User reviews

I can only hope this movie wakes some people up, especially those flag waving people who keep on repeating slogans like "greatest country in the world" etc. This could be a serious wake up call for a proud nation. I have always wondered how people can still call it the greatest country if it does not have universal health care, but maybe the reason is, they don't know any better. They do not realize that in other western countries this has been done for ages and it works.

People of USA should embrace Moore as the patriot he is. He wants the American PEOPLE all the best, but he gets sacrificed by the same people because he dares to speak about the government. But true patriots rise against governments too, if they are bad for the people. United states is not the flag, not the white house, not the senate, not the soaring eagle. It is the people living there, and this is what they have to remember. You can demand for universal health care, and you can vote for it.

Brilliant documentary, with a softer, less angry Moore taking a good hard look at the current state of the inner-workings of the American private health care system, and comparing them to the universal systems in Canada, England, and France. The nay-sayers will argue that he's skewing his content, or simply choosing the worst HMO stories, but that's exactly what he has to do to drive his point home! The content here is far less controversial than in his previous films. It's widely known that, despite being one of the richest countries in the world, the states is far from best when it comes to taking care of their own.

The film gives the impression that Canadians wait an average of 45minutes to get seen at a hospital. Being a Canadian, I'll tell you right away that is not the case. There is an issue here in Canada with long wait times (both at the hospital and for major surgery), however, the system still works well, and everyone is taken care of, regardless of financial or social status.

Seeing sicko really made me realize just how much I take our universal health care system for granted. Some of the HMO horror stories Moore gives are shocking (to put it lightly).

While this film doesn't pack quite the punch, compared to Fahrenheit and Columbine, it's still going to turn a lot of heads. Everyone should see this movie.

After watching this film, i grew restless. Not the sorta restless, you get, when nobody calls you on the phone for weeks. No- restless that i can not reach out, and share parts of the health-care-system, from where i come from in Denmark. Now, i've only once experienced this sort of restlessness after watching a movie, and it was Michael Moores "Rodger and me". YES- Moore does it again. And he fulfills his role, as an rebellious anti-capitalist, pointing out the wrongs and rights in society, that people have simply grown accustom to. PERFECT! He once again gives us his artistic brand consisting of small terrific, or in this case, horrible stories from everyday people who have been neglected by the American health-care system. Michael Let's you pass trough the homes of MANY families as you engage upon their stories. This time Michael has brought far more people into the interviews, and it gives the hole bundle more juice then FAHRENHEIT. He also, takes his time to show old clips, video/photos of the people hes interviewing, so you feel you get the entire background on some of the folks. BRAVO! Michael himself, is this time a bit more "americaniced" -but only to really point out the benefits of the other countries, does he take the role of the average American joe. PERFECT! Over all. If you read this. I think this movie will make as huge an impact on you, as it did on me. And i think every Michael Moore film, is both educational and should be thought in schools, as well as very important for the entire society to see! That is... if you want to be a part of your society?

As European living temporary in this country (my wife is American), I would like to give my point of view about the movie:

1) The facts that Michael Moore show about European Health System is true. We don't pay bills for medical procedures.

2) Universal Health Care it doesn't mean "socialist" health care like Cuba. Rich and middle-high class can go to the private system, so we have both to choice, but it's normal that if you have to afford a expensive medical bill (how can afford a 250k medical bill?), even rich people go to the public system.

3) As European living in United States, I can say Americans pay more taxes (direct and indirect), than Europeans, it's absolutely false that UHC will double the taxes of Americans.

4) This is not a issue about conservatives or liberals, this is simple a humanity question.

5) The Cuban woman made the right question: if a poor caribean island like Cuba can give Universal health care to their citizens, how the first economical potence can afford this? 6)One of the typical points to critic this movie is about wait lines to have medical attention in countries with UHC. The statistics are very clear: there are no more wait lines in this countries than in USA, even covering 100 % of the people (if you are a little bit intelligent and not a fanatic extremist, you can understand that if you exclude 50 milion person from medical attention, your rates about this issue can be better).

7) This people that support the actual health care, I think they don't understood one of the principal messages of this movie: it doesn't matter if you have a good insuarance...you can be exclude for "bussiness" reasons. HORRIBLE AND INSANE.

8) Every American had to recommend this movie to their neighbour, and associate (like in other times for other issues like segregation laws or vote for women), because affordable health care is BASIC HUMAN RIGHT, forbidden in the the richest country in the world.

9) A lot of Americans are proud to be good Christians...I'm not sure Jesus and God support a system that treat human being as garbage. This post is specially dedicated for people that love America and the tradition (conservatives), because if they accept taxes for pay national security, inside this security can include this silent and big enemies that are always waiting to kill American people (cancer, strokes...). Don't worry, you can be conservative and patritotic and support a human and Christian system that support the poor and normal people. This not socialist, is capitalism with human face (normal in other advanced societies where they live more and better).

