The words ‘health care’ and ‘comedy’ aren’t usually found in the same sentence, but Academy Award-winning documentary maker Michael Moore uses every dirty tactic he can muster to expose farcical contradictions in the United States health system. Interestingly, he does not centre on the 47 million Americans who do not have medical insurance but concentrates on those that do have health insurance and are still denied treatment. The personal health care horror stories speak for themselves and Moore sets out to find out how health insurance companies can literally get away with murder.
Moore and his documentaries (Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11) are often criticised, but his unconventional antics nevertheless manage to cut through red tape and expose injustices. He attempts to take a boatload of people who have been denied treatment for their health problems, including three who became sick while rescuing people after the 9/11 disaster, to the only place the American health system offers free healthcare – Guantanamo Prison. Moore uses the tragic stories of real people (approximately 25,000 people contacted Moore in the week he announced his intention to expose ill treatment by the health system) to expose a health system that cares more about profit than people.
Investigating England, France and Cuba as well as neighbouring Canada, Moore searches for solutions, pointing out that the majority of Americans don’t have a passport and so don’t get to see what is going on in the rest of the world. For us here in Australia, there will most likely be heated discussions after the film as to if and how Australia’s health care follows the United States’. SiCKO is a chance for us in Australia to become informed about and prepared for the possible increase of profit hungry corporations in our own country. Go see it.
(PG) Directed by Michael Moore
