics. I have the option to be fully supported in a natural birthing experience if I so choose, including a water labour. My partner and I will bring our new daughter home, and we will only have to worry about sleepless nights and changing diapers. There will be no bills, no insurance forms, no claims to make and no worrying about our finances.

As much as I enjoyed the US, and the many wonderful people I have met there, I am now even more appreciative that I am Canadian. After my maternity leave (in Canada it is one year) I will not be returning to work in the US.
Jorge Says:
May 31st, 2007 at 5:13 pm
hey if u want a sh#ty social security come to Mexico and learn about our services…just a few days ago on mi hometown (Cd Juarez)a women die becouse the hospital refuese to attend her, so she wento to a bench outside the hospital and a couple of minutes later died
Neil MacKinnon Says:
June 1st, 2007 at 2:26 pm
I went to college in the UK where there were a few American students in my dorm. One guy broke his leg (too much to drink) one Friday night (nothing out of
the ordinary for students in the US and UK).
It was quickly treated at a local hospital.
His parents were very concerned obviously but he called them and I overheard him say “Don’t worry, it really is free”. It was as if he and his parents could not believe the care was free. It was if they just could not grasp that fact.
Alex Redgrill Says:
June 1st, 2007 at 6:20 pm
As an American father living in Spain with my wife and 2 small children (1 and 3 y-old) I cannot but pity my fellow citizens back in the old regime. When I need a pediatrician’s appointment I call a toll free number, I provide my son or daughter’s health care card number (the one with the smart chip containing all their medical history) and I get a suggested appointment time (the dr’s schedule is online) in less than a minute flat. I take it and do all sorts of things: regular checkups, scheduled vaccinations, emergency visits. All within walking distance since each person has a center assigned to them based on where they live (closest one to you is yours).

Once I get there, I encounter a clean, well-equipped, flawlessly run facility that requires not a 30-minute sit down to write down all the stupid medical history questions that I have to answer over and over and over and over and over and over again in the states. , but just a swipe of the card right before we see the doctor. They call us in at the time we were scheduled to be called (this NEVER happens in the states) and our problem/issue is addressed.

Information Technology and knowledge sharing has made this system one of the most efficient processes I have ever encountered (I am a systems analyst and I do this for a living). I can only be ashamed when I have to receive treatment in the states and I am subjected to the most bloated, senseless, and possibly expensive health care system in the world. We put a man in the moon, how come these people are beating us at running a better hospital?

Forgot to mention it: it is all FREE. Well, not free, but paid with your tax dollars. And the medicines? I used to shell out $90/month for stress and sleeping aids. That was after the copay. The exact same medicines are costing me here $7/month, that is before the 2/3 government subsidy. Who’s getting ripped off here? Why aren’t all Americans up in arms about being nickled and dimed just because they can?
frenchie_momma Says:
June 1st, 2007 at 7:25 pm
I’m a dual-citizen of both America and France. I wish people would stop slamming the French for being snobs when they at least would never leave a homeless person to freeze in the streets, and never expect a victim of a car accident, for example, to pay for her ermergency medical care (a friend of mine in Florida is in debt for the rest of her life and lost her job because she can barely walk - she was hit by someone with no insurance). Most doctors in France answer their own phones, perform their patients exams themselves (they don’t leave it to the nurse and simply talk to you for five seconds while reading your “chart”), and only get paid $30 per visit. They don’t go to med school for the money. They have an ethics charter (like French lawyers) which bans them from any type of advertising (even seen those ads with pictures of babies and the phrase “Does your child have trouble in school, ADD or ADHD? Maybe it was the fault of your OBGYN - call me and let’s see if we can sue him!”). Medicine is a service, not an industry. Do you know that presciption medicines are more expensive in the US than anywhere else on the planet? All the big pharma companies are prevented by foreign governments from charging outrageous prices - but not in the freedom-loving USA! I can’t wait to see sicko and I hope it wakes up America!
german cilliani Says:
June 2nd, 2007 at 4:30 pm
My wife and I went to Peru about 3 years ago, she got sick up in the Andes, we rush her to the hopital at 4 o’clock in the morning , the dr. take care of her, give some medications,that we pick it up from the hospital pharmacy,I didn’t care how much the bill was going to be,since we didn’t have an insurance,and were traveling with American passaports,and Peru is one of the poorest country in the Americas.
Well, the bill was O, nothing, nada.
Nicholas Li Says:
June 3rd, 2007 at 12:42 am
Currently the Canadian Medicare system covers all medical bills by 100% (yes that is 100, not ten). Anyhow I would have to rate the Canadian system of health care pretty good.

The only problem I see in the health care system in Canada is that it does not cover prescription drugs, dentistry and optometry. Although admittingly things are improving.

Currently Ontario (a Canadian Province) is pushing the Canadian government to include dentistry in the Medicare plan. Also, even though the persciption drugs are not free, they are extremely cheap (I think their subsidized although I’m not sure). Hence, The Simpsons dedicating an episode of how cheap most of the drugs in Canada are.
Alain Brouillaud Says:
June 3rd, 2007 at 2:42 am
Dear Mike,

I am writing to you about health care in Finland.

I must say that I have very little to complain about in the Finnish system. My normal experience goes like this:

1) I make my appointment by phone call
2) I go see my Doctor at his office

NOTE: I could go to the local health clinic as well

3) My Doctor treats me.
3a) My Doctor has a computer in his office and simply types in and prints out my perscription
4) I pay the bill at the cashier.

NOTE: The cost is 35 Euros for a 20 minute visit

5) I go to the pharmacy and but my medicine for the next three months
6) That’s all folks!!

I think anyone would find it hard to find anything wrong with that. One time I did go to the hospital. I waited a little over one hour to see a Doctor. The cost was 15 Euros. I must say that if i needed knee surgery I would have two choices: 1) go the normal route and wait to have my surgery or 2) go to the Private Doctor and set up a date for surgery and (of course) paying a lot more money.

Finland can have Single Payer Health Care because there is 1) Progressive Taxation and 2) 22.5% Value Added Tax

ADVANTAGE FINLAND!

I hope “SiCKO” will be available for purchase on iTunes ASAP!
Susan Says:
June 3rd, 2007 at 3:28 am
Hello:
I am a Canadian who has been blessed with good health care all my life. Each province requires its citizens to sign up for health coverage, and if you earn below a certain amount, basic services (doctor visits, recovery in hospital, operations, etc) are paid for. We have to pay for glasses, pills, dental and some other services if we don’t have added employee benefits, but even then you can apply for additional coverage through the province. Although the system is not perfect (long waits for certain things, overworked doctors and nurses) most of the time it is something that can be dealt with, without destroying the family budget. I feel extremely blessed to live in a country that cares enough to make sure there is health care for everyone. And I object to the statement that Canadians are just kinder, gentler Americans. We are a seperate culture with a seperate but linked history, and we are as complex as Americans.
Thanks for listening
Susan
Jeff Says:
June 3rd, 2007 at 4:20 am
I get my prescription drugs cheap in Honduras. The drugs come from the USA - to bad I can’t afford them in the USA. I will get basic health care free or cheap in Honduras. I am conservative, but I believe basic universal health care needs to be installed. Of course most Americans will complain that the health care isn’t perfect. It doesn’t have to be perfect - just be something to take care of us for basic needs like broken arms, pregnancy, gunshot wounds, etc.
If we have an universal health care system I think patients should have the power to influence health policy -like get rid of incompetent doctors, etc but not the ability to sue for millions of $$. If a person is awarded millions for malpractice those millions of dollars are being taken away from the health care budget. It’s alright to sue private hospitals since suing holds them responsible, but not the government universal health care system. Liberals don’t believe in compromise so they would never go for that. Liberals wants perfect health care (the kind Senators get) free for everybody and want to sue for millions of $$ if anything goes wrong. Let’s just get basic universal health care and work from there.
Kevin in LA Says:
June 3rd, 2007 at 1:04 pm
I visited Peru with my wife in 2004, and within the first week I came down with a bad stomach illness that left me severely dehydrated to the point where I was passing out. We checked into a nice hospital in Lima, the capitol city, and I stayed there for 2 nights while I recovered. I had an IV, medication, and many tests run.

The total bill for my uninsured time in the hospital? $340! It was a very nice, modern hospital too!

The debate on healthcare costs in the US too often centers on how government, individuals, and employers should split the bill. Meanwhile, the media debate NEVER goes to the fact that our healthcare is so much more costly than other countries’, while we consistently have worse health outcomes. It’s time that we take a look at why it is so expensive. Once we bring the costs down, then we can argue over who should pay for it.
Laura Says:
June 3rd, 2007 at 2:16 pm
A native Californian, I traveled to Italy in 2003, when the SARS scare was running full steam, not to mention the beginning of our “involvement” in Iraq. While, in Rome, I had to visit the emergency room for what turned out to be the flu. The entire visit took no more than 45 minutes. There were no forms to fill out, no red tape. I was seen promptly by a doctor and given a complete examination, including chest x-rays.The total cost for this efficient, thorough, and rather pleasant experience- $0. The relief knowing I didn’t have SARS- priceless. When it came time to get the medications the doctor suggested, I was a little taken aback by the price of throat lozenges, but was happy to pay because eveything else had gone so smoothly.
Mike Says:
June 3rd, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I have a friend in Canada who was very sick and couldn’t work. The doctors couldn’t diagnose him but, through his own research, learned of a condition called POTS. The only way to confirm this condition is through a test using a “tilt table”. Well, the wait in his home province of Alberta was 18 months. Rather than wait for a year and a half, he came to have the test performed in the US within a couple of weeks. Of course, he had to pay for this out of his own pocket, but it was worth it to him.
Chris Says:
June 4th, 2007 at 4:02 am
I’ve lived in Canada and Saudi Arabia as a boy. Candian health care was wonderful. I hurt my knee when I was twelve, and had some internal bleeding, just walkd into a clinic in Ontario they fixed it up very quickly and professionally. Only had to see one doc.

I am sure that if a similar thing happened back home I am sure I would’ve had to see my PCP get a refferal to see a specialist before getting treatment.

In Saudi Arabia, health care is different, again I was younger then I don’t recall seeing doctors but I do remember they used their pharmacists to keep simple medical cases away from doctors. If you had a simple ailment requiring prescription strength medicine you went to the pharmacist and they gave you medicine.

To get these medicines in the USA you’d have to schedule a Dr. Appt and have them diagnose you.

There the pharmacist would listen to your ailments and dispense medicine, keeping simple problems away from doctors so they could focus on more serious problems.

I liked this better because if I had a simple problem like athlete’s foot or something and the OTC medicine did not work, you could just get the pharmacist to dispense the stronger meds and not waste my time or a doctor’s time getting a diagnosis for simple ailments.
Malini Says:
June 4th, 2007 at 4:59 am
As a Canadian having lived in India and having seen the ravages of private healthcare, I can say that what I have learned is that ethical and humane healthcare do not follow the same principles as the market economy. There is NO ROOM for supply and demand where people’s health and lives are at stake.
Carrie Says:
June 4th, 2007 at 8:56 am
I work in a pharmacy and am disgusted with so-called prescription coverage. Everyday I see people who have to pay outrageous prices for medications they can’t live without. For example, a man who had an organ transplant needed a certain anti-rejection medication. His insurance would not cover it. His doctor and our pharmacy went back and forth with the insurance company to try and get it approved. Finally after almost a week waiting he had to pay OUT OF POCKET almost $4000!! Thats what makes me sick. And worse yet, it happens everyday.
John Says:
June 4th, 2007 at 10:30 am
I have been staying in Bombay , India for past 3 months for business purposes and once I felt really sick and went to a local clinic without any appointment, since it was a emergency.
The other patients (who were in long before me) let me in seeing my condition and it turned out that I had diabetes.
The doctor suggested me a complete physical and gave me a prescription and charged me $2!!
I went for the complete physical at his recommended hospital and they charged me just $25 for a 5 hours effort which involved some of the best equipments I have ever seen!!
The prescription drugs cost me another $6 for a month’s dosage!!
Total expense: just about $35
No overheads..no extensive paperwork..correct diagnosis and a extremely efficient medical system.
Even in a “developing” nation like India ,an average poor person can still walk in a clinic and get possibly the best treatment for his money’s worth and walk out satisfied.
They even have something called local municipal hospitals run by state governments which give free treatment and drugs.
No wonder India is turning out a hub for “Medical Vacations”
Larry Says:
June 4th, 2007 at 10:42 am
I have one comment to add to Alain Brouillaud’s message about Finnish healthcare system: if you’re very poor you DON’T even have to pay the 35 Euro free for the 20 minute visit.
Tim Says:
June 4th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Hi,

Healthcare in Belgium is fairly easy to describe: excellent!
Depending on your income etc.. you pay your Health Service on a monthly or yearly base (for me that’s about 100€/year); and the service you get covers almost all health-care expenses that you can imagine.
When you visit the doctor, you pay he’s fee (typically about 20€), When you go to the pharmasist you get the medication with reduced prices (because of our ‘SIS’ chip card that’s read at every visit), and all expenses you make you send back to your Health service, who will, within 3 weeks, pay you back up to 100% of the costs you make…)

Having lived in Belgium for 29 years (well, my whole life…) I havn’t really experienced another type of healthcare, and reading about this movie, I’m expecting to see some strange things about the American system… Very curious!
Christy Says:
June 4th, 2007 at 11:47 am
I am an Austrian citizen who lived in the US for about 9 years before returning to Vienna. Although I was lucky enough to be able to afford excellent medical care while I was in the US I was shocked at the fees which hospitals and doctors charge. Anywhere between 90 and 300 dollars for a 10 minute consultation!!! I had a private insurance which covered 80% but I still had to come up with the cash for whatever treatment, consultations, x-rays etc…and then wait for the reimbusement. I paid almost 250 dollars a month for this insurance which is a lot on a student budget.

In Austria, about 5% of one’s monthly income is deducted for medical insurance. That comes out to about 140 Euros a month. Insurance for couples is even cheaper, around 200 Euros for a married couple.
If you want to take the option of paying around 35 or so Euros more, you can have more benefits which include alternative medicine (shiatsu, homeopathy, acupuncture.) You just need to present your insurance card for consultations, xrays, mammograms, lab tests, etc…. No bills to be paid. Prescriptions cost 4,20 Euros. I opted to pay the extra 35 Euros a month and get my prescriptions for free. It so much more civilized.
Jim Says:
June 4th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I was in Paris France 2 years ago, when I had some internal bleeding due to a GI disorder. In went to a Public Hospital ER, and was treated in just a few mins. I had several test done and some scope GI surgery (that day). Next day I was out of the hospital (with meds) feeling fine. What is wrong with America???
Cameron Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 1:06 am
The British National Health System (NHS) is pretty darn good. Result of Socialist government that no-one got rid of. The thing is, it works for everyone. If you get hurt, you get treated. Little fuss. It may take awhile, but the baseline is pretty good. You pay only to speed up the process. It’s not slow to begin with but there are people who need speed. Better than America where it’s the “pay up or your screwed” model. The NHS is there. No question.
LEON Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 1:14 am
I am so excited that I can’t even wait to see the movie until it comes out. But, I already know whats the movie about. I am from Bangladesh ( south Asia ). To be honest, the cost of medical support here in US simply ridiculous. and even the people here can’t afford it.
But, if you look at the Asian Developing countries like India and Bangladesh, the cost of medical treatment is affordable. For example, a minor operation in your eye, it could be no more than 130$-150$ in these countries. And, in US you can guess! Although, there is still shortage of higher medical equipments and Doctors. But, The US has the most powerful equipments and technology to serve this nation, but the cost are always high for some reason. America will be fine within a couple of years and I keep my beliefs on this country.