I just got done watching this movie and no other movie I have seen in my life has had the impact on me that this movie has had.

My wife has M.S. and requires a LOT of medical treatment. Just ONE of her many prescriptions is a thousand (US) dollars a month. This very expensive experimental drug is nothing more than an old flu shot they are experimenting with. ( seriously )

I am a middle class skilled worker with great insurance.. and I may soon be homeless due in part to this. The other part is due to the corrupt banking system that I hope one day gets equally exposed.

I am now officially embarrassed to be a US citizen. If it wasn't for me already being middle aged and having 15 years seniority in a job I cannot replace... I would forever leave this so called "Free Country"

Peace Rich

rich3077@gmail.com

As an American this movie was one of the most depressing movies I've seen in awhile. Bowling for Columbine doesn't even hold a candle to the disheartening realizations contained in this film. I walked away with a sick taste in my mouth having been reminded of how disgusting and heartless our bottom line policy making is. How sick it is to be imprisoned by the government through healthcare. How the healthcare system will tear down every other joy in your life until your 80, working 50 hours a week to pay the cost of staying alive, unable to stand against the rich or have the hope left to vote. Thus the propaganda arm of the American Dream prevails. I don't plan to watch this movie again until I obtain citizenship in Britain, France, Cuba… or Ron Paul could get elected president and as a former physician he might actually fix the system.

I recently finished watching Michael Moore's Sicko (it's a great documentary that everyone should see). It's not about the 47 million Americans who don't have health insurance, it's about some of the 250 million who have/had health insurance and in spite of this their lives were ruined. It dispels a lot of the myths espoused by some in America such as long waiting lines, higher taxes and the doctors being paid close to nothing. It explains why HMOs were established and how their primary purpose is to deny claims. Advancement in these companies is based upon how many claims an employee denies and any claims that are actually paid out are seen as failures. He goes to countries like Canada, England, France and Cuba and talks to citizens of these countries to get their take on their country's health-care system. He also goes to hospitals and emergency rooms in these countries to get the take of the people there and when he ask "How much do you pay?", they all laugh at him. Moore sums up the premise of film when he says the rest of the western world practices "We" health-care while Americans practice "Me" health-care.

Please, cast aside your prejudices and watch this film with an open mind. I personally do not like Michael Moore whatsoever, but this film is mind blowing. I hope that that including quotes from the movie is not considered spoiling it.

Feb 17th, 1971 5:23 P.M.

Ehrlichman : "We have now narrowed down the vice president's problems on this thing to one issue, and that is whether we should include these Health Maintenance Organizations like Edgar Kaiser's Permenente thing." President Nixon : "Let me ask you, you know I'm not too keen on any of these damn medical programs." Ehrlichman : " This is a private enterprise one." Nixon : "Well, that appeals to me." Ehrlichman : " Edgar Kaiser is running this permanente thing for profit. And the reason he can do it... I had Edgar Kaiser come in, and talk to me about this... And I went into some depth... All the incentives are toward less medical care, because the less care they give them, the more money they make." Nixon : "Fine." Ehrlichman : " And the incentives run the right way." Nixon : "Not bad."

While it may not win any awards, when looked at purely as a film, this documentary by Michael Moore is an entertaining and interesting one. It presents all the facts (whether you consider them to be biased or not) in the typical Michael Moore style (heavy on the sarcasm and wit) that we've all gotten used to by now and in an easy to digest format. As this is IMDb and people should rate movies based on their values as films rather than opinions expressed, I think it's best to refrain from mentioning Mr. Moore's obvious view on the American health care system. However, if at all you're interested in learning more about the system or simply want to watch an entertaining documentary, I suggest you go out and watch this film when it arrives in cinemas near you.

I would like to give Sicko 10 out of 10, as I believe in its message 100%; that the insurance industry in this country is exploitive. Michael Moore doesn't delve deeply into statistics as he knows the American public doesn't have patience for them, so he relies on anecdote. Of course, he goes too far in presenting one side, when he would actually win more converts if he presented both, and let the public decide for themselves. My personal experience: I work in the insurance field, and I am about to leave; it was only the insurance that made me stay. I am about to take a test to determine if I am diabetic; a little late, as I am about to lose my insurance. Now I may change my mind; because, as his movie states correctly, if I am found to be diabetic, I will never get insurance again! I will find out just in time for my insurance to run out.

