Sicko doesn't wholly convince me either. But it surely is a shame that those 9/11 rescue workers were given quality treatment in Cuba (for free), when they were unable to secure payment for treatment after their insurance company denied their claim in the US.

It is also a shame that the inhaler needed by one of those rescue workers costs $150 in the US and is only a couple of dollars in CUBA.

Whatever happens, they need to find a way to lower costs in the US before they bleed us all dry. For private insurers, that goes against the for-profit mentality. So maybe a non-profit insurance company is the way to go.

Delta Dental denied coverage for the exam saying that I cannot have 2 exams in 1 month. I'm glad we have "good" health and dental insurance, but they don't ever do me any favors.

The only thing that worries me is the opposite problem seen in a privatized health care system. Who is going to deny frivolous claims? To make a national health care system work, there has to be someone that draws a line on what is covered. $50,000 worth of care on an 85 year old so they can live three days longer? Someone has deny claims such as these, or else socialized health care will cost even more than privatized even though it isn't for profit.

Perhaps what I said isn’t meaningful or insightful at all. But I think the message I am trying to convey is that when someone has their back against the wall, they will say anything to get out of trouble. The insurance and pharmaceutical companies are spending millions on lobbyists and advertising to try to spread “misinformation”. They are trying to keep things from changing because they are afraid of losing money. I say, don’t believe everything they say. Do your own research.

Sicko is one place to get a different point of view. Before deciding how you feel about it, you should be exposed to several possible alternatives.

I don’t necessarily think that government should run our health care, but no one will argue the fact that health care costs are out of control in the USA. I think it centers around for-profit corporations charging as much as they can get away with so as to increase their profits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescription_drug_prices_in_the_United_States

At the core, there is our system, and it needs to be examined.

Even with my Blue Cross PPO plan, medical costs are still very restrictive. I pay nearly $400 dollars per month for insurance, and still my co-pays for tests and treatments are more money than I can afford most of the time.

I don’t know what the right answer is, but I stand behind a further examination of the issue.

The fact is, in Canada, the survival rate for several cancers are generally 10-15% LESS than in America. Why? Because several of the treatments (especially chemotherapy treatments) are very expensive and must be rationed.

I'm all for changes to the healthcare industry, but I think pretty much everybody can agree that when the government tries to run things, it usually not the most effective way to accomplish much.