And whatever the story is… ” This Might hurt some people ” hehehe
JaksonB Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 2:11 am
I was born and raised in America but am also a Swedish citizen. I went to boarding school there for two years. It was wonderful because not only was I given an allowance by the government for studying every month but my dentist and doctor visits were completely free. However there are pros and cons to the swedish system. My 80-year old grandfather recently had some dental work done where the dentist ruined a part of his front teeth. He is now forced to wear dentures and there are not ways to compensate for the mistake. This is a special case though. Overall it is better to have basic decent health care for all than to have corporations deciding how to handle a nation’s health.
michele Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 3:24 am
Hi Michael, here’s Michele
I’m writing from Italy, and i’m waiting to see your last movie to compare our realty to yours.
But i really can say, i doubt health care in Usa can be worse than the south italy’s one.
Here, you go to the emergency for a heart attack, and you die in the waiting room, because they don’t have enough staff or beds, and we have thousands of italian doctors which go abroad to find a job.
What a Shame!
Here’s not convenient to feel any bad.

Ciao
Mike Long Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 3:28 am
Born and raised in Chicago, I moved with my wife and kids to New Zealand when I was 32. Some companies I’ve worked for here gave me comprehensive health insurance, but I’ve never had any health insurance that I paid for. That’s why it’s so confusing to hear everyone in The States talking about universal “coverage” instead of simply free health care. Why do insurance companies have to be in the equation at all (except as “extra” coverage for elective procedures). Doesn’t it make sense to REDUCE health costs - even if that means a few insurance companies go under?
carlos perez Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 3:44 am
I currently live is Spain with my wife and child. After I came back from vacacion in Costa Rica this january and came down with a rare infection, I had to be in the Hospital for a month and it cost me absolutely nothing, I am an american citizen, that did not matter. Had I gone back to the US and gotten sick I would be ruined.
Alph Williams Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 5:56 am
I am an American. I have lived in Australia for more than thirty years. We have an pretty good system in Australia. It’s a hell of a lot better than the American Medical System. I am horrified everytime I return to the US at how American politicians are bought out by the AMA and Insurance Companies. You seriously need to do someting about your lobbiest and that system. It’s outrageous that it takes so much money to run for public office, that when your politicians are elected they are already owned by big business. When I visit and explain the Australian system, some dunce usually says something like “yeah…well that’s socialism.” I say, “so what? So’s the army!” Wake up, it’s the middle class in America who are hurting most under this sytem. Stop believing the rhetoric of conservatives and the mega-medical business lobby and demand representation. The Insurance companies are vultures feeding off your misery… Look at the hysteria they whipped up when the Clinton Administration tried to do someting years ago.
Sue Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 6:50 am
I live in France and one thing that the health care system provides here is the ability to go to the doctor for an absolutely minimal cost (an office visit costs about $26 USD). Also, there is always a doctor on call in your neighborhood - this is posted in the newspaper and posted on all pharmacie doors in your neighborhood. There is also a number to call and you can get a call back from a doctor if you are at home sick on the weekend for example and can’t get to a doctor. Specialists cost about $70 an office visit. The problem is that the state (govt) determines which procedures are covered by the social health care system. I do have at least one friend who had colon cancer here and she said her care was outstanding… I would say in general the level of care equals that of the US - but the cost is far less and the availability orders of magnitude better than the US. The drawback here is that doctors are starting to complain about only getting 20 euros an hour whereas specialists get 60 euros an hour reimbursement by the state. Another issue that I think is becoming more and more common is that in hospitals - doctors cannot get permanent positions so they work year after year on contract - eventually they get sick of it and the good ones are being forced to move on - to where I’m not sure. I’ve just heard this about the big hospitals around Paris and that the quality of care is beginning to suffer because of it. Finally, I have one gripe and that is the Americans (of which I am one) and Brits who come to France to get care. They are rich and resourceful and they see that the French system is very good but at a fraction of the cost, so they come here (france) to get treated - because for example in the British health care service you can wait 2 years to get an MRI on your knee if you need knee surgery…. I have to admit it sorts of sticks in my throat that these folks come to france to get care … I worry about abuses will eventually overwhelm the system.
American Abroad Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 7:29 am
Of course the U.S. System needs to be changed. BUT:

1. Medical technology in the U.S., in terms of quality, is still number 1.

2. Europe follows the United States in terms of ground-breaking treatments (which is why the TB guy, Andrew Speaker risked his life to fly back to that hospital in Colorado).

3. National heathcare systems in the UK, Scandinavia, and other European countries can (and often do) deny service, or make people wait for a long time - based on ad-hoc decisions of administrators.

4. Most of these countries support tax systems which would never work in the United States. Scandinavians pay between 40-70% taxes. Brits pay MUCH.

5. There are other options to NHS systems (which overall aren’t the best option). Mandatory private health insurance (required by law) is a good thing to look at. Mandatory minimal private coverage is also a good thing. That’s what Switzerland uses, and they are one of the best systems in Europe. (But even there, insurance prices have gone up 5 times in the past 10 years, and doctors complain about their lower salaries).

6. So the entire system requires examination. It isn’t just as simple as installing a NHS in America.

7. America needs universal coverage - OF COURSE. The question is how to implement it - in a way that doesn’t compromise our world-class technology, and that makes it possible for more people to afford it.

Just a note:

Cuba does indeed have good medical technology, and coverage, as the movie clip suggests - but what the movie doesn’t explain is that Cuba’s entire government funding structure has declined massively since the fall of the Soviet block - which used to prop up Cuba with financial inputs. They made a great emphasis on healthcare, which was a good example, but their entire system is struggling right now. Those guys in the movie probably got special treatment, to make a good example.

So Cuba makes a great example of how a tiny country can emphasize heathcare. They don’t make a great example of, free speech, among other things. But anyways, once Castro dies, the U.S. and Cuba will make amends. It is silly to hang onto that old grudge. Its an old Cold War relic. Like Mr. Fidel himself.
Dave Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Comming from Australia, we do pay higher rates of tax, however we have a public health care system (Medicare) which is not perfect by any means, but does NOT exclude the poor or charge the gross amounts of money that the U.S Health system does.

We also have private health care for the wealthy in Australia.

The people of American are some of the most warm, inteligent, courageous and thoughtful people I have ever met, and Michael Moore is one of them.
Kissy Dugan Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 9:09 am
I am an American who has been living in Rome, Italy for two years. Before moving here, as a healthy 34 year old female, I spent approximately $400 per month on Health Insurance. For $400 smackers a month I thought that policy should come scrub my toilets and tubs once a week! At that time, I knew that I was one of the luckier people as millions go without the safety net of insurance. I also knew that the current state of our healthcare system was in crisis.

One of the things I was looking forward to in Rome (in adiditon to my fiancee Marco, the food and the wine), was socialized medicine. When I became pregnant last fall, I wanted to pay for a fancy private clinic as part of my American mentality kept thinking, “You get what you pay for.” Marco insisted that I use the public system as he explained that if there were any complications with the baby or me, the best place would be in the public hospitals.

I trusted him, but still lacked complete trust in the system. And nine months later I can honestly say I was WRONG.

On April 29, I gave birth to my son prematurely via emergency cesarean section. Unbeknownst to me and my doctor, I had undiagnosed preeclampsia which was assymptomatic. This condition causes the mother’s blood pressure to soar, while cutting off that of the fetus. It can be fatal to both mother and child especially when gone undiagnosed (I had been through every test known to modern medicine and this condition never showed up).

During a check up on April 27, the doctor noted that my blood pressure was high. Thenext morning, the hospital began to monitor me… the fetal monitor showed no signs of distress. Not thinking it could be eclampsia, I wanted to go home. But when my blood pressure continued to rise, I was admitted. After 12 hours I woke with a headache and saw a nurse checking the fetal monitor. The average fetal heart rate is 125 BPM. My son’s was 57. Then I began to seize and lost my vision. We were both in grave danger.

Within minutes, I was in the operating room and they were delivering the baby.
Delivery is the only cure for eclampsia.

My son was immediately whisked off to the neo-natal unit, He stayed in the neonatal ICU for 17 days. He was given top notch care by excellent doctors and nurses who utilized state of the art technology.
AND I NEVER SAW A BILL!

There was no 80-20 split, no co-pay, no pre-approved nonsense.

Not only was his care excellent, but the hospital also supplied other services for parents with children in recovery. There were psychologists on hand, a room for the mothers to relax (or pump milk) in, and hot and nutritious meals were provided for pennies.

A sick child is like a great equalizer; it can happen to anyone- rich or poor. In the US, wealthier people can get excellent care because they can pay for it. But working class or lower income families do not get the same treatment. This is disgusting. Not only was I thankful for the care that we were receiving, but I was also happy to see that EVERY family in the neonatal unit received the same standard of excellence no matter what their income.

In the US, it is our right to be provided with an attorney if we break the law and cannot afford one. But what about a doctor? Shouldn’t health care be looked upon with more precedence than say petty theft or B&E? The system is broken and must be fixed.

Today me and my son are alive and healthy because of a system that works AND we don’t have to take out a second mortgage on our apartment!

P.S. well informed Italians ADORE Michael Moore and will be looking forward to this new film. And so will I! Thanks for causing people to think AGAIN. Keep it up.
Rachel Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I am Canadian. I think that pretty much says it all.

No, we don’t have the fastest service. Its not McDonalds. Like a good restaurant, you have to wait for your food.

Hey! its free! and I would not want it any other way.
cooper dubois Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Mike,

I got into a really bad car accident in mexico city. I was unconscious, they took me to the hospital, i woke up the next day. three days later i was out of the hospital. i had cracked ribs, brain swelling, the works. i had the best care i have ever had in a hospital and I didn’t even speak thier language.

ambulance ride, 24 hour doctor supervision for three days, meds all came to $240 - less than one month’s insurance premiums here.

oh, and the main doctor checked on me everyday for a week after i was out.
Joni Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
France: You’re sick, you call for a doctor, within an hour a competent doctor is at your door, the bill is $50, prescriptions a fraction of the U.S. price.
U.S.: Makes you sick just thinking about it.
Eric Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
My 80 year old aunt in Sweden had to have a hip replacement. It took two years before she could get the surgery because of delays due to the backlog of cases for surgeons. Two days after the surgery before she could move they sent her home. It was ten months later before she could see a doctor for a followup visit and get scheduled for physical therapy because of the continued backlog of patients. She never gets to see the same doctor twice. My cousin’s stories about the treatment his sick daughter received are just as bad.

The socialized system over there sucks as bad as the one we have here.
dave Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
I’m an American expat living in Taiwan–and the healthcare system here is absolutely beautiful, wonderful. It is a national system in which you pay either nothing or a small copay for a doctor’s visit and drugs (maybe $15 US)–and even for the most expensive emergency surgery the copay probably wouldn’t exceed $100 US. And, contrary to the conservatives who say that “socialized medicine” always results in huge wait times, in Taiwan you can always see a doctor of any specialty you want, for any problem, the same day that you get sick–and if surgery is needed, it can be schduled for a couple weeks later. Whereas in the supposedly speedy US you have either to schedule an initial visit 3 weeks in advance and then wait several months for the surgery. The quality of the medical care here is also top-notch, with expertly trained doctors and all the state-of-the-art equipment and drugs you would get in excellent US hospitals.
jesus galvez Says:
June 6th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Definitely you get what you pay for, I lived in Mexico most of my life, health coverage is free but you will probably die unless you go to a private hospital (in case you got money).
Geo Says:
June 7th, 2007 at 11:09 am
I am fortunate enough to have been born in Denmark, where healthcare is all taken care of by the government. The system is not perfect, but it is efficient, modern and most importantly, free. All my encounters with hospitals have been good. My mother was unfortunate enough to become seriously ill during a short vacation in the USA, but was taken to what she was told whas one of the best hospitals, at YALE. She got excellent care but was sent home with an insane bill. Thankfully, it was paid by the danish state, phew! I’m looking forward to seeing Sicko, hoping it will lead to americans one day joining the rest of the developed world and getting a proper health care system. Best of luck!
Carol Heiderman Says:
June 7th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
This happened to a very close relative of mine while she and her husband were traveling in Poland several years ago.
They were on a train when she became violently ill–at the first stop she was taken off the train on a stretcher and then by ambulance to the nearest hospital where she was diagnosed with kidney stones and treated. She stayed in the hospital for a couple of days–said that she received excellent and compassionate care. On being released, the physician who was in charge of her care said he was sorry she had gotten sick on her vacation and he hoped she’d enjoy the rest of it.
Even though they were Americans, they were never charged.
Kendall Frazier Says:
June 7th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
I lived in Manitoba & Saskatchewan (in Canada) for two years as a minister. While there, I found Canadian health care very good for people with routine problems. These people were quickly able to visit a physician and get a treatment… all for free. However, One of my friends required an MRI and was told he’d have to wait 6 to 18 months to get one. Also an elder woman in my congregation had a knee replaced, but had many residual problems with it. Finally, another friend of mine had constant headaches and the doctors there weren’t able to diagnose it. In short, their health care is free and good for routine problems; however, if you have serious, but not life threatening, diseases you might have to deal with long waiting lists.
Jim Birney Says:
June 8th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Let me start by saying I have been a huge fan of Michael Moore’s work.
As a dual citizen (US/Canadian) living in the US, (Florida) I can relate to both healthcare systems and their inherit pros/cons.
My parents used to winter here in FL and signed up for Humana to reduce their prescription costs. Little did they know they would be surrendering a large portion of their hospital coverage in the process. My father had a terrible stroke and was hospitalized. As 100 days neared I was contacted by Humana and told he would be discharged from thr hospital despite requiring constant hospitalization (tracheotomy). We were forced to mover him to a “nursing” home approved by Humana. Once there we were told they could not handle his respiratory needs and transferred him to a sister facility close to an hour away. As the magic 100 days of nursing home coverage neared we were again contacted and told he would either need to pay out of pocket or be released. My family flew back to Canada for one weekend, during that time I received a call indicationg he had suffered a heart attack (ironic) and had passed away. My mother never returned to the US despite owning a home here. As a senior she was terrified to surrender herself to the US Healthcare system.

As a result of this, I opened an outlet for Canadian medications to be sold to US seniors.(not mentioning name-not a plug). As a Canadian I knew the truth about Canadian medication (same). This industry came under tremendous pressure during the 04 election when W rewarded the Pharmaceutical industry with Medicare Part D by robbing US Seniors.

When I hear negative comments directed to socialized medicine I cringe. The lies told here in the US are ridulous. US citizens are expected to belive that socialzed medicine in Canada causes such long waits that people die waiting. This is a farce. My brother in law is a Canadian physician. Do you really think 30 million Canadians would not simply cross the border instead of expiring? Our border towns would be over run but its not happening-why? Because they have top shelf health care for FREE or close to it. They pay a little more in taxes, not near what our taxes plus health coverage totals.

Why are all the Pharmaceutical, insurance and health related companies publicly traded? They are hugely profitable thats why. Maybe we should forgo paying for our health insurance and invest in their stock, maybe then we can pay for our own well being.
Mike Pedersen Says:
June 9th, 2007 at 1:43 am
I’m a Canadian and I’ve been chronically ill for the past ten years. In that time I’ve been treated by my family doctor, an arrhythmia specialist, cardiologist and even a brief stint with a psychiatrist. The cost to me has been absolutely nothing. I’ve never had any problems obtaining appointments and have never suffered any delays in treatment. I’d hate to see what my bill would’ve been had I been a U.S. citizen receiving that care in the U.S.! Our system isn’t perfect here, but atleast EVERYONE is treated equally.
Thomas Says:
June 9th, 2007 at 6:47 am
I can see that I am fortunate enough to live in Denmark,
Our healthcare is not perfect, but almost.

At age 16(22 now) i got diagnosed with diabetes(type 1), but at local hospital they dont use that kind of insulin i use, so the government pays for doctors visit at denmarks only diabetes hospital.

I dont have to worry about the bill, it is payed for by my taxes

If a citizen in Denmark goes to another country inside europe and you get sick, you just have to bring social security card(every one in denmark has one) to the local hospital and the government will take care of the bill for you, and this also count for countries outside europe.

But we have to pay for this service, and that is like 50$ A YEAR for an travel insurance.