So what do I do? Get the test and find out I am diabetic, & not get insurance again, or don't get tested and live with my gradually worsening state of health? Without insurance, I can't afford treatment for diabetes. So I may need to cancel my appointment (so the insurance company doesn't find out) and wait until I get insurance again, which may be never. Meanwhile, untreated diabetes only gets worse. And if they find out I suspected I'm diabetic, the new insurer will cancel me anyway.

That is the place I am in. I wonder how many millions of Americans are in the same place for different reasons? This is the richest country on earth. We are "Number One". And this is the way we have to live? In fear of our health? Only in America....

And Michael Moore's critics call him "UnAmerican". The question of Sicko is: What is American? Supporting capitalism to the point of sacrificing life and health (hopefully others', not yours), or saying this is a pathetic situation, and we need to do better for our people?

By the way, did I mention I work in insurance? Right now my company is bribing the Governator to throw Californians a bone & insure the poor. Awwww, how sweet. They've put hundreds of thousands of dollars in this millionaire Governor's pocket. Again, what a sweet gesture. Do you think they're doing it out of charity, or because they see Californians waking up and getting angry? So they're throwing you a bone. And if you accept the bone my company is throwing you (i.e., the current proposed scam), a bone is all you're gonna get.

Go see Sicko, however biased you think Michael Moore is.

Having read all the comments and reviews, this movie was pretty much what I expected. Moore does a really good job in making his point.

What bothered me a little was his black & white view of the healthcare industry - either it is public OR private. In reality, many western countries have a "hybrid" system. For example here in Finland we have a pretty reasonable public healthcare system (which by the way is not totally free for the patient, albeit very cheap), but in addition, we also have private clinics, if you want even faster service and are willing to pay extra. You can also get an insurance from private companies, which provides extra financial support and/or service in the private clinics in case of illness. Also some workplaces and institutes have free doctors.

A portion of the cost of medicines is substituted by the government in either case, and there is an annual limit after which they are totally substituted.

I think it would be pretty straightforward to establish this kind of system in the US. There is no need to socialize healthcare TOTALLY. There is no need for the insurance company to "go" (as Moore put it), they just need to step aside a little and stop being the main authority. Also, if insurance companies have to compete with FREE (health care), there is only one thing they can do: offer really good service!

If you have at least two marbles rolling around in your head, you can't watch SICKO and not realize the extreme lopsidedness of this well-filmed documentary. I should preface that comment with the fact that I've worked in the medical field for over two decades and know full-well that the insurance system in our country (the U.S.) is broken.

Having enjoyed Michael Moore's previous documentaries (BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE and FAHRENHEIT 9/11), there's always been a problem with his representation of only one side of the issues. Granted that "the other side" pushes back in different ways (governmental regulations, etc.), I feel Mr. Moore could improve his standing as an upright denizen of justice (as he know doubt sees himself) if he would pull in opposing views. Bowling and Fahrenheit did some of that, but not much. And here with Sicko, Mr. Moore doesn't do it at all.

The biggest problem is that Mr. Moore shows the downtrodden in America, those on the lower income scale (mostly), or those without homes (the disoriented lady dropped off on a corner by a cab driver after being released from a hospital), but doesn't show this same economic class when comparing insurance related issues in socialized countries (Great Britain and France). In countries with socialized medicine, Mr. Moore focuses his lens on the middle or upper class, making it seem that this is the epitome of what the U.S. lacks. Socialized medicine is shown as the golden chalice, something that will fix our ailing medical and insurance industries. The fact is that socialized medicine probably IS what the U.S. needs, but we also need to see the downside to it. Taxes will be affected heavily, wait times for various tests will probably increase, and incomes for doctors and other healthcare professionals will be curtailed. The amazing thing to me is that I don't find any of these things off-putting. I'm willing to pay extra taxes, have increased patient loads for tests, and to have my salary dropped ...if everyone in our great nation could be covered.

For all its flaws, Sicko is entertaining. And it makes anyone who watches it think about how messed up our healthcare systems are. Seeing Cuba's minimalist medical practices is fun to watch but Mr. Moore doesn't show their limited medical supplies. Watching him and his entourage go to GitMo to try and get free healthcare was laughable and a bit stupid, though (all he needed to do to prove that there is a socialized system already in the U.S. is to go to a federal prison ...but that wouldn't have been as dramatic).

If Mr. Moore wants to increase his exposure and retain a semblance of authority on anything he films, he'll need to improve his standards as far as showing the issues from multiple viewpoints and multiple socio-economic households.

