Sicko

Sicko is a documentary by American director Michael Moore. He deals here with the grievances of the U.S. health care system. The film premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival made ​​its debut - for the third time in a row for Michael Moore.

The German theatrical release was on 11 October 2007.

Summary

Sicko is concerned with the problems of the dominated by the interests of the health insurance and pharmaceutical companies, health care system of the United States. The key message here is that a government health care over the current U.S. model would be preferable, since this only aimed at maximizing profit insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

Health of the United States of America

→ Main article: Health system of the United States

Anecdotal evidence from people who have been refused treatment

On February 3, 2006 Moore asked the readers of his blog to to send it by e -mail their " personal horror stories " from the U.S. health care system. Within 24 hours he received 3,700 e- mails at the end of the week there were 25,000. The film picked among others, the following cases on:

• A man sawed with a circular saw the tips of his middle and ring finger on one hand from when he worked at home. He had no insurance, and he only had limited financial resources available. He had to decide whether the hospital should attach to the middle finger for $ 60,000 or the ring finger for $ 12,000 again. He chose for financial reasons, the ring finger.
• In one case, although granted the insurance company Cigna HealthCare a cochlear implant for Doug Noe's daughter, Annette, who was born with an acute hearing impairment, but only for the left ear. Cigna argued that a two -ear surgery "experimental" is. As Noe Moore reported his case, and this let them know the insurer, this reversed its decision.
• A woman had to pay for the trip by ambulance because she had not announced their insurance company prior to loss of consciousness, requiring medical care after a car accident.
• Also shown is the widow of Tracy Pierce, who died of kidney cancer after his insurance office dismissed a potentially life -saving bone marrow transplant.
• The Insurance Institute of a woman refused after surgery the payment, because the woman on her application form is not stating that she once had a yeast infection.
• Homeless patients were thrown out of the hospitals in Los Angeles after they received a medical first-line treatment.

Reports from inside the insurance companies

Some former employees of insurance companies will be interviewed and describe the dubious practices of their former employer. The more patients the doctors dismiss, the better is their reputation.

One scene shows a section of a speech to a conference in 1996. Dr. Linda Peeno, a former employee of the insurance Humana Inc., says their primary task consisted in the company to save money. "I denied a man the necessary surgery ," she said, referring to a decision that they precipitated in 1987. According to an article in the New York Times was her statement "wide retold over the years ." According to a spokesman of the Humana case dealt with the question whether a man had an insurance policy that enclosing a heart transplant, and Peeno had correctly concluded that the insurance company would not pay for the treatment.

In the film, Lee is also the one interviewed, whose job at one of the big insurance companies (not mentioned by name in the film) was to investigate insurance claims later. Einers task was to go through large claims to find evidence of hidden pre-existing conditions. He says it was irrelevant whether the applicant intended deception or not, because the company wanted to have excuses with which you " could avoid payment of claims" that.

Lobbyists and politicians in Washington

The film also describes the connection between lobby groups such as the PhRMA, the biggest and most influential lobbyists block in Washington, DC, and political groups. Hillary Clinton is thus the second largest recipient of campaign donations from the health industry. Clinton's friend Harvey Weinstein, whose company took over the financing of the film, asked him to remove the scene from the film, which Moore, however, refused.

Health systems of other countries

The U.S. system is first compared with the Canadian, the United Kingdom and the French. Especially the latter has a comprehensive and free health care for its citizens. The following is an interview with Tony Benn, the UK's best known social policy for decades, who had " Lord Stangate " waived his hereditary title, and Americans who live in these countries.

Moore continues with even with a French 24 -hour home visit service, called " SOS Médecins ", where doctors visit their patients at home. The doctor drives around at night in Paris, and takes " orders " against as a taxi driver. Moore finds out that the French Government with young children provides helpers for mothers who do this for this everyday chores.

Some volunteer rescue workers, which contributed 2001 rescue work during the terrorist attacks on 11 September and diseased as a result of a number of medical problems to be interviewed. The government refuses to accept the cost of treatment for the diseases caused thereby, since they were only involved as volunteers in the cleanup.

Since the U.S. government claims to ensure the full medical treatment for the alleged " enemy combatants " in the prison camp of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Moore chartered three boats and continues with the diseased volunteers as well as several other previously featured in the movie sick from Miami to Cuba. There he demanded before the Guantanamo a megaphone treating the helper to the same standards as for the inmates of the camp. As there is no answer, but a siren is activated, leaving Moore and his companion the bay.

The group continues to Havana, where they receive free medical treatment. Moore also interviewed the daughter of Che Guevara, a pediatrician. So it turned out that an asthma inhaler in the U.S. costs $ 120, but this is to get into Cuba in the pharmacy for 5 cents.

At the end of the film Moore is an example of " considerate of each take, no matter what differences may exist for too." The largest of the anti -Moore website operator had announced plans to close its offer because his wife was ill and he otherwise could not afford the treatment. Moore sent him anonymous then a check in the amount of $ 12,000 to.

Reviews

The film received many positive reviews. After the presentation of the film at the Cannes Film Festival Sicko Variety described it as " a poignant and entertaining analysis of the American health care industry ", hence he could shake down well internationally. Moore was still quoted: " I am aware of the storm that, when I return me to the United States, expected. "

Roger Friedman, who scored the film for Fox News, wrote: " Filmmaker Michael Moore's brilliant and uplifting new documentary, Sicko ', is both real and perceived failures of the U.S. health care system. This time, the controversial documentarian seems really to let the subject do the talking, and thus shows a new maturity. "

The North American premiere of Sicko was held in London (Ontario) on 8 June 2007, in Silver City Cinema at Masonville Place - in the presence of Moore. Sicko shows patients from the area of ​​London, Ontario.

Sicko got on Rotten Tomatoes a positive rating of 93%. The general consensus about Sicko describes that the film " devastating, convincing and highly entertaining " is.

Author illegal copies of business for

Although the theatrical release of the film on 29 June 2007 set, you could see the movie in the first half of June 2007 download via file sharing on the Internet. Moore, who gave his support to Internet downloads before, testified that he had not released the film themselves on the internet. An investigation has been conducted on the Internet as to the source of the video.

Despite not allowed pre-release of the film made ​​significant sales at the box office: Although only 441 cinemas screened the film in the first week, he made ​​it to number 9 of the weekly charts. The revenue per theater were on average at $ 10,204. Surpassed this revenue was in this period only by Pixar Ratatouille, which grossed $ 11,987 per theater.

The total box office results of Sicko were around 36 million U.S. dollars. Of these, 24.5 million U.S. dollars have been taken in the United States itself. Production costs had amounted to about nine million dollars.

Awards

• 2007: Australian Film Critics Association 2007 Film Award for Best Documentary.
• 2008: nominated for the Academy Award of Merit (Oscar) in the category " Best Documentary "
• 2008: Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards for Best Documentary