But unfortunately there has been cases where the bill was not refunded by the PRIVATE health care system, but there are obligated to do so in denmark.
katie love Says:
June 9th, 2007 at 8:08 am
As a nurse from the US I have done international medical relief trips. As the majority are either religious based or government funded my everyday experience caused me to question the ethics of these programs, and eventually for me to leave this type of humanitarian work. People would be started on a medication with zero follow up…good luck if your BP crashed or you had an allergic reaction. No birth control, no discussion of preventative methods, no suggesting divorce or leaving a spouse (even in the case of extreme physical, mental, or sexual abuse which is common in some developing areas). No programs for alcohol or drug addiction -just say no, and all of the religion base groups had an associated mission policy which often lead to a feeling by the patients that they must believe in this God, in this way, to get treatment. I didn’t last long, but still am greatly haunted to know that people need basic care, can’t get it from their governments, or a corrupt medical system based on bribes (as in Romania), and have to be subjected to questions of faith or getting biased/judgmental cure not holistic/meaningful care. thank you.
Aramax Says:
June 9th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
http://aramax.wordpress.com/2007/02/24/political-rant-part-1-cash-cows-smackdown/
Tim Says:
June 9th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
I spent about three years in Canada, in Manitoba, and dealt with their health care system. (My own involvement was marginal at best, really; it was my ex-wife who faced the lion’s share of our health problems.)

Here are a few facts about the Canadian system (in Manitoba):

1) It’s hard to find a general practitioner that is currently taking on new patients. There are few general practitioners willing to work for the system, and those that are willing generally have quite a full plate. My wife’s doctor was willing to take me on as a patient, but only because I’m a male and she had very few, if any, male patients.

2) Scheduling a surgery for anything but a life-threatening illness takes far too long. My ex-wife was experiencing a great deal of pain due to knee problems, and a surgery that could have been finished within two weeks in the US took place approximately six months after her diagnosis.

3) There are few surgeons willing to work for the system and, as with any system with a high quota but a low number of volunteers, low-quality, sometimes inept applicants are approved. After a six-month wait, the surgery was less than successful, to put it kindly. My ex-wife’s knee pain continued. She also began experiencing the same condition in her other knee; understandably, she was not thrilled by the thought of going through the same process again.

4) Emergency rooms in Canada are a joke, too. The same long waits and poor service that plague our hospital systems are present in Canada’s vaunted health care system.

The only difference between our system and their system is when you pay for your health care (before service in taxes or after in an invoice), and to whom the money goes. The answer to the problem, there as here, is simple: Don’t get sick.
Paul Harris Says:
June 10th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Comparisons with UK and USA from a Brit!

I am English and due to poor health I had to take time off work- two years in fact. The health service here is not amazing- but it it is very good - and when you need it you get great people helping you out and it is free to everyone who needs it.

I spent 1 month in the Hospital for infectious and tropical diseases and was finally diagnosed with an autoimmune problem which is now being treated. BUT whilst I was off work I decided to visit my wealthy friends in America and I have to say I was gob-smacked!

I due to no income stayed with my poor friends at a poor man’s college campus. There were waves of people who had ailments that needed operations and I asked why they did not get it done - they said that they would wait till after college so that they could save up to pay for the operations as they could not afford health care !!!!!!

What shocked me most was a poor girl who collapsed by the side of the road and an ambulance had been called but her family were round her trying to revive her as they could not afford the ambulance ride!!! This I found to be quite offensive!

When I told them that in England they would have got it free - they were shocked and did not beleive me!

When I spoke to my rich friends they told me that it was more or less a lie - and that everyone gets health care in the USA and if you cannot afford it the state would pay - and they seemed to be in denial! What I did not like was their view that we had “socialised medicene” and tried to draw parrallels with Socialisim and communism - which just goes to show their ignorance! It seems that there is a myth in the USA which labels any global system as neo-communist!

The fact of the matter is - the Health care in the USA is probably good - and the reason is - is that they just treat the people that can afford it!

When the USA can spend enoough money on bullets guns and missiles - since the vietnam war an equivalent of £26 million dollars a day for every day since the birth of Christ - you have to wonder - infact you could be the healthiset nation on the planet! What would that do to your economy? How much wealthier would that make you?!! (George Bush are you listenning?!)

Micheal you do a great job with your movies - maybe some of my poor buddies will get good health care as a result of what you have done.

It’s just a shame that the extremists have to make you look like a villain as you have exposed them for what they are. After all they have been rumbled - what else can they do?!

We still have private healthcare here - so people have a choice - but your country is in need of a global system - for everyone - not so that just the rich can look after themselves!

You can still have a right wing government in Europe and a global healthcare system - and you do not have to be a communist - if you want private healthcare you can still have it!

Freedom of choice and a right to health welfare and education are a basic human right - it’s a shame that George Bush does not beleive that and is abusing human rights in your country!

I must add that when I was in the tropical and infectious hospital a man was brought in in the middle of the night - he was very ill with a high fever and was calling out for Jesus as he thought he was dieing. He had just got off a plane from Africa and was diagnosed with malaria. Within 3 days he was able to talk and he said that he had come to the UK for bible classes when he was taken ill. He could not beleive that he was in a hospital and that he had survived as in Africa he would to have to have bribed all the officials in the village to get him into hospital - otherwise he would have died. He called his friends on the phone and he cried out - I am in Hospital and I am alive and it is free - they saved my life -thank Jesus and he was grateful indeed.

I thought that the USA was light years ahead of Africa!

Best of luck

Yours getting better

Paul Harris UK
Beth Says:
June 10th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
When I moved to Germany to study, part of the visa process involved providing evidence to the German gov’t that I had health insurance, which I did and so they let me in.

One night while I was there, I injured my wrist in a fall and went to the hospital. I didn’t have proof of insurance wuth me, so the hospital said they would bill me, so I can work it out with my insurance company later. After few x-rays, consultation with 2 doctors, a molded cast, a follow-up visit, and a temporary cast (total time = about 2 hours), my bill came out to be only $140. That was so negligible that my parents just paid it out-of-pocket. I was not only pleased with my service but also amazed that the bill was not several hundred dollars.

I compare this incident to when I went to the emergency room in Atlanta a few years ago due to an injured ankle. It took 4 hours for a nurse with an x-ray to tell me I was fine and send me home with an ice pack and some used crutches. No follow-up or pain medication. And it still cost me $100 for the emergency room service.

Denis Kucinich is the only Washington representative I’ve heard talk about the concept of a not-for-profit insurance agency.
Yvonne Says:
June 10th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
I am a Canadian … need I say more.
Melanie Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 7:06 am
Hi Michael,

Thanks so much for making this movie. As a Canadian with some American friends and family, I’ve always been shocked when I hear stories of people being charged for life-saving operations. Don’t get me wrong, our system has many flaws, the biggest being long wait times, but I still prefer it to a system where your personal income determines your health care options.

Also, in the summer of 2005, I went on a tour of Europe and while in Germany I came down with a stomach bug. My tour guide brought me to the emergency room of the hospital in the little town of Boppard, where I was seen almost immediately by a doctor who assessed me and gave me sample packs of an anti-nauseant. When I took out my traveler’s insurance papers and credit card, I was waved off and told to go home and rest. My cabin-mate, a girl from New Jersey, couldn’t believe it, and spent the whole next day pestering me with questions about the Canadian health care system in total disbelief that such a thing existed.

To be completely honest, every time that I or one of my family members has to be hospitalized, I think about how lucky we are to have socialized health care and how we all need to be willing to fight for it if our government tries to change it. I pray for all those Americans who go bankrupt trying to pay their medical bills and especially for those who ignore medical conditions on the grounds that they are unable to afford to have them treated.
Scott Porot Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
My father is a doctor, and his entire life he has taken the patient before his money. He has treated patients who were denied nessecary care, and been denied payment by probably every insurance company in this country. Patients AND Doctors are getting screwed here.

He is also a French-American, and all of his children, myself included, are French citizens. Last year, I went on a road trip of eastern Europe with my brother, after a few days on the trip I started getting a sore throat and had problems swallowing. It was serious, so in Vienna I went to the University of Vienna Medical Center. First off, I was in and out with prescriptions, spending a majority of my time with a Doctor, and never being asked for any form of payment, in about 45 minutes. Second, we did finally recieve a bill about 2 months later for about $10 for a “processing fee”, they even made a special note of thanks to us foriegn citizens for trusting their health system. I dont think I could breath in the emergency room here in the states for less than $100 a hour.
christine Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Hi Michael,
I really like your work and I encourage you to continue. Here’s my opinion of Canadian ( Quebec ) health care. Although we seem privilegied by our “free system” here, let me tell you that it is far from paradise! If you could make a film about canadian “free system”, you’d probably have as much to say about it than what you’ve seen in U.S.A. Here, we have to wait months and sometimes a year of more to get an operation. While you’re waiting for the call of the hospital, you are on pain killer pills. I’m sure some people are dead before they get to see a surgeon. The day you are supposed to get your operation, it happens often that at the last minute, after a long day waiting your turn, they send you back home because they cancel…It can happen two, three times for the same person…imagine the stress and the pain.
For my personal experience, I was supposed to get an urgent operation that usually is done the same day, but I had to be hospitalised for 11 days, after a full night of wait in emergency room…, getting pain killer, drugs, not able to eat most of the time, getting injections after injections, and been victim of several errors. Finally, I got my first operation…no sorry, they cancelled me the first time. The second time, they tried to operate but failed because the doctor is not very experienced in that kind of surgeon. The third time, I had to be transfered by taxi in another hospital and waited a whole day in emergency room before getting the operation. But after that one, they had to transfer me again in my first hospital…in a truck! I was holding myself my solute bag otherwise it would bounce on the road to come back, no hook to hang it properly! I was still drugged from the last operation I had an hour or two before. When I came back to my first room at the first hospital, a doctor came to me to tell they were going to proceed for the fourth time to operate me because there was still something else to do before sending me back home to recover…They’ve operated around 9 at night and I had to stay another two days at hospital…for something that usually is considered as a one day operation and go back home.
I also met once a doctor who diagnosted me for depression while I was only having allergies…and another one told me I had a thyroid problem that needed medication but in fact, I was having the opposite and needed the opposite medication…it took me 4 visits to different doctors who all told me to take that pill but I wasn’t satisfied of their answers because I was having exactly the opposite symptoms that the first doctor told me about. Finally, I’ve met a specialist but I had to insist, so he listened and order more investigation and finally I was right all the way! If I had took that first medication I was supposed to take, It would have send me right through the hospital!
So these are only some exemples…if you thougth canadian system is better, think again…it has its defaults too…
Nicolas Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Dear friends,

I am French and live in France.
I will not comment more on the French health system which is good, efficient and cheap, especially in hospitals.
However, i must say we have problems here as well:
Prescriptions filled by doctors are often “too generous” in quantity.
The French litterally “eat” drugs.
I think Pharmacists and drug companies profit from the “sécurité sociale” at the expense of patients and the system. Hopefully, advertising for drugs is very strictly regulated. If not, we would “eat” even more pills.
Rare specialists like ophthalmologists in wealthy neigberhoods often charge “extra” (up to 60 euros for a consultation).

My experience of health care in Asian countries was also good, even in private clinics.
Being a westerner with a credit card certainly helps, and I never had serious helath problems abroad.

I know nothing about the north american system, so I’m looking forward to see michael’s movie.

Take care !
chantel Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Hey there,

I’ll try my hardest to be good and not go on and on about how incredibly sexy your mind, voice, and witt are..instead sticking to the topic at hand.

I’m a fortunate Canadian whose mom just underwent heart surgery. The time that had elasped from when we found out she needed the surgery, had it, recovered in the hospital, came home, took only a month. It was during this time that it struck me how immensely blessed we are to live where we do, to not have this added burden on our shoulders. We were worried for her life yet all I could think of was the people who were going through this same thing but who had the added worry of possibly having to sell their home/belonings.. things they have obtained throughout their life, just to keep their life. Even if they were to make it out alive, this “life” would be changed.

The US “has” the money to invade various countries… to speak of freedoms and rights that should be theirs, yet they don’t allot what they preach of to their own people. Health care is only one form of this hypocrisy obviously, but a huge one. It’s beyond me how other “less fortunate” countries have afforded their people this basic right, yet a country that brags of it’s riches denies it’s citizen of the most basic of needs. Gosh, it’s not even a want..it’s a NEED. People get sick, that’s reality.

It’s just deplorable that some people would opt not to have a life saving surgery because of the finacial component… or further still, how some insurance companies would with hold certain treatments, thereby causing death, in order to save money. Apparently there is a price on a person’s life and it varies depending on which insurance company you happen to be with, if any, at the time.

I really do thank you for having the courage to speak up against that which isn’t right (even if it requires going to ridiculous means in order to elicit a response). Thank you too for giving voice to others. All of your work has been empowering to watch. Keep up the great work, you’re an inspiration!
Jenn Says:
June 11th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
My family lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Here in British Columbia, a great many hospital emergency rooms in all but the largest Urban Centers have been shut down, or had their hours seriously chopped.. The ER may not be closed, but there will be no doctor to treat you should you come in.. Ambulances have to divert patients from their home cities to other hospitals 50 to 100 miles away. Those living in the largest Urban area’s of British Columbia experience a different quality of care than Rural British Columbian’s. They have access to all the fancy diagnostic procedures, and access to 24 hour a day emergency room treatment, while those in Rural British Columbia do not.

My Mother has thyroid cancer. It took over a year to get a diagnosis. Waiting times for CT and MRI scans are 8 months +. There is demand to run these machines and provide the services 7 days a week, but the Government will only give enough $$ for these machines to be run 2 days a week.. Hence the ridiculously long wait times. My Mom had to travel 250 miles away from home to have an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist perform the surgery. When her Cancer reoccurred 5 years later, she waited 8 months for a PET scan. I had to drive her over 500 miles for the test (just last month). It took over 9 months to get confirmation that her cancer had reoccurred. Sure, Canadian Healthcare is low cost, if people are dying waiting for services, who’s the real winner?

My father had prostate cancer.. He had to travel 250 miles from his home to had radiation therapy.. He had to stay in this city for a full 6 weeks while undergoing therapy.. This is unneeded stress that the cancer patient does not need. My Dad also had to travel that same 250 miles for spine surgery. He had to wait over 9 months for the surgery. Can you imagine sitting in a car 4 days after spinal surgery, and having to drive for 5 hours? Yes, Canadian Healthcare is low cost… but is this really better?? I say No! Cheaper isn’t always better.

My father had carotid artery blockage. His doctor said he could have surgery for the blockage, but said it was still experimental.. .. This vascular surgery is commonplace in the US.

My Dad was hospitalized near the end of his life. He’d suffered several TIA’s (mini strokes). On the day he was scheduled to be released, he suffered a large stroke, yet hospital workers tried to tell us Dad was fine… see.. .they needed that bed… Anyway, after a month of what I call substandard medical care (I’m comparing it to Medical Care I received while living in the US), Dad mercifully passed away.. I firmly believe that Dad would still be alive today had he lived in the United States instead of British Columbia , Canada.

British Columbia Medical coverage is not free. Everyone but the very poor have to pay. Prescription Drugs, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, Accupuncturists, Naturopathic Medicine, Physical Therapy Services, Dental Services, and Optometric Services are not covered.

Having been a consumer of Medical Services on both sides of the US/Canada Border. I’d take the US Healthcare Model anyday.
Alejandro Says:
June 12th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Hola Miki, aqui en España la salud corre a cargo del estado, podría funcionar mejor, pero no tienes que pagar nada. Prefiero pagar más impuestos y en época de recesión tener servicios públicos o en caso de catástrofes que se encargue el estado de la seguridad no como pasó con el Katrina.

Saludos!
Chris Says:
June 12th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
My mother lost her job at age 59. She later broker her wrist at age 60. The Dallas County ER put several permanent screws into her wrist during surgery. She is an American citizen and has worked full-time paying taxes for over 30 years. Yet she still had to pay over $2,000 Co-Pay to state Medicaid to cover surgery, therapy, and prescription medicine. During this whole 12-month ordeal , I noticed that the ONLY people getting FREE healthcare throughout Dallas Parkland Hospital were the “Illegal Aliens”. People were leaving the maternity ward and getting their broker arms fixed without paying a single dime. Conclusion: To get FREE or AFFORDABLE healthcare in America, you must renounce your U.S. Citizenship.
Maria Says:
June 12th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Michael,

I’m originally from Argentina. For some time, I did not have health insurance back there. But I was still able to see doctors and get prescriptions at no charge at the public hospitals. And the doctors were excellent. The system had its flaws, of course. Sometimes, they could not give you appointments for weeks, even months. But they’d not let you suffer unnecessarily. And if your kid needed a heart transplant, they would still help you, your kid would get the transplant, you would not lose your house or anything, and you’d not have to recourse to a John Q tactic to get the attention the child and your family deserved.

