On the weekend I had a chance to see Michael Moores movie Sicko. Sicko as everyone no knows is a documentary that looks at some people that are on underinsured health plans and compares them to regular folk in other countries. I am a Canadian so I can answer a little to the Canadian experience but of course I do not know much about the other countries that Michael Moore went to.

First of all in Canada it is important to know that the federal government sets up rules as to what kind of care needs to be accessible to everyone in the country, this is known as the Canada Health Act. Care is not actually delivered by the federal government but instead is delivered by provincial governments across the country. This is where the fighting goes on with the provinces saying that the federal government does not give enough money and the Federal government mandating services that the provinces must provide. The system is huge and although there is a level of bureaucracy, I have always heard that the amount is very small on a per capita basis compared to the US, also of course the system is not for profit since it is run by the two levels of government…I am sure though that some money filters out through slippery hands though.

Anyway that is how Canada funds our socialized health care system, how about the care itself? In Canada you can choose your doctor and my family doctor will get me in on the same day if I have a real problem or a few days later if I just have some aches and pains I want to talk with him about. If there is a real emergency there are many walk in clinics around the city that I can go to instead of my family doctor where the wait would be 30 minutes to an hour. For real emergencies like stitches or broken bones you need to go to a hospital and the wait times in the emergency room of the hospital can be bad with people waiting up to 12hours for treatment. This is a horrible reality across Canada with levels of government working to address the problem. The other problem is with MRI or other specialized treatment which can have long wait times as well of up to a few months. Almost no one dies to my knowledge from waiting for treatment but it is bad in some cases having to wait a long time for surgery or for testing.

Cost is one issue that is always swept under the rug for Canadian health care. Even though the standard of care in universal, almost all provinces have no monthly premiums for health care except unbelievably Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, these are the three richest provinces in Canada and are also the only places where people pay a monthly health care premium. The premiums are about $20-$55 per person per month.

The Canada Health Act and the provinces do not cover prescriptions, eyeglasses or dental care but most everything else is covered including childbirth and even vasectomies as well as other day surgeries.

In talking to most Canadians you will find that most people are in favor of the system that we have. People always want to see better service but that of course would cost more money. The way that we in Canada really see the difference between our system and the American system is really seen when you go to the dentist. It costs a fortune to get a filling but if you get hit by a car and need surgery you pay nothing. So after watching Sicko I must say that Michael Moore may have exaggerated a little on the speed of service and coverage that Canadians get for health care but it was pretty well on the mark. I would love to see how the Brits, Cubans and the French feel about the way that their health care systems were profiled.

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Tags: aches, Alberta, British Columbia, Canada, day surgeries, dentist, federal government, health care systems, Michael Moore, Michael Moores, MRI, Ontario, Sicko, surgery, the Brits, United States, USD, vasectomies

I have seen most of Micheal Moores movies and I am sure I will see Sicko as well. Sicko examines the problems in the US with the health care system and as most people know there are real problems in the health care industry in the US.

The problems in american health care stem from the fact that people are willing to spend a lot of money to get health and to live longer and the industry is more than willing to fund this, at a cost.

The Wall Street Journal on Friday examined how supporters of documentary film maker Michael Moore’s next film about the health care industry “hope that the new movie will stir up emotions and help generate the kind of buzz that made his last movie … a topic of national debate and an unprecedented blockbuster in the documentary genre.” Moore has said that the film, called “SiCKO,” “will expose the health care industry’s greed and control over America’s political processes.”

Producer Harvey Weinstein said that the film “will ignite the country once and for all to deal with health care.” According to the Journal, Moore “has largely kept a lid on the contents of the movie,” but “rumors started circulating” after nurses unions and health care experts saw the film. The Journal reports, “Picking a fight with the opposition is a key component of Mr. Moore’s typical marketing plan,” and drug companies already have “started taking the bait.”

When Moore started working on the documentary, some drug companies sent warnings to employees not to speak with him. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America already has prepared a statement in response to the film, though no one at the organization has seen it. PhRMA Vice President Ken Johnson said, “No one should be surprised that Michael Moore is making baseless accusations designed to drum up publicity for his movie.” He added that “SiCKO” was not on his organization’s “top 10 list of concerns.” America’s Health Insurance Plans spokesperson Mohit Ghose said his organization will respond to the movie once officials view it but added that AHIP already is focusing on improving health care access and affordability.

One thing to be very aware of is that Micheal Moore, as much as he means well does not do a very balanced job of doing documentary’s although the other side is even worse when they come out with their rebuttal. See the film and talk about it and maybe there are places in the industry that you can others can make a difference.

As a Canadian I apparently live in the wonderful world of socialized health care. I pay about $100 a month for my family to have basic health services and my employer pays for my extras and prescriptions. The problem that we have is huge waiting lists for surgerys and up to 12 hour wait times in emergency rooms. All is not that great here either although I beleive that the cost per person for health care in canada is still a lot lower than it is in the US.

Tags: America, America's Health Insurance Plans, basic health services, Canada, documentary film maker, Harvey Weinstein, Health Insurance Plans spokesperson, Ken Johnson, Michael Moore, Michael Moore vs, Micheal Moore, Micheal Moores, Mohit Ghose, Moore vs, PhRMA, PhRMA Vice President, Producer, Sicko, spokesperson, The Wall Street Journal, United States, USD, Vice President, Wall Street Journal