Home of the Poor 7.07.2007 | 2 Comment(s)

I saw Michael Moore's Sicko last night, and while I realize a Moore movie has an obvious slant, I left the movie wanting to move to another country. To see how insurance companies work, who they listen to and how they are responsible for denying benefits to people who are paying the companies premiums who disheartening.

Insurance companies who pay for your health care services call that process a "medical loss". Can you believe that? You're affecting their bottom line. One ex health director for Humana had a quota of denials and if she exceeded that, she got a bonus.

It was interesting to see how people in other countries with universal health care reacted to Moore's question about who paid for their medical care. Most of them laughed at him, they couldn't grasp the concept of paying for their health care since they paid for it through their taxes. No one was receiving sub-standard care either. There was no socialist movement spreading through the country because people chose to pool their resources and help each other out.

In England, doctors are government workers who get paid a bonus to make people healthy! Can you imagine that actually working here? I can't either. In France, people get a minimum of 5 weeks vacation, work a 35 hour week and have doctors who make 24 hour house calls.

An American transplant living in France said, "In France, the government is afraid of the people, in the United States, the people fear the government." How true is that?

An old English politician, can't remember the name, said something, and I'm paraphrasing, so profound, "A healthy and happy people challenge the government, a sick and demoralized people are apathetic,. They stay in line and do as they're told."

Why isn't a revolution taking place in this country? What are we scared of? Things can't get much worse.

By  Anonymous, at 3:29 PM

I think you may be suffering from a case of "the grass is always greener." Granted, our healthcare system may not be perfect, but I work in a surgeon's office and we routingly perform surgery on patients from other countries who have grown so tired of being on waiting lists in their home country that they fork out the money to travel to the U.S., then pay out of pocket for the surgery. We live in a country of instant gratification, and with that comes a price. As far as working a 35 hour work week, that sounds fantastic, but there is a trade off for that, also. As a country we all benefit from the people who work hard, not the ones who want to skate by doing as little as possible. I would look towards the Jananesse for inspiration before the French.

By  Anonymous, at 11:47 AM

I wish you'd turn the comments option "on" for the graffiti post. I'd lay down a rant that would make heads spin. Have you seen the jackass graffiti on the Great Rivers Greenway path in Christy Park?