My mother once suffered from terrible hemorragies. He got the best medical attention in the province and we did not have to pay a cent for it.

I didn’t know what I had back there until I had already moved to the United States and had to use my health care service for the first time. Being this a country with so many resources, with so much technology, and so on, I’d not believe how you cannot get basic medication without a prescription and pay and arm and a leg for it. There are medications in this country for which a prescription is needed. The same medications have been sold for years, even decades in other countries and over the counter.

Seven years after I moved to the U.S.A., I still don’t have a family doctor. I can’t trust them. I have been prescribed pills that I was not supposed to take. Tests that I did not need had been ordered. I’ve been even misdiagnosed with general anxiety dissorder when all I needed was a vacation and an aspirin. I’m still receiving bills for the one time I had to go to an emergency room over two years ago. I’m worried sick about getting sick.

As an immigrant, I had to go through the regular tests that INS forces you to go through. The doctors were concerned about my having been given shots (immunizations) for things that are not normal here. They could not understand that in Argentina, the Government gives free vaccines and that they have a mandatory plan of immunizations for all of their population. So we may receive way more vaccines that the average American. The Goverment there prefers spending more money in protecting their people through immunizations than having to deal with epidemics.

While going through that INS process, they gave me shots for stuff that as an adult, you shouldn’t be receiving at all. But I wanted to comply and I had to put my health at risk for the greater good of becoming one day a U.S. citizen. I took that risk. I didn’t get sick, but I was very worried because based on my experience with doctors here, they can’t get out of the mould.

I’ve been a legal immigrant since day 1 as I came here under employment sponsorship. So I get the same benefits an American gets. I have to pay my taxes, too. But for the first time in my life I felt that as an American (or future one), I was actually taking a huge step backward in my life and not forward when I had to deal with the medical system here. For the first time, I felt that a South American country was actually better than this country, which I love otherwise I would not be here. This is the United States of America, a country that helped to rebuild Europe after WWII; a country that came out of a Great Depression like no other country ever saw; a country that was able to put a man on the Moon. I don’t understand how such country cannot have the health care (and educational) system that its great people deserve.

To be honest with you, if I ever need a major procedure, I’m going back to where I was born and, once my health is restored, then I’m heading back north, where I belong now. But not everybody has that option.

Thank you!
J Says:
June 12th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
I’m Canadian. Let me start off by saying HEALTH CARE IN CANADA IS NOT PERFECT. I once waited ten hours in the ER with a head injury. But it is nice to be in the waiting room thinking “when this is done I’ll feel better” instead of thinking “how am I going to pay for this?”
Stephen Phillips Says:
June 13th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Michael,
I have had the opportunity to see more of hospitals in the UK than I would have liked but, although we constantly complain about our NHS (National Health Service) we are extremely lucky. As a child I was diagnosed with an ear complaint that required surgery and left me deaf in my right ear. I have been seeing my consultant for 21 years and I hope they don’t send me a bill for all those appointments.
I’ve also had my appendix removed, I did get a lift to A&E but a weeks hospital stay and 3 ultrasound scans and a 4 hour op to get the thing out, again not a penny.
My latest trip was rather more serious I was diagnosed with an enlarged aorta that would need replacing at some point so 4 years of bi-annual ultrasound scans and meeting with a consultant then this February I was told we should start thinking about having the operation. I was even able to give a rough date of when it would be most convenient for me!! Whilst I was in I had an angiogram 3 ECG’s 2 ultrasounds and then the operation itself which lasted 7 hours. I woke up (happily) and spent a week in hospital being looked after by an amazing team of doctors and nurses. Cost = 0. The service is so brilliant that when I was worried about something that happened at home my Registrar (one down from consultant) told me to pop back into the ward and he’d check me out!!!
Of course thats not strictly true I contribute National insurance payments so I paid a tiny bit of my op and the Great British public paid the rest. The system has its faults and is constantly a politically contentious issue but, get sick here it free at the point of service. Our nurses don’t get paid enough but thats another story.
Good luck with the film Michael. I hope one day you get an NHS to complain about.
Stephen Phillips UK
Johannes Maurits Says:
June 13th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I live in the Netherlands and I am insured. But the insurance rates here are also high. I pay close to €250,- EUR a month. At least I am covered for everything.
whitney Says:
June 13th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I have been suffer from a mental disorder for the past few years now. i have received care from the hospital and doctors multiple times. i livein the wonderful country of canada so all of my visits were free, as well as my medication. i would not have been able to receive any treatment if the healthcare was not free because my family would not have been able to afford. a half a million dollars for an operation? give me a break. what average person can afford that? everyone should be given the right to live. the american government needs to get his head out of his ass.
Zauder Says:
June 14th, 2007 at 8:48 am
As a Brazilian national living in Japan, I became a lot more sensitive about the differences in medical services between east and west.

Japan does not have a very good curative health system, but it more than compensates for it in preventive health care and lifestyle.

Brazil, unfortunately, seems to be going the American way with all the private health care businesses that do not really care much about the sick. Yet, not all is lost, because the concept of socialized health care does exist and is deeply ingrained in society, and as low quality as government free health service may be, it is available for anyone.
Isabel Says:
June 14th, 2007 at 8:49 am
I can´t understand american Health care. I´m spanish, here everybody can go to the hospital, take medicines….and doesn´t matter if you are legal or ilegal….if you get sick you have the right to go to a hospital….you don´t have to worry for paying health insurance, because nobody pays!….I´m happy I don´t live in USA
Jenni Rauhala Says:
June 14th, 2007 at 9:59 am
I do not claim that we in Finland have a perfect health care system. However having lived in the States and Canada earlier, too, I prefer this system.

No one will be ordered home even if they have no money. Everyone with Finnish citizenship or permanent residence permit can use the public health care system. And if one opts for the private health care, heck, the government will pay approximately half of your bill of that, too!
Gerry Says:
June 14th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Hy there

I’m from Germany.
Back in 1993 I fell ill of leukimia and needed a bone marrow transplatation which I get in 1995.
My insurance company not only paid for my every day expenses, cause I could’nt work any more, but for the howl treatment, includig finding a donor that fits, which they found in the UK (thanks Lynne) but for the transplantion and the treatment after that as well.
The transplantation alone was worth about 350.000 Euros, which would be aprox. 400.000 US Dollars.
To this day, I get checked once a year, for the rest of my life, and never, ever payed, or will pay a single cent.

I never forget the many times when my mother, who lived in the US for seven years, said: Son, when this happend to you in the US, you probably have to die.
I never thought about that, but now, thanks to Michael Moore, I’ll finaly get it.
k. david i.j. Says:
June 14th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Master Card research just rated London as the best city for business. Universal health care is probably going to attract a great deal of highly-educated American talent to Europe in the next ten years.

Read the book “Flight of the Creative Class” to understand how these forces might work.
Sheila Trapovska Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 2:19 am
Hi

I see you have a comment from the UK. Admittedly it is better than nothing, and, still free at the point of treatment, as we pay for it out of taxation. tax money which is being diverted from health to war, in the Middle East. The NHS is under attack, from crank health facists, to government ministers, including Tony Blair, Bush’s biggest fan who want to adopt the American model - unlike the rest of Europe. Gordon Brown and his followers, Gordon and the Gangrene Gangsters to the NHS, do not hold out much promise for a better NHS; once the model for healthcare globally. Now underfunded, overloaded with bureaucratsic managers, running on the good will of overworked, underpaid, but, great doctors and nurses. The UK NHS is in under continual threat in dire straits. London - June 2007.
Idoia Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 4:50 am
I’m form Spain, and I have to say that our Health Care is probably one of the best in the world.

Yes you have to wait to have a normal surgery, if is an emergency no, yo have to wait to have a specialist look at you, but you know what? i don’t care is free. We only have to pay for the medicines and only 40% of the cost.

You can also pay if you don’t want to wait, but is your choice.
Stuart Price Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 6:13 am
Hello,

I am 29 years old and from the UK. Two years ago I got a large hernia in the front of my abdomen, so I went to see the doctor, who diagnosed it straight away. I was living in Liverpool at the time and didn’t know my way around too well, so he organised an ambulance to collect me and take me to the hospital. When we got there I realised it was an extremely nice hospital and enquired as to why (by nice, I mean really nice!) and was told it was a private hospital. I asked if I was going to have to pay, and that I would prefer NHS as I was a student and didnt have much money. I was told that I being treated privately for free, the cost of which would be absorbed by the NHS on my behalf. The operation went very well, the staff were incredible and I thank my lucky stars every single day that I live in a country that provides for its sick for free. I gladly pay my Nation Insurance in the knowledge that it supports one of the best systems in the world, even though the press want to constantly criticise it!
Zauder Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 6:33 am
What’s all these crticisms about socialized medicine being a feature of socialism or communism? I just cannot understand why Americans still touch on that issue every now and then… isn’t the United Kingdom, cradle of capitalism and industrialization doing fine with socialized medicine?

We’re past Nazism, we’re past the Cold War! Americans need to let go of that!
martin Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
Hi, just wanna say, denmark has got a great healtcare system, it´s always there, for us all. but slowly going down the drain, with our goverment here in denmark loving G.W BUSH too much.
martin. DK
Thomas Sheahan Says:
June 15th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
The US spend over 16% of their GDP on healthcare.(The US GDP is the largest in the world). The UK, France, Germany and Canada all spend around 11% of their GDP. The US is not even in the top 25 for life expectancy!! Australia spends 5% of its GDP on healthcare and they are the second longest living people on the planet.

The US Healthcare system is ineffecient and too expensive. NATIONAL HEALTHCARE NOW!!! Lower cost and better coverage. Throw any candidate out of office, who doesnt support a National Healthcare Policy.

I have lived in Australia and the UK, both have far superior healthcare systems. My father was a president of a NYSE company, his life took a turn for the worse and died with out healthcare coverage.

HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT - NOT A PRIVLEDGE
Lindsay Says:
June 16th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Australia Here!
Medicare is free or you pay a AUD$40 gap which you get back.
you can walk into a public hospital and be treated fairly quickly… ALL FREE. No matter how much you earn if you are a director of an oil company and go to a public hospital is free.

You also have the choice of private cover and that entitles you to going to a private hospital. having your own rooms and a more ‘at call’ service.

Most Medicines are covered by the PBS (pharmaceutical benefits scheme) and all you pay for them is around AUD$5
no matter who you.

most working people have to pay a gap (usually AUD$40) when they go to the GP or ‘family doctor’…. if you are a low income earner it’s completely free. because with social security you get a health care card on top of your medicare.
Bart Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 2:41 am
I lived in Taiwan for several years. Even as a foreigner, I received cheap, excellent care for a pittance. Taiwan has a 6% income tax and one of the largest defense budgets per capita in the world–the result of its standoff with China. If they can do it, why can’t we?
Peter Wilson Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 4:48 am
Hi, im British, i live in Finland(The Twighlight zone) been here 10 years now. In Britain we have the National health service, no one should knock it, because as far as im concerned its Lightyears ahead of Finland, i try never to go to the Doctor here, have not been for years now.

My first time i needed to go, i had slipped on the soapy shower room floor, thanks to my flatmate trying to impress his new girlfriend at how tidy his place was and pouring soup everywhere.

I bent my finger back and split the skin badly there, spraying blood everywhere, i used plasters to cover it and went to the local Heath center.

The Doctor there took scissors and cut through the plaster holding my fingers together and right into the split between the fingers making it much larger, blood shot everywhere all over the doctor, floor everything, i ended up with at least 2 more stitches.

Then my ex-wife was having our son, hes eight now, they put all kinds of sensors on her and went away, outside the room was a central location where they all sat and watched the screens and drank coffee and chatted.

I was next to the wife and watching the printout next to the bed, i had been through it before three times with my other childrens births, i told the staff i thought something was happening, no its nothing yet.

Then a nurse came and my wife said i need to go to the toilet, the nurse help her to get there, well when she sat down there was the babies head coming out, so they all ran about having a panic, my son was born and is healthy, still it was not a good way to start life with your head down the toilet!.

As for Dentists, those F–ing butchers!, i broke a front tooth and because i was not working at that time i needed help to pay the enormous bill, they put me through hell, did a bad job repairing it and caused a severe infection which resulted in me looking like Quozimodo, finally after 8 months of Hell, they let me go private, to fix it and in one day the other Dentist fixed it and no trouble since.

I am afraid to go to any of them here, anymore, the strange thing is i had treatment before in Estonia(worked there 10 yers ago), and the standard was far better, the Dentist told me what he was doing all the time, he did a good job and i felt he cared about the the job he was doing.

I think the main problem in Finland is its almost impossible to Sack someone, easier to cover things up, and it seems to be so hard to complain, just finding someone is the hardest.

God bless the British National Health Service, with all its faults its still the best as far as im concerned.

Peter Wilson

P.S. God bless the Queen also!
Mike Wester Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 6:47 am
I live in China and run a company that has about 15 expats. All expat-oriented heath plans will cover you for EVERY COUNTRY AND REGION IN THE WORLD except for North America for one price … and if you want to add cover for North America, the price DOUBLES.
Eun Lee Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I’m not sure if it is appropriate to glorify what happens with medical care outside of the US and to say that medical care in the US is systematically terrible. I think it all depends on which doctor you may find wherever you may be. There are good doctors in the US and good doctors outside of the US, just as there are bad doctors in the US and bad doctors outside of the US. I have had some doctors in the US see me and my children for FREE and still do a fast and fantastic job. I also know someone who was treated by one of the best cancer facilities in the world (which just happens to be in the US) and he is completely in remission now. I’ve seen quite a few hospitals in the world and I doubt that he would have had that kind of treatment anywhere else. On the other hand, I know a French man who didn’t have US health insurance try to find a doctor to look at his ear ache when he was vacationing in the US, and no one would look in his ear. Plus, when I had my first child in the US, the hospital sent me a bill 3 times for my hospital stay even though I had paid my bill in full upon discharge.

I live in France. Sure it only costs me 40 Euros to see my generalist (about 20 of which is reimbursed) and virtually nothing for medication. I also paid only 1000 Euros out of pocket to deliver my second child at a private clinic here (vs. around $15,000 in the US without insurance). Whenever my children have a high fever at night, I can call up SOS Medecins and a real doctor will come running over to my house to examine my chidlren within an hour after my call (at a slightly higher fee than with my normal GP, but still).

However, at the same time, there are really expensive hospitals here in France which provide luxurious treatment only accesible to the wealthy (who tend ironically be American expats). One French doctor even told me about how one doctor’s sick dog was examined in the ER over a waiting room full of sick people simply because that doctor was a doctor. Inequity still exists.

Worse than that, the doctors here think they are Gods. It has been rare for me to find a good doctor who’ll generally listen to you and to your needs. If you’re pregnant and you ask questions about your pregnancy, the doctors look at you as if you are insane (or at least threatening their authority). I regularly had to wait at least 3 hours to see my OB-GYN here, and when it came time for my second baby’s delivery, the staff at the hospital, including the doctor, ignored my desire to try for a VBAC (vaginal delivery after c-section). The doctor later discovered when performing my second c-section that my uterus had become too fragile, so he recommended that I no longer have any more children. Thanks a lot doc for taking away my choice to have children in the future! At least you got a higher fee for the c-section and the hospital got more money by my nearly week long stay post-op! Here’s another example about shoddy care. My son was circumcised when he was 2 without my consent simply because the surgeon (who was the head surgeon at a famous chldren’s hospital here) simply thought it was the right thing to do. No discussion with the parents. Just leave it to the doctor’s discretion. Granted, the doctor didn’t cut off my son’s testicles, but still, who gave him the right to perform surgery on my son and subject this small baby under general anesthesia without the knowledge of his parents? This doctor later had the gall to ask us to come back to see him a few more times afterwards so that he collect more money from us. Speaking of finding reasons to fish money out of patients, I have a mother-in-law who’s been treated for her rheumatoid arthritis for the past 20 years by the same physician. You would think that the doctor would feel some pressure to try to find a cure for her ailment after 20 years, but no. Not in this type of system.

