Michael Moore's "Sicko" is far from Disney for sure, but the movie was released last saturday in France , and i saw it tonight.
Just two words about it - a french point of view - as Michael is talking about France "medicaid" system in the movie.
Basically, what Michael say is true. For instance, if you have an emergency problem - small or big - and if you go to the hospital even at 2 a.m, anybody will get the appropriate medical treatment, and, yes, even if you don't have money, they will take care of you.
It's also true that you will go out without paying. The only thing that Michael forgot to say is that they will send you an invoice later. But, it's not really a big problem, as, in most of the case - i.e if you don't have to stay to the hospital overnight - it will cost you around 70$, probably less. And at least 70% of it will be refund by the social security government system.
Frankly, if the situation in France was as outrageous as it seems to be in the U.S, it will be the revolution here!
This leads me to a quote from the movie when an american living in Paris is saying that one of the big difference between the U.S and France is that "in France, the government is afraid of the people" ( always ready to go down in the streets to demonstrate when they think that the government did something wrong ) and "in the U.S, the people are afraid of the government". I don't know if it's true or not, but from Europe , it's exactly what people can think.
I'm sure that most of you already agree with what Michael is talking about ( and it's difficult to don't agree ) but that's not my point . Everybody talked about the need of a social security system in the U.S , which is obvious, but not about the "movie" itself, and the fact is that it is a very good movie ! Never boring, a perfect balance between facts and emotion, etc...
So, even if you think you don't need to see it because you already agree with what Michael say, you should go to see it for the pleasure to see a good movie !
"I'm sure that most of you already agree with what Michael is talking about."
ReplyDeleteDon't be too sure about that. Most of the film leaves out facts to make his point from what I've heard. Socialized medicine=mediocre healthcare. Sorry, but no thanks.
BTW, I LOVE your site. I'd rather not see political commentary on it. That's not what people come here to see.
Thanks to love Disney and more, but as you say, it is MY site, so i feel free to speak about what i want even non-disney topics ( that's the "...and more" of "disney and more" ).
ReplyDeleteNow, i don't know if you live in the U.S or not, but all i can say, living in europe ( france or england ) with 50 years of experience of our medical system is that thinking that "Socialized medicine=mediocre healthcare" is really absurd.
There is indeed some problem with the system, but not about the quality of the medicine itself.
And anyway, it's always better than to let people die at the door of an hospital simply because they don't have any money, which is not only insane but totally non-human.
I do appreciate that it's your site and you can say what you want. My only point is that people on both sides are very opinionated about political beliefs. Going to a fun site like yours is not where you expect political commentary, however minor it is.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I live in the U.S. If someone's in serious health risk, they aren't turned away, insurance or not. So people don't die just because we don't have socialized healthcare. To be honest, I wouldn't mind the "access to healthcare for all idea" as long as I'm not taxed to death. That's the part that scares me. It seems like most countries that have it are taxed around 50%. Do it without taxing me and I'd be fine with it (there's plenty of government waste that can be cut to fund it).
Anyway, keep up the good work on the website. My favorite stuff is the artwork.
I live in the US. I think the extra money we'd pay in taxes (for universal health care) would cost less than the money we pay now for insurance premiums and high deductibles.
ReplyDeleteBut the people I talk to are scared. They think this would lead to less people wanting to become doctors. They think that we have the best doctors in the USA because they are paid so good.
But from the doctors, we hear that they hardly get paid anything from the insurance companies.
The way I see it - this isn't about the quality of the health care - its about "who pays the doctors and hospitals." Right now, the people making the big bucks are the insurance companies. Why continue to pay them so much money? Why not consolidate everyone into one big pool - as only the government can do. Return the health care system to a "not for profit" entity.