I recently got a sneak peek at SiCKO [warning: self-playing Flash], Michael Moore’s new profile of the healthcare industry being released this weekend. Wow. If this doesn’t shame Americans into fixing our broken healthcare system, nothing will. It is very convincing, without pulling any punches. He lets people tell their stories.
Michael Moore may be the Upton Sinclair of our times: controversial mainly because he shines a light on problems we’d otherwise rather not think about. Love him or hate him, he makes you think. We could use a little more of that at a time when a bimbo like Paris Hilton is considered news.
MT.Net says check it out.
When I worked for the NCIPH and worked with public health directors in NC. I was surprised to learn that the real problem for public health departments is “private pay” insurance. Every company has different policies, different classifications, identifications, and procedures. Only the richest counties can afford the specialized and exspensive software required to automate the process for applying for private pay insurance payments. Note that NC State government systems are more for auditing the health departments and less for actually helping them do their work.
It is well documented that private pay companies have huge administrative overheads. Their diversity (might even say fickleness) gets passed on to anyone who has to get money from them. In the end, we all pay. One of the consultants at NCIPH pointed out that medical care is a billion dollar cottage industry with the majority of car being provided by small clinics. The only hope for some standardization is the government. The insurance companies are making plenty of money out of the current situation and aren’t really capable of coming up with a united solution.
[...] Efron Link to Article paris hilton SiCKO » Posted at Mark Turner – A Life, Unfinished on Thursday, [...]
[...] Efron Link to Article michael moore SiCKO » Posted at Mark Turner – A Life, Unfinished on Thursday, [...]
I’m tempted to say something but I’ll keep quiet this time…
Read this review in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Tell you what, Scotty. Go see the movie, then come back and tell me what you think. You may be surprised.
Oh, I probably will…
[...] Still, its good to see that UHC recognizes the valuable care Wakemed provides. After the movie Sicko came out there is no doubt in my mind who the good guys were in this [...]