Michael Moore does a fantastic job in opening the debate about our flawed health care system. What he forgets to do is follow up and explain why our system is so flawed. An explanation would have the viewers better understand how to rectify the situation and start moving towards a more Nationalized Health care System. Unlike the UK, Canada, and France; US citizens refuse to pay higher taxes. This alone forces our government to allow for the privatization of health care that we see in our nation today. Doctors refused to have their salaries decreased due to such astronomical malpractice insurance charges which are so high only because the nations citizens are more than ready to take our health care professionals to court for frivolous suites. Though we point the finger at our capital, what we need to realize is that it is our direct actions that result in our horrible health care system. If Moore were to touch on that, this movie would be fabulous.

I've seen a lot of movies that either make fun or try to exemplify American stupidity, but none convinced me of it unless I've seen Sicko. How can you people put up with this?! The medical system portrayed in this film is worst than here in Romania!

Basically, it tells about the medical system being bought and used by insurance companies to trick people into paying huge sums of money for any medical care, regardless of them having a medical insurance or not. Then there are examples of the Canadian, French, British and Cuban health care systems, which are, as I think they should be, free and of high quality.

And the logic is very simple, even if one chooses to disregard the highly emotional examples presented by Moore: people who win money from not taking care of you will not take care of you.

Take care!

This may be Moore's best work to date. While so many bash Moore as being un-American, the truth is, he is a patriot. His "crime" appears to be trying to make America a better country. Watching this movie you can see how far we have to go. America is so far behind virtually every other industrialized country in health care availability and other social programs that it would seem this country is doomed if things don't change soon. As a former member of the British Parliament states in the movie, the governments in countries like England and France fear the people while in America the people fear the government. That about says it all.

It is time for change in the is country and hopefully this movie will be an impetus.

For those of you that seem to get "stuck" on HOW Moore chooses to pass a message to viewers, and thus mainly missing the message itself....you will find this film more to your liking. Moore here is more substance and documentary, than what some people would call "Rambo revolutionary". The documentary examines the US Health system, and then indirectly compares it to Canada's, France's and other countries.The differences are obvious.In the U.S if you cant pay the huge amounts of money required, you get no help. In these other countries, exactly the opposite. You pay nothing. And if you think you are left with no money, because of taxes, you're wrong. The sad thing is, that countries with much less development and resources can offer a better overall health system. It IS true that you can judge a people from how it treats, it's most unfortunate citizens. The conclusions are indisputable. The only thing i was hoping for, was some more heat on Pharmaceutical companies (major heat is on Insurance ones). Maybe in Sicko 2 , or the extras. A MUST see!

I watched the scenes filmed at Hammersmith Hospital with great interest.What the film does not mention is that there is a big private healthcare industry in the UK to avoid having to use the NHS.This means that you can get treatment and consultations immediately instead of having to wait weeks or months as you could do on the NHS.There have also been problems with the cleanliness of hospitals with infections by MRSA rife.However with our companies such as BUPA you just need to get the OK from your doctor and phone up the company for confirmation that you are covered for the treatment.it is a system that works well,However with all its problems i would much prefer our NHS to the horror story to what is happening in America.

Quite simply, this film is brilliant. Michael Moore's Sicko covers the spectrum from universal health care, to HMOs, to pharmaceutical companies, to sickening governmental complicity. It is a truly intelligent documentary on the state of America's health care system. But the film is about more than just health care; it is a non-partisan, richly in-depth piece of film-making that manages to capture the zeitgeist of our times. Unlike his previous work Fahrenheit 9/11, this film does not carry with it a blatantly biased point of view. Rather, it speaks to the human condition, in sometimes gut-wrenching ways, and the pathetic, dangerous state of America's health care system – a system that doesn't care if you're red or blue, but only about the bottom line. In a country where the vast majority of citizens feel we're headed in the wrong direction, Moore manages to take the issue of health care and shed light on much broader reasons for American discontent. Good work Mike - no one can argue with what you've done here.

Greetings again from the darkness. Michael Moore's latest has been billed as an expose on the insurance industry. A better description would be pointing fingers at the U.S. healthcare industry. I don't say that as a bad thing, only to provide a more clear definition of what I just watched.

I truly admire Mr. Moore for his ability to bring issues to the forefront and get dialogue and debate started. The downside to his work is that he rarely offers any type of real solution and certainly avoids the "other side" of his chosen topic. Still, he is a master at painting the picture necessary to spur an emotional response from the viewer. The film probably accomplishes this even better than his others. Watching fellow citizens suffer is a most painful experience. To make it worse, a few of his displays are 9/11 rescue workers. How many heart strings can he tug on at once? Very effective.

Still, how wonderful it would have been to have details discussed on the viability of social healthcare in the U.S. Sadly, no debate or solutions, just more examples of pain. By bashing the U.S. system and raving about Canada, Britain, France and even Cuba, Moore leads us to believe that the answer is pretty simple if not for the evil politicians in Washington, D.C. Although, I don't expect more from Moore, I certainly had hoped for it.