So I know I'm a bit late on the up take but I just saw "Sicko" this weekend and I loved it.
This movie takes a hard look at the state of the American Health Care System and compares it to the systems in Canada, Cuba, England, and France. In England, the doctors get paid more if their patients are healthier and when you leave the hospital instead of getting slapped with a bill you are given money for transportation. In Canada the people are so afraid of the insurance situation in the U.S. that they actually buy insurance when they go to the U.S. for one day. And in France all people get 5 paid weeks of vacation a year, one more week if you get married (for the honeymoon), a day if you move, and 6 months paid off time if you are pregnant. France was pretty much ridiculously awesome. Now I might have expected the United States to be in worse shape then Canada, England, and France but Cuba seriously? It was ridiculous that 9/11 volunteers were able to get better care in Cuba then they could at home. An inhaler that costs 120 dollars in the U.S. were 5 cents in Cuba.
But the most astounding place of all was Norway. Norway wasn't in the film, but it was in the special features and wow, I want to live there because it sounds amazing. Norway gives pregnant women one year off, their police don't carry guns, they only use the surplus of their oil reserves so that future generations still have resources, they have found a way to use sewage to heat their homes (its not as gross as it sounds), and they have the lowest murder rate in the world. Yeah, so Norway basically owns on all fronts (and I know alot of that wasn't about their health care system but its awesome as well). These other countries are putting the U.S. to shame in taking care of their own citizens. The U.S. needs to take a hard look at the way its treating its citizens, both large, 9/11 heroes, and small, the poor. Then maybe we can consider that other countries have found a more successful way of handling health care and for once we can get off our high horse and follow their lead.
2 comments:
I havent seen the movie, but i do think that this is an important topic... I dont necessarily think that you're saying that we should have free health care, but im not particularly for it... I am aware and more aware of the countries benefits that you are comparing the United States with, but how long does it really take for these free health care countries take to get their patients the proper care... I know that in England, my mos cousin lives there, and she had a tumor in her stomach, however they deemed it not an emergency so they did not take care of her... It took them six months to realize that she was in urgent need of care and waited a few more months to treat her. Luckily they removed the tumor that became so enlarged due to the time she had to wait for care... Anyhow, although it probably does have its advantages, it certainly does have its drawbacks....
Buttt good thoughts
<3youuuuuuuuuuuuuu
claireee
I totally agree with the U.S. needing to get off their high horse. I think one main problem is our country is more concerned with spending money on other countries and often ignores our own problems. If we are going to tell other countries how they should run their systems, then we need to fix ours first.
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