REVIEW OF “SiCKO”

by Steve Gorman, President, Alternative Health Insurance Services, Inc.

While I knew that Michael Moore’s new “documentary” would be very hostile toward the health insurance industry, I have to agree that some of the issues discussed do need to be addressed.

The film itself could essentially be seen as a one-sided “60 Minutes” piece, with some fluff about how wonderful it would be to live in Canada, France or Cuba.  It also left some major questions regarding many of the “victims” who were featured.

What type of insurance did they have?  Why did some choose not to obtain health insurance until they were sick?  Does anybody really believe that a government-run health care system would pay for innovative new or experimental treatments?

It’s not hard to find people who have had horrible experiences with their health insurance, but even in that area we are subjected to misrepresentations.  One of Mr. Moore’s “victims” was already covered by our government-run health care program – Medicare.  Another one, a woman whose husband died after being denied treatment, was not even insured by a health insurance company.  Her coverage was clearly provided under a self-funded program sponsored by her employer, with a board of trustees making decisions – not an insurance company.

Despite the obvious bias and self-serving half-truths, this movie could not have been made without the existence of major problems with our present health care system.

The failure of the health insurance companies to make affordable and quality coverage available to everybody and the misguided efforts of HMO plans to contain costs have left many Americans with the perception that a socialist health care system would be better than what we have.

Are other countries’ health care systems praised in Mr. Moore’s film really working all that well?

French employees pay about 20% of their gross salary just for health care.  Self employed people pay even more.  The French system is currently undergoing the most substantial changes to the way it works since it began 60 years ago.  There is continuous cost shifting, with more expenses placed on the people, due to the health budget deficit.  More and more French citizens have to purchase complementary health insurance plans to pay those expenses that the government-run system does not pay.

People in Canada and England have to wait months, sometimes longer, for tests, surgeries, procedures.  Don’t take my word for it.  Do an online search about health care in any of these countries and see the true facts for yourself.

The fact that anybody could seriously entertain the notion of a high quality life in Cuba as portrayed in this film is unbelievable.  If things were that great there, I doubt that so many people would have risked their lives to escape that regime and come here.

There is no question that major changes need to take place and that government mandates will be required so that insurance companies will become socially responsible.  I just don't believe, however, that the government would be a trustworthy steward of our health care.  It is also interesting that the strongest proponents for a government-run healthcare system are often the same people who criticize the government the most, like Mr. Moore.

I thought it would be interesting to ask the fellow members of my bereavement support group about their health insurance experience.  All of us have lost a spouse in the past year and have had significant medical expenses incurred (my wife, Elaine, had close to $1 Million in medical expenses).

From the responses received so far, most of the group felt they received the level of coverage they expected and did not have to fight with the insurance company to cover the treatment their spouse needed.  A couple of members did have to deal with issues involving how their medical providers billed their insurance company.

It would have been nice to see a more balanced portrayal without the fairytales about living in other countries, but this film will stimulate more debate.  I encourage everyone to look objectively at socialized medicine in other countries before throwing out what we have here.