All this to say that France may be one of the best countries in the world for medical care according to some surveys, but it isn’t all that great when you scratch the surface a little bit. Just like medical care in the States isn’t all that terrible when you look a little closer too. You find good stories and bad stories everywhere.
Gail Sredanovic Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
I have received care for myself or my children in six countries other than the U.S.
The best experiences were in Canada and Ireland, where care– in both cases urgent care on a Saturday morning– was prompt, careful and cheap. The modest charges were covered by my medical insurance at the time.

France worked well. I paid, but not a huge fee and the Securite Sociale reembursed me 80 percent.

Germany was a mixed bag. The doctor I saw twenty or so years ago was indifferent to pain and made a comment about Americans being sissies.

A more recent episode when I passed out in the Berlin airport landed me in the ER where care was prompt but ineffective. On my second visit to report worsening of some symptoms they just sent me away with a lecture. I ended up grabbing the first plane home where I collapsed with a whole complex of medical problems. I was transported semi-comatose by EMT’s to the hospital where I spent five days.

I paid about $100 a pop in cash for each of the two Berlin emergency room visits. Much later I got bills from the ambulance company and from the Berlin medical lab. It turns out that Medicare will not pay for care in Europe, which may be why they sent me away as they did, since they knew I was a Medicare patient.

In an odd way, since I did survive, they did me a favor by forcing me to go home, since being hospitalized over there would have been a personal and financial mess.

As for the U.S. after many years of being stuck in an HMO with a limited choice of doctors and a nasty delay-and-denial committee, I find Medicare to be vastly better and have benefitted greatly from being able to see my choice of docs. It’s meant extra driving, but I found the best thyroid diagnostician in the area who caught the thyroid cancer that the Stanford docs missed and had my surgery done by the best guy around. All with no bureaucratic hassles. With all its limitations, I still LOVE Medicare.
Phillip Halfhill Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Well, I don’t want to be apathetic, but the whole situation with healthcare in the USA has made me this way. My wife and I are 50 and have no access to healthcare.

My stepdaughter married a Canadian and became a resident alien on the path to citizenship. All of her births were covered - four in all. She broke her arm playing baseball - covered. Gall bladder surgery - covered.

And I’m trapped in this place where 20,000 die each year due to no access to healthcare. Where a large amount of the populace believes that the government having a hand in health is evil, communist and satanic - even as they suffer from no insurance or being taken advantage of and denied by insurance companies.

Well, these same folks pay for national defense, fire departments, law enforcement, public schools, roads, etc. and never question that at all. But healthcare….it is for the rich. The rest of us can die for all the right wing pundits care. And then they talk about Jesus? Give me a break.

So many people really don’t know how healthcare is conducted in the rest of the western democracies - They don’t know that it is a human right. And the media? Paris Hilton’s dog is more important to them than this issue.

This is not building a healthy society. Some day, unless this changes, and probably I won’t live to see it, it will lead to a revolution. You cannot deny people their needs without them becoming angry. People who work, pay taxes, etc. and cannot even see a doctor or who can end up on the streets if a medical emergency occurrs, or who can die before their time due to no preventive care - these are not happy people. They are the stuff that made the French Revolution.

I think I’ll try to move to Canada. I cannot live like this. Every time I get my hopes up, they steal the election.

My 15 year old daughter is type 1 diabetic. When she is 18 she will be cut off of CHIPS (Medicaid). And here in Idaho they don’t care if she dies. Its all about the money.

I’m a peaceful, nonviolent person. But I am assertively angry about all this. Didn’t the US sign the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Isn’t there something about healthcare in there? What a hipocritic nation. Its founders had slaves. Its policy conducted genocide against the Indians. Its always been about greed. Yeah, I’m an American, and we have changed for the better in some ways, and we must really take human rights seriously here. The whole world is watching.
Marcel Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
I’m a Canadian who’s been lucky enough not to sustain many serious injuries in my life. The longest I’ve had to wait in an emergency room in Toronto was 4 hours when I broke my pinky finger (admittedly not a pressing injury). When I had a fragment of steel embedded in my eye, I was under the care of a doctor within 20 minutes of my entering the hospital. And I’ve never paid a penny.

Your movie opened my eyes to how terrible the American system really is. I can’t imagine anyone who complains about the Canadian system would be able to open their mouth once they see your film and realize how terrible it could be. Anyone who suggests we adopt something along the US system is either insane, ignorant, or stands to profit.
Kaitlyn Says:
June 17th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Canada’s health care system isn’t perfect - not by a long shot. Often, we get very little say in what drugs we can receive (think chemo, not Robitussin), and the wait times for chronic conditions is painful: people needing joints replaced can wait months or years in agony. Prescription drugs are expensive, and I pay for my own glasses and dental care. That can all add up. Right now, I’m waiting until August to afford a pair of glasses to replace my broken frames, and dude - I’m pretty much blind without my specs.

However, I wouldn’t ever trade it in for America’s system. Or lack of system. As a member of the Canadian working poor, and a student, most of my money goes towards food and rent, but it’s a relief to know that if my lungs start to hurt, or if I fall down the stairs, or I start peeing blood, I’m going to see a doctor without worrying about it.

It’s shocking to me that health care - one of the basic tenets of Canadian life - isn’t offered to America’s poorest children. It’s shocking that people ignore painful symptoms because they can’t afford a day off work to see a doctor. It’s shocking that Wal-Mart is a major lobbyist for American health care. It’s shocking that this is allowed to exist in your rich country.

Health care is an investment in the population, and it’s an investment by everyone, into everyone else. It’s called “taking care of each other,” and it’s so sad that America - that progressive nation - hasn’t figured that out yet.

Cheers
Kaitlyn
Barbara Says:
June 18th, 2007 at 9:08 am
I was born in the US, lived in Italy for 15 years as a working adult (I have both US/Italian citizenships) and I thought the healthcare system there was abominable! You had to wait on long lines for any doctor visits. For Perscriptions for medication and tests you had to then go to another office to get them stamped (imagine the hours of work lost!). If you had a serious problem which I did on 3 separate occasions, anyone with any resources paid to go to a private doctor. I was also lucky enough to know some physcians - I was able to go to the head of the months long waiting lists for essential diagnostic testing. I could have been dead by the time my turn came up. I am very happy to be back in the USA. Before you criticize socialized medicine, live with it for a few years.
Tomas Aylwin Says:
June 18th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Hi Mike:
I’m a Chilean, Chile is the richest country in latinAmerica, and the country most likely to the united states, and also the most free economy in the face of the Earth.

Our health system has two big methods, the Isapres (private health system, with lots of companies), and FONASA (public health system).

My family has been with the ISAPRE ING since i can remember, and the system used to be very bad, because when you’re young and you don’t get sick they give awesome plans when even AIDS is for free, then, my father and my mother started to get older, and they said that any sickness they would have, they would pay 2000 dollars top, which was also very good, and then they got older, and the ISAPRE told’em they were risk clients, and the health insurance went up, and they gave’em less warranties, so if they get sick now, they would pay more money…even though, the system is not as bad as the US, because almost everyone can pay, and as long as you don’t get sick, everything would be ok…(there no plan more expensive than 200 a month) and if you get sick, that would be a pain in the ass, but you pay only 20% of the cost of your sickness…
recently, the state put some restrictions to the isapres, with basic plans of sickness they have to cover necesarely for free, and they are the 56 more common sickness, and they are rising it up to 85 next year, so that’s very good…the rest of the sicknesses…it’s up to the plan you choose…

if you don’t have money, or you just don’t want to pay an isapre, you go to FONASA, public health system…which covers the 56 pathologies of the AUGE plan for free…and the other pathologies that you can get…well…you just die…because although they will take care of them as well, the system is very slow, and they just don’t have the money to give you medical asistance, so, again…you will have to pay, so, if you’re poor, you’re dead…

but the good thing, is that they have plans, and most of the people get taken care of on those 56 pathologies…

ah, besides, being on isapre or fonasa, is an obligation if you have a job, your employer has to pay for that, on your salary, so, no one with a job has no health insurance, as i’ve seen with my cousin, who lives in the US and everytime he gets sick, he has to pay like 1000 dollars…that’s crazy!!!
Mathew Edlund Says:
June 19th, 2007 at 12:35 am
Dear Mr. Moore,

I would like to commend you on your new film “Sicko”. Yes I have seen it, and I plan to see it in theaters and take as many people with me as I can. This is a film that everyone needs to see, esspecially in Canada.

Yes, I am a Canadain, and I am not sure we deserve your praise. I certainly don’t think we deserve it here in Alberta where privatized healthcare is seen as some kind of magic cure all. Seeing the care that is delivered in other countries is staggering. Esspecially when our own governments repeatedly tell us they have no money to fund it anymore. This in the richest province in Canada.

I would like to tell you a story. I have been denied health care, in Canada. I get my mail delivered to my Grandmother’s house. I tend to move alot and she stays in one place so it is better to have my official mail, healthcare, taxes etc, go to her place. I have lived in Alberta for the past 6 years. When I went to get medical care one day in a clinic I was told that I wasn’t a resident of Alberta and therefore couldn’t recieve care. I was shocked.. esspecially so since I haven’t left Alberta, or Canada at all for the past four years.

What had happened is that the Alberta government CLAIMS to have sent my grandmother a letter that said if I don’t respond back by a certain time, they will consider me as having moved away. Nevermind that at the same time they were calling me to try and collect Health Care Payments! Yes, we DO pay for Health Care here, and it ain’t cheap! Anyhow, I never recived this letter. In fact, my grandmother can find no letter at all and she keeps my mail in a box for when I come over. So I have no health insurance because the government went out of it’s way to find a way to disqualify me.

Things are all peachy this side of the boarder. All the more reason we need OUR government to watch this film.

Thank you again.
barry karlin Says:
June 19th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
1. Ski accident in Switzerland; damaged knee.

2. Immediate and good care at Swiss hospital;

3. I asked desk, “How much do I owe?”

4. Answer, “Sorry, health care is your right. There is no charge, evan as an American vistor!”

5. I walk away with cast, crutches and amazement!
Malcolm Says:
June 22nd, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Hi,

Since the age of 3 I have been a type 1 diabetic. As a Canadian citizen neither my family nor I have ever paid a cent for visiting doctors including GPs, endocronologists, opthamologists, cardiologists, and ER doctors. I should point out that this is the same for all Canadians regardless of income, meaning even a Michael Moore would be 100% covered. At the same time, private insurace for this type of care is illegal. The idea being that allowing private insurance in this field would drain a limited supply of health care professionals into a money-making business that would systematically avoid high risk patients like me. Keep in mind that the Canadian Medical Association fought vigorously to prevent the institution of universal health coverage. While there are philanthropists among Canadian doctors–a lot of them are there for the wrong reasons and should certainly not be trusted to be writing public policy.

However, growing up in the province of Nova Scotia, it was only because my parents had good jobs with decent insurance plans that my prescription drugs were largely covered. Without this, I would have had to pay all my drug coverage out of pocket. Fortunately, I had become a resident of Quebec by the time I was no longer covered by my parents’ insurance. In Quebec, if you do not have private insurance the carte soleil gives you 80% coverage of most prescription drugs with a maximum monthly charge of $69.

I think the Canadian system–particularly Quebec and Saskatchewan–is decent, but it needs a lot of improvement. That it is better than the American system should be no more an indicator of quality than stating George W. is a better world leader than was Adolf Hitler.
Bill C. Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Hi Michael

I am a Canadian and two weeks ago I cut my thumb bad at work. I went to the hospital and I was taken into the emergency room within minutes of me registering and I was stitched. The total time of me being at the hospital was only 1 hour in total including registration and it did not cost me a penny. I feel lucky to live in a country that cares for it’s sick and injuried and does not make us carry the burden of paying for health care costs

Last April I was about to travel to Buffalo NY to watch an NHL game, and the day we left my wife became very ill and required emergency surgery. She was taken care of by one of the best Doctors in my city and she did not have to pay anything for it. When we were discussing this a few months later we first thought about how lucky we are to live in a country that took care of all the medical costs. Second, we felt lucky that it did not happen a day later when we would have been in Buffalo NY because we would not have had travel insurance and we would have been stuck paying a very expensive medical bill.

Keep up the great work Michael
Billie Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
My in-laws live in Canada. I hear people say how great the Canadian healthcare system is because the Govenment runs it…..well, My mother in-law has to wait 2 years to get a knee replacement. My sister-in-law had to drive to another city about 50 miles from where she lived because the only OB in the city left. My uncle died because they treated him for cancer and he died from the chemotherapy he was receiving for a cancer they later discovered he did not even have. My Grandfather-in-law who was 87 at the time, needed an operation. They had to wait for his blood levels to go up. Well, it took 4 days and the levels came up, but the Doctor went on vacation and another physician was not available to perform the procedure. He passed away 2 weeks later. I would much rather have our healthcare in the US.
Joy-Leena Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
This thread is great!

I was a US exchange student to Finland some years ago and wow what a difference!

We didn’t have to get any special cards really or anything we just had these Euro Youth ID’s that we used that showed our status from our Exchange Program and they just took those whenever anything happened..

Not being used to the cold (the occasional minus 24 below) I got a cold and when my host mother heard the tell-tale signs she bundled me up and took me to the central health facility just five minutes from their house (as some have stated each town/village has one at the center of town). They would offer me things to keep me from getting worse.. They had PREVENTATIVE medicine!! I was like OMG are you serious? I didn’t even understand the concept. Here you have to seriously HAVE something before they’ll treat you.

I wasn’t charged anything for it - again like the others have said, “Here’s your medicine papers… (Rx) Have a nice day I hope you feel better…” So I went to the pharmacy (next building over) and they said ‘natural or synthetic’? I was like Natural or Synthetic what? They actually wanted to know if I wanted the herbal remedies or the pre-packaged synthetic ones… I had NEVER heard of herbal remedies before… Like, drink this like hot tea or take a pill.. I was 17 - I wanted the synthetic lol. Today i’d definately take the tea. When I asked how much it was they just blushed and waved me off.

Once I got a bad sore throat and the Russian language teacher sent me to the nurse at the high school who looked at it and told me to go to the health facility on the way home from school… I was like wow an actual nurse (and free dentist) right in the school! - and I could go by myself? (Kids made appointments to get their teeth worked on right at school it was amazing.. it was right next to the bomb shelter they had in case of war - the kids used it for band practice.) No ‘adults’? No red tape? I was afraid actually.

SO I went and showed my card.. (all it really was was proof that I was legally in the country and my name) they saw me, gave me some betadine liquid (without the detergent in it) a few gargles with that - voila no more sore throat. (It tasted like &*(^ but to this day that was the best throat cure I’ve ever had.) Again when I left.. no comment about money - I couldn’t believe it.

I was actually afraid to tell my family back home that I was ’stealing health care’ lest they start getting all upset and telling me I wasn’t allowed to go without my host parents. They never would have understood this situation!

Then I got a concussion - ya stupid incident (actually happened in church at Christmas time) I was helping my little host sister take off her ton of outer garments and stood up into the hook I was about to hang it on. After a day of agony they took me to the central hospital - I wound up staying a week on observation.

After a day or so of delerium I do remember waking up wondering why no one would talk to me or help me with facilities. They didn’t talk to me or do much actually I felt rather like a fish in a bowl (look it’s the american girl..) I found out later that they were shy because all Finnish teachers tell their students not to mispronounce or say things improperly (a demand for lingual perfection since their country is 99% literate - higher than any other country). I hadn’t been in the country long enough to say very much very well.

After a few days I was better enough they put me on the medical ward and all the medical students and nurses practised their english on me. The way they did their rounds was to go around with a compliment of doctors and students from each major body system. They’d give you a good looking over - assess your symptoms, write it all down on the chart and off they went. It was so amazing to have one appointment with one team of doctors all at once treating my whole body all at once. That is the best system I had ever seen. I remember feeling very confident about my health even though I was alone in a foreign country.

At one point they made me call home - they said I needed it so I would get better faster… They miscalculated the time by about four/five hours.. My dad was so mad when he got a call at 2.30 in the morning that I was in the hospital and he couldn’t do a thing about it… (Again he was stressing over the medical bills ‘well how much is that gonna cost me kid’. Almost impossible to explain to him so I said it was covered by my exchange program lol.)

