Sicko - Michael Moore Essay examples

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Sicko is a 2007 documentary produced, written and directed by the American filmmaker Michael Moore. The film investigates the United States health cares system, focusing primarily on health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. Moore does not in fact pose questions as to how America should reform its health care however it does suggest many solutions.

Michael Moore depicts the American health care system as one that contains many flaws. He goes on to show different people who have not been able to afford the ridiculous sum of money to perform certain procedures. While scrutinizing the American health care system Michael ventures to Canada, France, Cuba and Great Britain in an attempt to compare health insurance and pharmaceuticals.
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It is even suggested that terrorist suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, receive better care than some Americans.

It is not difficult to see that Moore does not give viewers the full picture, keeping statistics and figures off the screen. The facts of tax burden in France and Britain are undeniable; nevertheless the amount of tax paid is not stated. In the USA people do not pay nearly as much tax as in France and Britain. As well as tax burden, life expectancy rates in the US are not actually revealed and yet they are compared with the other 3 countries. America supposedly has the lowest life expectancy out of all 4 countries and yet Cuba is virtually tied with the USA. The audience is persuaded to believe that 50 million Americans are without health insurance; this combines together citizens and non-citizens. The Americans who do have health care are said to be paying $7000 per person per year, whereas according to the World Health Organization health care costs $6100 per person per year.

Pieces of film that were taken from the 1980’s to 1990’s are cleverly edited to produce segments presenting many gripping stories. Doctor Linda Peeno, a medical reviewer for the giant HMO Humana, declared in 1996, her job was to deny as many claims as possible. This film is not a documentary but an ‘editorial’ as yet again Moore incorporates a man who was denied coverage for a heart transplant in 1987. Many