No, Michael Moore is not a Sicko. He is a filmmaker with balls who has guts to make films on subject that profit-oriented filmmakers do not touch with a 20 feet pole. He has been using his camera to start debate on various issues from Gun Control to Unneccesary Wars and Profiteering, in order to bring changes in the US and the World.
Sicko is the name of the latest documentary that he made about the broken health care system in America.
One of the victims of this health care system lost both his fingers and the hospital gave him two options. Re-attach the middle finger for $60,000 or do the ring finger for $12,000. Being a hopeless romantic, that guy chose the ring finger for the bargain price of 12 grand. The top of his middle finger now enjoys its new home in an Oregon landfill.
Even with proper insurance so many benefits are denied like this woman who was taken to the hospital in an ambulance after a head-on car collision. The insurance did not pay for the ride.
I experienced this broken system first hand when I was diagnosed with a Hernia in 2005 and Doc recommend a minor outpatient surgery. That was the first time I was going to be cut so I was doing some heavy research in hernia forums. I came across many folks who had the same problem but were living with pain, as they could not afford a $7000 - $10,000 surgery cost. My heart went out to them, as I knew the severity of the pain. Surgery cost me $7500 out of which I paid about $700. (It would have cost me $2 in Nair Hospital in Bombay or about $200 in a private hospital.)
These days I am seeing a Dentist and even though I have an excellent insurance coverage. The Dentist did my exam and gave me a menu with prices tags to extend my chewing life. The total is $2200 with insurance coverage. Today, I can fly to India for $1200, be with my family n other jebronis, and get the same treatment done for $75 with a private Doc or for 5 Rupees in a Government run hospital.
I have been missing Indian health care system. These are the times when I develop respect and admiration even for the tainted politicians of India, for keeping health care the way it has been.
I think a man / woman should consider him a success if he/she has the ability, irrespective of dollars in his pocket, to lay on the beach and watch the sun go down and who on his / her death bed says “ man I did my part, I tried to justify my birth...thank you all for your support”. To me that is a well-spent life.
India is blessed to have a good numbers of Social Activist like Ananat Patwardhan, Mahesh Bhatt, Javed Anand, Teesta Stelvad, Shabana Azmi, Arundahti Roy and many others. These people are going to be so in much peace and sukoon at the time of their deaths, as they would have done their parts in this world.
No matter what religion these jebronis belong to, the administration up there (if it rewards human goodness) will have a hard time denying them a permanent abode in heaven....
We shall see….