A few days later when it was time for me to leave I was taken to the finance office to sign out and they sat around trying to figure out what to do with me. Finally the manager decided to charge me 50 markka a day because ‘The US wont make a medical treatise with us for our citizens abroad..’ She apologized profusely - The total for a week in hospital and teams of doctors treating me and medication etc and a free call home was just under $50 US. If I had just called home from my host families house it would have been almost the same lol.

Oh ya .. I was travelling on that same experience thru Europe on a Eurail card to practise all the languages I’d studied in Finland and we had to stop at the hospital in Rhine because I had some kind of sore throat again. They took me in - treated me in like 30 minutes and it hurt like “H” but they didn’t charge me a penny for it. I was like.. you’ve got to be kidding…

While I was there - every person I knew who had a baby got to stay home with pay for a solid year.. and a second year was optional at half pay. They also got 10 days in the hospital to acclimate to one another. I don’t know if it’s as long now but they believe in the mother really recovering from the trauma before they send her home. Now that I’ve done a lot of midwifery I see the need for that.

Once I got home our food tasted like crap and I never ate most of the usual american foods again. Here - stuff coated your mouth.. like butter and margarine and all of it was just such poor quality I went ‘vegetarian’ for the most part.. because I just couldn’t get the quality of food and things that I got there…

Side note: At the time Finland wouldn’t allow the TV stations to run Mc Donald’s add’s because they felt they created an ‘unhealthy emotional attatchment reaction to food that wasn’t healthy - they didn’t want their children bonding with their food instead of their own family’. They had one Mc Donalds hidden away in a place in Helsinki and a few people knew about it - they might have gone there once or twice (but even the quality of food there was better than what it is here). The rest of the people I knew who knew about it couldn’t be bothered.. they turned up their nose to the ‘garbage swill’ that americans were into.

By the time I came home, I did too lol.

I went into nursing here.. and left after four years because the nursing courses I took in finland showed me what a rediculous situation we have here. No preventative medicine.. sedating people for no reason, general apathy, allowing people to go broke and live under bridges because they got sick, etc. Forget it.. it made me so angry. I want to move North or East.. anywhere.

The person who wrote that ’socialized medicine’ was seen as ‘neo communism’ by Americans couldn’t be more right. I gave up trying to explain it to people once i got home because they were too busy being offended that I wasn’t out being the evangelist of how great the US was over everyone else. That was total crap too I went thru so much political brow beating that I just stopped speaking english at all to avoid the onslaught of ‘Why do you vote for president that allow this military presence in our country!! (Germany) It is WRONG!! Umm I didn’t vote - err I couldn’t vote.. ahhh!!”

I even got chased around by people in three countries because I was american… and arrested because I wasn’t detected at one border… (I was speaking finnish with my friend and t hey didn’t think twice but then blamed me)… Two hours later… they let me back on the train (the orient express) Being an American just doesn’t always go well and I can understand why comedians like Eddie Izzard has the famous line.. “Do you (Americans) know there’s other countries?”

Try watching the Chinease english news some time or the BBC - there’s a whole world of info out there that has nothing to do with Anna Nicole Smith and as sad as her story was - the plight of thousands of people from several different nations thruout the world that we never hear about is going without a single thought or rare comment from our government or news… They just lul us into complacency to ‘have ours and la de dah too bad for you’ kind of materialism ….

Did I mention I am disabled from an illness now… If I had gotten this in Finland - it wouldn’t have lasted a year… Here - I’m stuck forever - I would do almost anything for the chance to go back and get help.

For those of you who are from a country other than America… Take one thing into consideration.. most people haven’t had the experiences I had and the many since then in my travels. They have no idea that there’s any other way to be. And that is sad.

For me it was sad - because no one even wanted to hear about it. They were too afraid of the idea that another country might do something better. When are we going to finally get our heads out of the sand and see that just because we’re the babies of the world doesn’t mean we know the best way to do everything.. rather sophomoric I must say.
James Graham Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
I am an obstetrician in Canada and my colleague was telling me a sad story recently. A woman came to see her recently for her fourth pregnancy. For her first pregnancy she and her husband had just moved down to the states as her husband was working down there. Unfortunately a cesarean had to be done for a respectable reason such as breech. In her second pregnancy she wanted to have a trial of labour and possible vaginal delivery. However the obstetrician had to refuse because his malpractice insurance would have gone up substantially due to the small increase in risk. This would never have happened in Canada. In her third pregnancy her husband finished his job and their insurance ran out. She was told halfway through her pregnancy that she would no longer be seen and to just show up at the university hospital when she went into labour and the C/S would just be done. No further medical care was done for the pregnancy. They moved back to Canada and now we have to do a C/S because the risks are just too high after three previous C/S. While the Canadian system has its problems at least most decisions are made for medical reasons not monetary.
Mike Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
As a Canadian working in our health insurance industry, I see how expensive the American system can be in comparison to Canada. On average, American hospitals charge more than 4 times the cost of what the exact same procedure would cost in Canada. In addition, Americans pay at several times more for their drugs.

Why such a difference? In the Canadian system, hospitals and doctors are reimbursed based on a government fee guide. In addition, the government restricts how much a manufacturer can mark up their drugs. This is designed to keep the industry healthy, while holding down costs. This helps us avoid the massive tax burden some would have you believe we pay for our social health care.

The result is that Canadian drugs are of the exact same standard as American drugs. Doctors are well paid and not flocking to the US. Our hospitals are modern and well equipped. And although in some regions, they might be waits for certain procedures or tests that are longer than some people think is appropriate, people with life threatening illness get the treatment they need, when they need it. Just ask anyone that has suffered a serious illness in this country.

We don’t have a perfect system, but a good system that is affordable and accessible. Until the incredible markups (profit) built into the American system are drastically reversed, there is little hope of a similar system in the USA without creating a major tax burden.
eduardo mendoza Says:
June 25th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
hi,

i live in Spain who likes to complain about my doctors.
Well: what i just read here about the situation in the US makes me want to kick my own ass !!
I pledge to stop winging a pray every day for my luck to live in Europe !
Over here, dentistry bleeds you dry, but the rest is basically free. The other day i paid 1,20$ at the pharmacy for some medication for me and my wife.
My wife hadan operation against hiperhidrosis (2 days in hospital) a couple of yrs ago: cost: 0,0 $.

Game over: the USA sucks big time. you failed the test. If you’re sick, better be Cuban than American.
Jane Edgett Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 1:04 am
I am an ex-Respiratory Therapist from Canada.

Michael, you are so correct when you say that the Canadian system “is underfunded because their leaders have been trying to push for more American-style health care.” That is exactly what happened.

When everyone starts hearing about the so-called ‘crisis’ in the Canadian public health care system, please consider these facts:

The public health care system in Canada was one of the best in the world until the 1990s.

The problem started in Canada when Prime Minister Jean Chretien slashed federal transfer payments to the provinces for health care in the early 1990s.

So the under-funded, cash-strapped provinces started slashing health care STAFFING levels. This was largely under the influence of the province of Alberta’s Premier Ralph Klein.

WHY?

The speculation is that Alberta started under-staffing hospitals in order to cause an artificial ‘crisis’ in public health care so that Klein could publicly justify his push for US-style privatization of health care.

The logic would go like this:
- create a ‘crisis’ in public health care by underfunding/understaffing it so that it is seen to be ‘not working’
- privatize health care and create a whole new world of investment opportunities
(Ralph Klein was the Alberta “Big Oil” Premier of the 1990s who was widely seen to be ‘in bed’ with the US oil industry. I’m sure he was also under pressure from the insurance industry in Canada and the US.)

Other Canadian provinces followed suit and slashed health care funding and staffing so that the result is an artificial health care ‘crisis’ in Canada that only happened because short-sighted Canadian politicians underfunded the system and agreed to flirt with the US privatization model.

Meanwhile, because of the understaffing, health care workers were being overworked and were ‘burning out’. Now there is a new crisis in Canada - an extreme shortage of health care workers as the older, experienced ones ‘burn out’ and the new potentials decide not to enter such an abusive profession.

(I was one of the older ones who ‘burnt out’ due to excessive workload. My story is posted on the website of the Canadian Injured Workers Society (CIWS) at:
http://www.ciws.ca/iw_alberta_dthr_understaffing_health_care_chronic_stress.htm )

The Canadian health care system is in crisis only because of needless underfunding and understaffing - not because Canadians couldn’t afford it - but because politicians with extreme Conservative ideology said that ‘private anything’ is better than ‘public anything’. That extreme ideology is just wrong. There is a place for publicly funded essential services within a civilized modern society.

Hopefully your documentary will give Americans AND Canadians a wake-up call that privatization is NOT the way to go.

Thank you for making “Sicko”. This documentary’s importance cannot be overestimated.

Jane Edgett
Ellen Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 3:10 am
I’m a young, healthy Canadian woman but about six months ago I was diagnosed with a condition that resulted in reduced vision to about 10% sight out of one eye and none at all in the other for a number of weeks at its worst point.

In total, this condition resulted in:
1 CAT scan, 1 MRI, 4 blood tests, 1 lumbar puncture (spinal tap), a 5 day course of intensive drugs, 1 visit to a walk-in clinic, 2 calls to the provincial nurse line**, 2 visits to the ER, 3 visits to the GP, 5 visits to the ophthalmologist, and 4 visits with the neurologist. The total financial burden of this? I ended up paying more in parking fees at the hospital than I did for all my tests, treatments and Dr’s visits put together.

To top it off, while I missed 42 days of work, I lost the equivalent of only 8 days pay.

Of course, the patient’s financial burden is only one facet of measuring the value of any medical system (case and point: while I only waited a week to get my MRI done, it can take upwards of a year for those who are non-emergency cases here at our hospital), it’s the one most easily quantified, and, let’s face it, has some of the most far-reaching effects. Young parents are encouraged to start saving early for their children’s education, but I wouldn’t be surprised to start hearing about saving up so you can even afford to give birth to them in the first place! While I’ve gained most of my sight back, I’ve gained even more respect for the country I live in.

**(you can call and talk to an RN 24/7 to get advice on just about anything from breast feeding to getting talked through doing CPR on someone. You can list your symptoms and get guidance about how to best deal with it, whether it’s a home remedy, making an appn’t with your Dr or hanging up and getting to the ER ASAP. This is an AMAZING resource!)
Roger Coombs Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 7:53 am
My anecdote is very short: I met a Canadian who lives here in Washington DC, and I asked him about the Canadian health care system. I said: “Don’t people complain a lot about the deficiencies in your health care system?” He replied: “Yes, I’ve heard a lot of complaints about the Canadian health care system, but I heard most of them here in the US.” This shows the depravity of the disinformation system that the corpo-government runs in this country.
Dick Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 8:21 am
In my wife’s office here in Canada one of her co-workers wasn’t feeling good for a several months. Typically she avoided medical care until it got to the point her sister insisted she go see her doctor.

She went in after lunch, was found to have colon cancer and a perforated bowel - she was in surgery before the end of the day….. ’nuff said about that.

My Dad, my Father-in-law and my wife’s uncle all spent between 6 months and six years with severe chronic medical conditions until their deaths and fo all three the medical care they recieved was beyond exceptional, delivered in quality facilities by caring, professional staff and doctors. All this was paid by my taxes. The more I make the more I can contribute to the system and if I was old or down on my luck, our system would allow my wife and children and grandchildren to focus on my care and not worry about costs. How can this not be a very desirable provision in an affluent country like Canada.

Thank you Tommy Douglas.
Brenda Siegelman Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
As a young American, engaged to a Britt, I was living in Birmingham, England. I have no insurance in the U.S., never had insurance in my home country, I was surprised when my friends insisted upon bringing me to the local doctor for a fever, cough and what I thought was just a nasty lingering cold. The doctor saw me right away. I was given perscriptions, all at no charge, and released to the care of my friend Jane, who happened to be the local visiting nurse. It was a “walking pneumonia” and I was better within a week. I do not see doctors or go to emergency rooms at home in the U.S., if I get sick, I read up on my symptoms,& try to treat my illness with over the counter medicine. I felt much better when I was able to have a health care professional see me, back in the UK
Francisco Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Last year my family and I made a visit to my hometown to Mexico. While we were their I had gotten food poisoning in nearby Guadalajara. A day after that trip my family rushed me to the nearby hospital.
I was taken in immediately and given an IV. Their were 2 doctors who saw me constantly. Their top notch service and attention was greatly appreciated. In all the 3 day hospital stay and all medicines cost me $300.00
We ended up sending the doctors flowers for our appreciation.

If the same thing would have happenned here I would be waiting in the ER, with at least a $1000.00 plus bill…….

I just had to leave my comment.

Thank You,
Francisco
California
Kelley Scudder Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
My family and I recently returned from Cuba. We were there to discuss end-of-life options with various organizations. On this trip we took basic supplies; sheets, asprin, fans, etc. to a nursing home in Havana. I have visited several nursing homes in the United States and have never seen the level of care or the degree of compassion that was seen in Havana.
People were healthy, happy and well cared for. The attendants did not view themselves as staff. Rather, they truly were caregivers. The only sorrow that they expressed was that the U.S. travel restrictions had separated them from their families. Family is of value in Cuba.
I work throughout the Caribbean, mostly in nations that lack accessibility to advanced medical equipment or industrially produced (government promoted) pharmaceuticals . However, most of the nations are now turning away U.S. trained medical students and physicians. In most cases, the reason is simple: U.S. physicans are too dependent on technology, too depdendent on pharmaceuticals and lack in compassion.
This is sorely needed here.
I have a disabled son, who is on medicaid, but is denied access to medication. Why? Because the person who approves prescriptions is not a physician, not a pharmacist. The ‘decider’ is someone who is working for the governing corporation to maximize profit,without regard to his needs.
We plan on seeing your film this weekend.
Thank you for your effort.
Julie (Fictional) Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Hi Michael,

I’m from Sherbrooke, QC, CANADA and have one fact to point out : Medical service may be free here but boy do you have to WAIT IN LINE. 46 hours to see a doctor for a bad cough last week…… Last year I literally had a hole the size of a golf ball eating away with infection on the back of my thigh (golden staph). I do not have a family doctor and boy did no one care about me. I was shot back & forth from hospital to clinic to CLSC until I had to have emergency surgery(local public clinic..) One doctor at a clinic literally told me “sorry, can’t do anything, not serious enough, has to be open (by infection)” -I was staggering with pain. After about 5 visits to various docters I started crying & begged for some sort of antibiotic and I was finally prescribed one…… I now have 2 enormous scars. Doctors are burried up to here with work here. Everyone is just a number…. thank god it’s free….
Taliesin Hoyle Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
I have two contrasting experiences.

First the bad.

I lived in South Africa for 20 years.
If I got sick there, there was no way that I could afford to see a doctor. I used butterfly sutures to close my own cuts and injuries. Once, I had a knife go through my hand at work. I walked to a hospital and was refused entry because I had no insurance. I then walked to a government hospital. After a two hour wait in a room buzzing with flies, a doctor told me that they would only help me if I could pay ZAR 1800. About US$ 240. At the time I was working sixteen hour days for about US$ 1.25 an hour. It would thus have cost me months of my life to pay for the care I needed. I walked out of the hospital and staggered bleeding through the dawn streets to get to a police station. I was bandaged and given tea by the police, then driven back to my one room apartment.

Now for the good experience.

I live in Taiwan now. The health system here is so good and so cheap, that it is hard for me to imagine that anyone could not afford it. I felt a tightness in my chest and was having dizzy spells. I told my employer that I needed to go to a hospital, and took a taxi to Ren Ai Hospital in Dali, Taichung. I was met in the lobby of the hospital by an interpreter, who greeted me politely, asked what I needed, then took my electronic health insurance card and handled everything for me. I was taken directly to a cardiologist, x-rayed, ultrasounded, blood tested, electrocardiogrammed and meticulously examined by a specialist. The interpreter took me from room to room so that I would not get lost, but the hospital was clearly signposted in English (Awesome for Taiwan.)
I was diagnosed with myocardial ischemia. Medicine was prescribed and I was then sent to a gastroenterologist for a second opinion, just in case. The total cost of the hospital treatment was NT$200. About US$6. I earn NT$700 an hour here.
TheChosenOne Says:
June 26th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
I am Canadian (and proud) I am extremly content with healthcare here. When my wife had my children, there were 22 (I counted) paid professionals in the room with her, then my twin daughters were in the hospital for three months, that would have racked up some heavy bills, but it was covered by MediCare
Francois Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Hi everyone,

After all the comment I just read about canadian “free health care”, I must say that I am chocked. I am a Canadian and i had many health problem that required treatment at the hospital.

