THIS MIGHT HURT A LITTLE.
A new Michael Moore is in town. This one is a little saddened by how his fellow Americans suffer from poor health care and wants them to hog the spotlight. Only occasionally does he step forward to pull off some prank (but there’s only one such stunt, a scene where he goes to Cuba with a boatload of sick Americans to ask Gitmo guards if his passengers can have the same first-rate medical treatment as the al-Qaeda prisoners there). It’s as if Moore has realized that sometimes he’s his own worst enemy and the subject matter this time is too important to let himself get in the way. It’s a wise decision.
Choosing a finger
The filmmaker tells us that 50 million Americans lack health insurance; it’s a much-debated number, but there is no question that it is close to that. One of the first acquaintances we make is with a man who accidentally sliced off the tops of his middle finger and ring finger. Since he had no health insurance, he actually had to choose which finger to restore (he went for the romantic – and cheaper – option, the ring finger). There’s also the story of the fifty-something couple who spent all their savings on medical bills and had to move into their daughter’s basement. Others tell us how they lost their loved ones because insurance companies were hesitant to pay for their treatment.
Moore examines why America ended up with this you’re-on-your-own system and concludes that President Nixon is to blame, that the creation of HMOs under his watch was made with the intention of making as much money as possible by providing as little care as possible. This thinking permeates every insurance company today, as well as doctors’ unions. It’s a theory that will ring true to many people – and many others will call it conspiratorial nonsense.
Making his foes look ridiculous
Moore may let his interviewees dominate the film in a very emotional way, but it isn’t without a sense of humor. He uses old news clips and commercials to drive home points and make his foes look as ridiculous as possible, not least in the hilarious sequence where he mocks Republicans’ tired (but effective) use of the word “socialism” whenever universal health care is discussed. Moore asks himself why the “greatest nation on earth” is unable to eradicate poverty in its own country and makes a few trips to Canada, Britain and France to see what their systems look like. He meets patients and doctors who all show him that there are no waiting lines; that patients pay nothing for health care; that doctors still make a lot of money; and that people have luxurious homes even though they pay high taxes.
In short, Moore has found heaven on earth. It isn’t that simple, of course. We who live in countries with universal health care coverage know that the systems aren’t perfect… but the difference is that we, unlike Americans, would never consider changing systems.
The most powerful moment comes when Moore takes sick 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba and discovers that a Communist dictatorship is able to provide patients with medicine much easier and cheaper than their own United States of America. The frustration, anger and shame over a broken system seen in these people’s faces as they wipe off tears is heartbreaking.
Sicko 2007-U.S. 123 min. Color. Produced by Michael Moore, Meghan O’Hara. Directed by Michael Moore.
Last word: “This film does cut across party lines. Everybody gets sick; everybody has had a problem with insurance or the prescription drugs they’re supposed to be taking or an elderly parent who needs care. On the surface, it does seem that the only people who are going to be upset are the executives of insurance and pharmaceutical companies.” (Moore, Time)