Yes, It is true that we do not have to fill-up paper work and pre-approuve any medical treatment. However, if any person think that “socialized free health-care service” are free (ie Canada, France, UK, Australia), you are COMPLETELY wrong. Since I live in Canada, Ill talk about it.

Canadian are amoung the most taxed people. I live in Quebec City where its much more worse than in Alberta. Personally, we have a 15% taxe on everything we buy and we have a 35% tax rate on our salary. so thats nearly 50% of our pay check that goes DIRECTLY to the gouvernement. Health Care and Social service is the biggest expense of Canadian gouvernement. So, approximatly 10% of our salary directly goes to health care. Dentist, ambulance transportation, medication, are NOT COVERED by the health care system. We must pay for all those services.

Now, with all that said, I am aware that the health care is great. I had to pass two brain imagering (TACO) and a RMN exam in the past year as well as 2 days in an emergency room and a 2h surgery during the week end. I can’t possibly imagine the cost of all those exams only for the past year.

But please, Don’t ever say that the Canadian Health Care system is Free…
Ben Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Hello Michael!

Thank you for removing the vail from the eyes of America!

I am an American living in Denmark.I have moved here with my family after losing everything due to no fault of our own when my wife was hit head on in an automobile accident in the US. American Family Insurance is fighting us not to pay for losses although we paid into our underinsured motorist coverage. 2 years later this still has never been settled, so we gave up and moved back to Denmark. We could not afford the proper health care for my wife when she was hit head on. The entire incident caused a chain of events which led to us struggling financially, losing our home, and forcing us to relocate as we did not have any income when my wife was unable to work. The accident ruined our work history and good reputation in a small town, but ain’t that America! I am grateful that you are trying to open the eyes of the American people to see that we can have it so much better with socialized medicine. My family and I have recieved excellent medical treatment and an higher education at no cost other than the regular taxes that we pay in the country of Denmark. My children were born in Denmark to ensure that they will have the right to healthcare and a higher education regardless of our income or social status. We can never fall in Denmark as we have fallen in the United States due to no fault of our own. I could go on about the benefits my wife recieved along with 6 months compensation for time off when our children were born, friendly Dr’s and Dentists who have not only treated me for free, but also given me free trial medicine when I was a student, so that I wouldnt have to pay for that either. People are more important than money in Denmark, even if you’r an American.

May God bless you and keep up the good work. Please show your new film in Denmark.
Steve Dailey Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 11:56 am
As a Canadian living along the border I’ll offer one of the biggest challenges for the Canadian system is retaining medical professionals.

Why would a doctor make 200k in Canada when you can cross the border and make 600k. Canadian nurses and other medical specialists are actively and aggressively recruited by American hospitals.

So the greed and inequities of the American system not only affect Americans, it impacts us too.
Bill McK Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 11:56 am
You might say that our family are medical refugees from the US. My wife and I moved from the US to Canada when I was a graduate student. Towards the end of my studies we had twins, one of whom had some significant physical disabilities. Though at the time jobs in Canada were scarce, I couldn’t even think of returning to the States due to my daughter’s “pre-existing condition”.

Over the years she has had innumerable surgeries including two spinal fusions. The hardware alone for one of these procedures was $70,000, to say nothing of the costs of the surgery itself, weeks in hospital, at-home care by a community nurse, and follow-up orthopedic appointments. In the US this care would have bankrupted us several times over. Our only bill from the hospital as a result of her surgeries was about $20 for long distance phone calls to family in the US - we were also out of pocket $40 for parking.

We have always had excellent doctors – and given the numbers we have seen, we are expert patients. The technical quality of Canadian healthcare is clearly on par with the US (or better given the results), though accessibility to specialists and expensive equipment varies in smaller towns and cities. There is also some variation by province. Contrary to most peoples’ assumptions, basic healthcare in Canada is federally mandated and supported, but managed by each province. Provincial governments are very sensitive to voters’ satisfaction with their healthcare systems - much more sensitive than a US HMO.
Shannon Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I am lucky enough to live in Canada and have universal health care. A family member had to go on kidney dialysis a couple of years ago. We were able to have a dialysis machine in our home, have the medical supplies delivered and have a nurse and dialysis technician visit at home once per month. This cost us nothing. My family member was lucky enough to receive a transplant and that also cost us nothing.

I realize that our system is not without flaws, but when you are dealing with a health problem, the last thing you should have to worry about is how you are going to pay for treatment.
Amie Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
I live in France right now with my husband and 2 small children. I had minor out-patient surgery here last summer and all was well. The room wasn’t full of flowered curtains and there wasn’t a VCR in the recovery room, but we were able to pay the bill very easily and I took comfort in that. We have been to the general practitioners a lot here with 2 small kids, and every visit is 20 euros per person and the medication may cost around 5 euros. My perspecitive is that in the US you are paying more for the “feeling” and comfort that makes you think you are getting better healthcare. It took a while to get over the appearance of the offices and the hospitals, but the care that I have had is equal to what I found in the US.
Trisha C Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
People in canada don’t wait only 20 minutes in hospitals.We DO have free care, but we generaly wait from 5 to 20 hours to get them.
Bornagaindem Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
I had two children one in the US and one in England. I had typical health insurance in the USA where 80/20 is covered. I was on the 48 hr express package when I had my first child and was in and out of the hopital in 36 hours. That cost me about $2000 out of pocket. I was sent home and told to come back for a check up in 6 weeks. I was totally on my own with my first child, an overwhelming experience.

I lived in England when I had my second child and I was in the hospital for about 4 days after the delivery. In England once you go home a health visitor (a trained nurse) visits you everyday for the first ten days after you get home. In oder to ensure that you are feeling well and to help with any questions or problems you might have. Not due to any negligence on the hospitals part it turned out that a very very tiny piece of the placenta remained in my uterus. If the health visitor hadn’t been checking me and realized that something was not quite right it is quite likely I would have gotten extremely ill and possibly even died because in the states I would have waited for my six week check up to find out what was wrong. I had to go into the hospital for another 5 days or so and they had to do a DNC to remove the piece. All of this extra care and two long hospital visits cost me $100 out of pocket and that only because I wanted a private room instead of a double one.

And England is thought to have one of the less good systems compared with Europe. It is about time that America provide universal healthcare for its citizens. We pay the most for the worst outcomes.
M. Kimber Says:
June 27th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
I am an American living in China for the past 2 years. Before moving to China, I lived in France, and I had a baby in US and China, so I can compare the 3 countries. For one, I can see how China is afst approaching the US in terms of its health care. Of course, Chinese health care is affordable if you are a foreigner, but way too expensive for the Chinese people. For example, a pediatrician consultation in a good, clean clinic for richer Chinese (Chinese run) is about 30 dollars, whereas it’s about 120 dollars in a foreign hospital and 3 dollars in a Chinese hospital. The difference, you can guess, are the facilities and how much you must wait. I have been to all three and the worse is by far the foreign run clinics. What they charge is so disproportionate, but they are frequented by rich foreigners with good insurance. I’ve taken my kids to emergency rooms in the Chinese hospitals and I have been satisfied (one must speak Chinese for sure). But I feel bad for Chinese people who cannot even afford a 3 dollar consultation. Medication can run into 10 dollars or more for them, and it’s very expensive for a working Chinese family. And everywhere I go, I see more and more luxury hospitals catering to rich Chinese and Americans, which excludes 99% of the population. My maternity bill (simple birth, no complications at all, not even epi) was 8K in US back in 2003 (as soon as I arrived in labor, the first person who came to see me was this nasty person shoving payment papers on my face as to who would pay the bill). In 2005, with my second baby, it was in China. I did not dare to go to a fully Chinese run hospital at that early stage so I chose the middle one for richer Chinese and my bill was 3K only with much more services and much better facilities than the US hospital.

In France, I have to say (although I’m not a big fan of French people) that health care was pretty decent and the prices very very reasonable. Our family Dr. charged us 20 euros each time (I think he might have raised them now to 25). Paris Drs. are the worst and they charge as high as 120 euros per visit (specialists). I liked the family Dr. much better and living in the Paris suburbs, he knew our family and as far as quality of care, French have done one thing right. It’s not perfect and I think if you live in France for awhile, you’ll see there are many many injustices (has anyone watched Julian Corbet’s Sans Aucune Doute”. It’s terrible some stories they report on. One woman had a regular C-section and the OB/GYN forgot to remove a huge piece of cloth he left behind and only after 6 months, she was able to get operated on to remove it. In the meantime, she lost all of her ovaries and became infertile and will have health problems for the rest of her life. The Dr. and hospital treated her so badly and no one was held accountable. I thought at that time, that at least, the US has decent malpractice culture that punishes Drs. who are this bad and callous. Anyway, don’t think the French system is perfect, but for the most part, I think it’s more affordable and humane than the US.

The US health care system is wrong, and almost no one can deny that, but the US has other things which are good too.
michael and Amanda Markwick Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 7:50 am
Hi Michael, we live in the Netherlands and Germany and we are very, very, very happy with socialized medicine. I grew up in America being without health insurance and our family struggled all the time to keep our heads up above water. My two brothers joined the U.S. military and now finally have coverage for their families.

I came over to the EU as a critic of socialized medicine. Well critic is strong, but worried… Experientially I have had no health insurance, to medium to good coverage in America teaching at a university. But being in Europe has blown away all those myths they tell you when the topic of Universal Health Care comes up.

Given our professions we are not sure if we can ever come back to the U.S.
Rob Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 11:36 am
After moving to Germany I have been able to see a GP, two opthomologists, a urologist and a neurologist, all within a year. Never had to wait more than a couple of weeks for an appointment, sometimes only a week.

I thought I was having a stroke one evening, so my wife took me to the ER. I was admitted and getting examined within an hour and then into medium care for several days and then to a bedroom with another fellow. The room actually had a balcony and cable TV (extra charge for the cable though).

It was determined that the symptoms were just a reaction to some medications I had been taking. But to make that determination, I was given Xrays, a catscan, 2 MRIs, 2 EEGs and some physical therapy.

When I got out of the hospital a little over a week later I kept expecting the other shoe to drop. I told my wife that I dreaded gettin a bill for thousands of Euros. She didn’t understand what I was talking about, since I was an American and she thought Americans all had the best of health care. I had to show her some stories on the Internet about people losing everything and going into major debt when something happened to them. To this day, she still doesn’t quite understand.

I’m healthy now, and I don’t fear getting sick and I’m more productive than ever now. In the States I feared getting sick. American productivity has to be suffering greatly because so many have to worry so much about themselves and their families and what they’ll do if they lose everything they have worked for. I just thank God that I am an expat now.
Roberto Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 11:54 am
More than a decade ago, while living in Miami I was diagnosed with an hernia. I had no insurance and had to pay $7,000 to take care of it at Jackson Hospital (public). I didn’t have the money, so I travel to Honduras to take care of the operation. The private hospital was in a very small town and did not have the most advanced equipment. Nonetheless, they took care of the hernia and the care was top notch. By the way, I had to pay only a little more than $100 and my surgeon was American. So it was a lot more affordable to get an experienced American doctor in Honduras than in the U.S. Go figure!
Rob Says:
June 29th, 2007 at 3:30 am
As a Canadian, I’m tired of hearing the misinformation being told to the American people about our health care system. The stories told are always of excessive waiting times and no option to choose your own doctor. I seriously question the motives of the “Canadians” who make these outlandish claims to the gossip-hungry media. No our system isn’t perfect, and yes there have been cases where people have been placed on long waiting lists; however, our government is always making efforts to improve the system. It will never be perfect or please everyone, but most rational Canadians wouldn’t give it up for a privatized system — at least no one that I have ever encountered. When it was discovered that I was going to go blind in my left eye if left untreated, I was in surgery less than a week later. When I had a questionable mole, the doctor removed it the following week. When I needed stitches, I went to the ER and was treated immediately. How much did all of this cost? Nothing, because I’m a student. However, I would pay into the system $40/month if I earned about a certain income bracket. When I was vacationing in the U.S., I got an eye infection, and my prescribed medication (a bottle the size of peanut) was worth $75! However, in all fairness, the doctor who treated me down there was quite knowledgeable and friendly, and since the visit had already cost me $90, he gave me a “sample” bottle of the medication for free, which was enough to cure the infection.
iris Says:
June 29th, 2007 at 3:51 am
Hi, I am an american living in switzerland. in order to be here, permit or no permit, i had to have health insurance. it’s pretty reasonable in comparison the the HMO plan I had thru my employer back in Los angeles, and in comparison to the montly payments that friend and families in the US have to pay. plus, there’s an optional plan that pays up to a certain amount for alternative therapies, like TCM, homeopathy, etc. My GP is a homeopath and enjoys the same rights of referral that a ‘normal’ GP has. Plus, my insurance has paid for surgery in a private clinic, no questions asked, even though we have ‘general’ insurance, not the private for the wealthy plan. hmmmmm.
Kalena Says:
June 29th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
My son was visiting the Cook Islands when he had a naughty sailing accident — punctured his hand. He was 5 hours in microsurgery to reattach everything, then spent the rest of the day in intensive care. I took him home the next day. Cost: US$7.
Would have cost thousands (or tens of thousands) here.

I’ve had surgeries here and overseas…and a broken wrist set in Fiji. The US systems are a nightmare (and unbelievably costly) vs the free or nearly free (and loving) care I’ve received elsewhere.

If the US wants to improve healthcare, they need to remember to put the ‘care’ back in…tough when all you’re interested in is HUGE bottom line profits.

We seriously need to completely change our system. There are wonderful examples globally for us to use.

Aloha,
Kalena
T E Says:
June 29th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Dear Michael
About ten years ago a coworker of mine took a vacation to Europe. While crossing the street in France she fell and broke her arm. I was amazed when she told me all her medical bills were free. I had never heard of such a thing. Yeah, France really sucks Huh!
Thanks for a voice of sanity.
Ram Says:
June 30th, 2007 at 7:24 am
It’s a real shame to see a country organizing mass killings of innocent civilians overseas, while unable to provide basic health care for its citizens. Maybe we should direct our focus to preserving living life as opposed to raising debates on whether stem-cell research should be allowed or not. Instead of wasting our time asking whether life is at birth or conception, lets focus on having a health care system free and open to all American citizens, who I am sure are alive! Democrat or republican is not the issue. The issue is creating equality; a trait the US claims has better than everyone in the world.
cassiano zanetti Says:
June 30th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
I have a private health care service in Brazil, and when i got sick, very sick, i had leuchemia, they paid all the final treatment for me. Only extras expenses i had to pay. I can tell that it is not easy to make it, but i got lucky they paid. I know people who have really problems to get approvals for something. Goverment should pay it for everybody, no matter what, but…
Phillip Halfhill Says:
June 30th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
I call upon those of you in the 25 western industiralized nations to help us in the US! Please write the US Government and tell them the gig is up! The whole world is watching their blatant disregard to our human rights! My wife and I are 50 with no access to healthcare! My daughter is covered on medicaid but they will cut her off when she comes of age! And she is type 1 diabetic! And if she gets insurance through a job they can say she has a preexisting condition and deny her! Help us!
Kevin Says:
July 1st, 2007 at 9:31 am
As an American living in Canada I can honestly report that the system up here has good points and bad points. The good points are that everyone is covered, you don’t worry about losing coverage when you change jobs, and nobody ever thinks about something being “pre existing condition” because there’s no such thing in Canada.

The bad point here is that for some things, you have to wait, where in the US you wouldn’t. You might have to wait 3 months to have your hip replaced, because there are people with more serious conditions who require the use of the operating room before you do, or you might wait three weeks to start your chemotherapy because the doctor evaluates your type of cancer as not being as serious at the next persons. But you do get your treatment.

The quality of the care given is just as good in both countries. And as far as primary care goes, it’s better in Canada because everybody is covered so virtually everybody goes to the doctor when they don’t feel well and symptoms are caught early.

To analogize the US and Canadian systems: The US system is where there’s 100 people, with 70 of them at a Hilton hotel, and 30 of them are homeless. In Canada 100 have a place to stay but we’re all staying at the Motel 6.

And for people who try to say that the US won’t adopt that because its socialism, the need to be reminded that the US already has a socialized system in place called Medicare, as well as a socialized pension plan call Social Security retirement.
Joey Says:
July 1st, 2007 at 8:18 pm
“Co-pay”=Subsidy for health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and health care providers.

Universal Health Care NOW!
Andrea Melas Says:
July 1st, 2007 at 10:49 pm
My brother was riding a bike down a mountain in Northern Greece when he fell off and gashed his hand. It was bleeding all over the place and he even got dirt and pebbles in his hand. My parents had some friends drive him about 40 minutes to a small local hospital where he was brought in immediately, stitched and cleaned up all while just filling out a form. No payment needed. God forbid he didn’t have an insurance card or else he would have been screwed! The whole ordeal took about an hour at the hospital.
Alex Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 4:24 am
Hi Michael,
Thanks for the movie.
I haven’t seen it yet but I’m looking forward.

I am from Spain. 5 years ago I won the “Green Card Lottery”, issued by the USA Department of State. Right before that, I was diagnosed with a Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

I entered the US in search of a job…but my health got worse. No way I could pay treatments as REMICADE or HUMIRA wich cost each dosis more than 1000 dollars (I get 4 dosis a month in Spain FOR FREE). So, after 5 months I left the US.

I am back in Spain. My health is improving and all for free!!!!(taking into account that at the moment I don’t have a job and I don’t pay taxes).

I still think USA is a great country with great people (most of them) and I would like to live there….if I wouldn’t be sick.

Hug
Alex
Charles Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 6:01 am
Hi Mike, I am from south africa, and although we are a third world country our government pays for medical costs. You just have to pay 5 dollars admin fee, even for a heart transplant. But you probably will die in the que waiting for a doctor to help you. If you can afford private medical care it is better, you go to private hospitals with TV, sat the works, and it only costs about 120 dollars a month for 100% medical. Plus you get added bonusses like free gym and Virgin gyms, discounted movie tickets etc.

Hope this film will shake things up in america.
Josh Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 10:49 am
I just want to put my two cents in to this arguement. I saw Sicko over the weekend and I must say, outstanding job Mr. Moore!! This man has stood up to American politicians and big business for years and never gets the kudos deserved. I dont believe he has wrapped himself in these causes for fame, maybe a little money, and I am not mad at him. The health care system in America is deplorable and the veil most certainly needs lifting even higher. As Americans we who disagree with current policy, relations, (economic or social), and the general callousness shown by our laws, lawmakers, politicians right down to the local city level, have a responsibilty to force change in our governing. Mr. Moore has been bashed, hounded, lied about, slandered by evangelical and political influences and frankly I am tired of it. It takes alot to tell the truth, more so than to lie, and he has made a career producing work that consistently contains fact and truth to bring about a message. The heath care industry as well as big business in general has contributed to the money hungry, power grabbing, unethical side of life. This country wasn’t founded under the motto “every man for himself” or get rich while you can. The most sincere and meaningful words in the Declaration and Constitution have been trampled on for so long, Americans have become accustomed to the harsh realities that the “rich” run this country. I am not rich, but make a living. I have no health care and have never been sick. I pray I never do. I don’t have all the answers to every single issue concerning us as a people, but I do know there are plenty of people like Mr. Moore dedicated to changing things for the betterment of ALL and not just a select few who can afford practically anything as it is. Higher rates, denied claims, run arounds and deceit will always been used when working for profit. He has started us down a path that I hope begin the process for a great turnaround in this country with Americans who are ready to stand and fight for what they truly believe in, not lied to and made to fight causes for profit. Many great men and women have contributed to maiking this a great nation. You and I need to do our part as well on a daily basis to ensure our children will have the chance to do so as well. The system needs to change so that standardized health care is available, with companies allowing all patients treatment while at the same time keeping a balance between too much regulation and spurring good doctors and nurses with wanting to continue in the field with reasonable salaries and incentives. This is not as hard or as poor a cause as it sounds. There is plenty of money to be made treating people, without them paying exorborant medical costs, presciption drugs and its related field dont make 12000% profits and people still die. Money never equals a life and unfortuneately our lives are only worth how much we can pay to stay that way to alot of people and companies. Its deplorable. Mr. Moore, I commend you on a great film, your willingness to stand up for what you believe in, and the cajones to bring to light many, not just this health care issue, injustices and absurdities buried in our current way of life. When I say God Bless America, I mean it, because if we even sneeze wrong, who knows how 42-50 million of us will get treatment.
Patrick Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 6:33 pm
I am from Germany and I am not a big fan of the Germany healthcare system. In Germany one can be insured either publicly or privately. But you are only allowed to choose the private one if you are self-employed or your income extends 5.364,48 USD per month or you are a civil servant (very clever). All other people MUST take the public insurance. The thing is that due to the fact that the private healthcare companies can choose and rate their customers, they are able to offer very attractive dues for healthy customers.
Which makes perfectly sense and leads to the fact that expecially all young successful rich and healthy people have a private insurance instead of the public one at much lower dues because with the public system the dues are based on your income and not your health. There’s more to it than that. Due to the fact that the private insurance companies work much more efficiently than the public ones, they can even offer their customers better treatments.
Being in the position that I am young, healthy, having an income below the limit which makes me pay twice the amount to the public insurance that I would have to pay if I were privately insured yet receiving a worse level of service, I can only state: The German healthcare sytem sucks!!!
I do not think it is fair at all. It would be fair if one could choose the insurance you want paying dues based on one’s health condition.
So it is the opposite like in the US. We have a socialized health care system, because politicians proclaim that health has no price tag. But declining reality while not accepting that medical care is pricy underlying, like any other goods, the market economy, makes everything only worse. Especially because of all the unfair lobbied exceptions which already have led to a two class health care system.
Many people think that Germany has a great healthcare system yet recent surveys have shown what the average public healthcare patient already knows: it is expensive and mediocre and if you want to get a propper treatment you need an extra insurance - privately.
You see it’s not exactly brilliant.
Lee Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 8:25 pm
As an American living in the UK for the last 2 years, I can say that the quality of routine care via the NHS is about on par with my GP experiences in the States, you get 10-12 mins with the doctor instead of 8 in the States and, there is no co-pay!

Prescription costs are next to nothing - one can ‘pre-pay’ for up to 12 months, current ANNUAL cost is 105GBPs ($200) and that covers any and all prescriptions that one may need over the next year.

I priced just my normal monthly meds via drugstore-com recently, and they would cost over $1,200 ANNUALLY in the States.

A major pharmaceutical executive over here told me that they (all big pharma) use the U.S. Healthcare system/marketplace to subsidize their profits in the rest of the world…

…ain’t that a kick in the arse?!?
tom Says:
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:10 pm
ha ha………this last article from roberto is great,but is the aweful truth.
people in the usa really belive they have the best heath care system in the world,but in reality it is the worst,how can a whole nation be so blind?
sorry,but all i can do is laugh……..
other funny things brought to you by the american government:
there are weapons of mass destuction in iraq
global warming is not a problem,or not even happening
your president is an ex alcoholic,but you are the only nation in the world where you have to be 21 to have a beer
ravi Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:30 am
Its a rich world it seems.I live in India. No great healthcare system. Though we have a Public Health System its not at all efficient. Theres always paucity of resources. But theres one thing which still sails us through.
(a) X-Ray , CT -SCANS and the works cost a tiny fraction of what it costs else where from what i read. An straight forward X-Ray on the average costs here Rs 150 thats ( $ 3.5) and a CT-Scan starts at anything from $35

(b) a Pack of 10 of Paracetamol costs Rs 4. (10 Cents)
(Though we have multinational pharmaceutical companies trying to boost it up to insane levels all the time).

(c) I know of enough doctors (ones not in public health system) who consult patients for free in every nook and corner of the country).

We were a poor nation. We are developing fast so will our facilities. we just hope our attitudes and policies will keep the health system as affordable as it is now… We will Survive.
Seb Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:48 am
Our local hospital in England is excellent. We’ve had a few family accidents, and have always been seen and treated quickly. Treatment is always free, and UK citizens can travel throughout Europe and recieve free medical care as long as they carry their free EU registration card

The English NHS is, however, being privatised by stealth in spite of overwhelming public support for the present system. Companies such as Kaiser Permanente and United Health are being invited to run hospitals for profit. The government’s love of big business rides roughshod over public opinion (sound familiar?). Nearly all the ‘reforms’ enacted since Tony Blair assumed power in 1997 have made services more expensive but much worse. The tipping point nearly arrived when the government placed advertisments for big American medical companies to run whole hospital regions for profit. Thankfully, a public outcry forced a retraction and apology, but the Nixonesque threat hasn’t passed.
Seb Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:54 am
Our experiences with German hospitals have also been excellent. They operate under a similar system to the French.
justin Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 9:04 pm
I live just outside of Vancouver, Canada. My wife is an American and immigrated to Canada 3 years ago after we were married. After living here for 6 months she qualified for medical coverage even though she was still a year (and a tonne of paperwork) away from being a permanent resident.

It is a common misnomer that our health care in Canada is free. This is not so. Depending on what tax bracket you are in you will be billed by MSP (medical services) and have to pay a quarterly premium… which for my wife and I is currently about $60.

Also, depending on what tax bracket you are in, you can qualify for provincial government assistance on prescriptions. While I was a university student Fair Pharmacare covered 80% of the cost of all my necessary prescriptions until I had cumulatively paid $50 durring that tax year. After all my prescriptions added up to $50 out of my pocket, 100% was covered. All I have to do is present my health card (Care Card) the first time I go to a pharmacy and their systems are already linked up with Pharmacare.

I’ve read some comments claiming it is hard to find a physician that is taking new patients in British Columbia. I have moved a couple of times over the past few years and have never had trouble. I have phoned doctors’ offices and have been told they are not accepting new patients, but was given an 800 number to a government agency that found a doctor in my area who was accepting patients and they set me up with them.

I have heard complaining about wait times in Canada, perhaps that is true in some areas, but it has not been my experience here. 2 weeks after my wife’s Canadian health card arrived she went to my physician due to chronic headaches. They weren’t too severe, but occurred frequently. Within a week and a half my wife had an appointment with a specialist and got in for a CT as our physician wanted to rule out issues there.

As far as dental and optical coverage here… Almost every optical store will test your eyes and give you a free prescription here. My wife just bought a new pair of glasses (Guess frames and the best lenses) and it cost us about $250. We do have extended medical benefits from her workplace at a restaurant that covers $200 per year on optical and 80% of all our dental needs. I am covered under that plan as well and we pay about $60 a month for that.

I do have a friend, however, who suffered from cancer. It was treated and did not cost him anything, BUT Canadian health care DOES NOT PAY FOR CANCER TREATMENT. His radiation and chemo was paid for by the Canadian Cancer Foundation. They rely heavily on donations and will subsidize your bills based on the tax bracket you are in.

Although our system is not without its problems, I have to say that I am pretty glad to be living in this country.
Randy W. Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 4:57 am
I live in Germany and you automatically go on your spouse’s medical insurance over here. We love it. If I want an MRI because I am interested in how my lungs are because I used to be a smoker I just tell my ” house doctor ” and he simply writes a transfer slip for me to see a doctor who has a MRI machine, hassle free! I had kidney stones several times, went to the emergency section on a weekend night and was taken care of hassle free. You do need to pay 10 euros cash to be seen but that 10 euros is good for a whole quarter of the year to visit any doctor and as many doctors as you want or need to. You don’t need to pay this if you don’t go to a doctor in any quarter. And of course we pay a reasonable price for our insurance but we are buying WAY MORE than you would get in the States. This is fairly new. I wouldn’t trade my German health insurance for anything.
Chris Solan Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 7:17 am
I am an American and Irish citizen. I lived in Germany for a short time, and while I was there I got a severe sunburn. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it was pretty bad. I went to the emergency room and explained what happened. They told me to go across the street to the 24-hour dermatology clinic! I still can’t beleive they have 24-hour dermatology clinics, we barely have 24-hour hospitals.It cost me 35 Euros with a perscription for skin cream. I don’t think that’s too bad considering I am not German.
Neil Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 8:07 am
I remember being furious when my private health insurance back in Australia went up from $50AU per month to $75AU per month. I thought this was outrageous until I got married and moved to the United States. I am a teacher, as is my wife, and our school has to pay $16,000 per year for us! I couldn’t fathom why this was the case until I got injured playing Australian football and my Ace bandages appeared on the bill at $19 each!! Bags of 75 cent saline solution were listed at close to $9. Now I guess I understand why the insurance is so expensive, people other than the needy are getting rich.
Denise Michaels Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 8:13 am
It all started towards the end of 2002. At the time I was morbidly obese. I started reading the stories of people who were getting weight loss surgery - but it seemed so radical. I checked my major medical policy I’d been paying on for two years and never had a claim because I never met the deductible - and it said absolutely no weight loss surgery of any kind - because it was considered cosmetic. Can you imagine?

A friend of mine who lives in Vancouver Canada (a USA citizen) told me he was checking it out too - and suggested I research the gastric band surgery which is much less invasive rather than bypass and suggested I consider Mexico for my surgery because the most experienced doctors are there - plus I’d save money.

Long story short - that’s exactly what I did. I went to a hospital in Monterrey Mexico and my experience was amazingly positive. The people were caring, kind and the facilities were very modern. My surgeon had done over 1,400 of the procedures, was Harvard trained and I saved about 2/3s over what I would’ve paid in the US for a much less experienced surgery.

Why less experienced in the US? Because the surgery - though done internationally for 20 years had only just been approved by the FDA. Four years later most US bariatric surgeons are much more likely to do the more radical bypass surgery that has a MUCH higher mortality rate - because insurance companies still pooh-pooh the gastric band surgery.

I’ve had aftercare several times in Tijuana and they are quick, caring and professional. Oh, and the good news is I lost 125 pounds.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people who are horrified when they find out I had surgery in Mexico. Most Americans are so brainwashed!
Diana Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
A friend of mine had a horrible tooth ache from his molar teeth, and we were on vacation in Barcelona, Spain ( We are American citizens ). He went to the dentist there twice, gave him medicine, a check up, advised him things to do and not do, like eating hard or sticky food, and was sent away–FREE OF CHARGE.

If we were from another country, and we traveled to America to get this kind of service … man, we’d be paying an arm and a leg!
Greg Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Greetings All,

I vouch for Nina (Japan) above - it is very accurate. Healthcare/Insurance in Japan: Last night my son was sick and so we had to take him to a 24 hour children’s clinic in a hospital near our home. Imagine be able to take your child to 24 hour children’s clinic a ten minute drive from your home; wait about 15 minutes, see the doctor (nothing serious); and then go to the cashier and pay…drumroll….$24USD - imagine that. This is common in Japan. My son and I are enrolled in the national healthcare plan throughout city office and pay premiums of $230USD per month for two, which includes dental and medical - and nursing care for me if I get sick (kind of a long term care scheme for those over 40. We stepped off the plane in March 2006 and were enrolled within a week; whereas in the US I had no insurance due to being unemployed and my son was enrolled through a state program - of course we were buried in paperwork just to get his insurance. The US is far far behind Japan in taking care of its citizens. It is a shame that I can work and live here and have access to high quality, efficient and reasonabley priced healthcare and can’t do the same in my own country.
O. Menocal Says:
July 4th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
I beleave that until we have an amendment to the US Cosntitution that would guarantee the right of each and every American to health care, nothing will be done by our goverment. It is a basic human right, just like education is and freedom of expression.

It is a shsme that our goverment wants to run the country as a corporation where each one of its employees (citizens) get screwed while managemnent and CEOS (politicians) get all the benefits.

SiCKO - The Official Site - In Theaters June 29th

International Health Care ( )

160 Comments

Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Rate Your Insurance Provider

Share With

Links