Sicko is a documentary film produced by Michael Moore, who is an American filmmaker. The film mainly investigates issues of health care in the United States where it focuses on the pharmaceutical industry and health insurance. It compares the non-universal organizations in the United States which make profit with that of universal health care organisations which do not make profit and are based in the United Kingdom, Cuba, Canada and France.
Moore was mainly dedicated to exposing social injustices and corruption in health care industry in the United States. He shed light on the issue by casting out those people who had been disappointed by the health care industry in the United States. Despite the fact that the documentary act as an entertainment, it is also very educative. In spite of raising staid questions about the United States Health Care System while emphasizing on its failures, one may be more entertained.
The comical atmosphere in the film is intentional; majorly to expose the United States broken Health Care System while addressing critical issue without raving on like violent lunatic. Moore could have also introduced a comic atmosphere in the film to attract attention to enable people watch the film. It was a marketing strategy to enable him sale the film to earn some money from it (Dokoupil 98).
However, despite what Moore’s personal reasons was, the film still managed to raise valid objectives and questions on unethical practices of insurance companies and broken system. Moore used anecdotes to demonstrate the predicament of 46 million Americans who suffered because they lacked the health insurance.
The documentary begins with Moore narrating how he invites different citizens to share their horrific stories about the health care. This was before he filmed the movie. The narration took one week to complete and therefore opened a website for it which was inundated with more than 25000 mails (Holtz 120).
This huge number gave most people the urge to want to hear what those who were interviewed said. Moore presented three cases in the first half of the documentary. The three represented the plight of 46 million people who suffered in America since they lacked health insurance.
Sicko managed to bring to light how Americans are not able or are ignorant to fix their health care system while those in Europe are capable of solving and fixing their own health care problems. The film enabled people to see and realise encroachment of corporate influences and greed in health care in the United States.
Those who are involved in health care politics and determining health care policies are corrupt since they have not fixed health care problems that affect a large population causing many people to suffer or even lose their lives or loved ones. The President Commission who are concerned with health care have fallen short of declaring all the needs for universal health care in America (Callenbach 110).
Sicko was an eye opener to many Americans since it left many people to inquire what has prevented many political parties or forces from developing heath care reforms yet many people still suffer. They should have done it for the sake of the citizens. The documentary clearly brought out the widespread consequences of American current health care system.
Today, both insured and non-insured citizens of America suffer. You may think that insured people do not face problems but that is not the case for Americans. The documentary made people become aware of the reality that exists in American health care. The plight of insured people is worse than those people who are uninsured.
It is time that America fixes out its health care system for the sake of its citizens. According to Moore, Americans should draw or learn from other countries such as Cuba, Canada and France. The Health Care expenses should be checked perhaps taxes should be regulated to enable Americans experience the best Health Care.
Works Cited
Callenbach, Ernest. Sicko.Film Quarterly .California: University of California Press, 2008.
Dokoupil, Tony. Why Michael Moore Helped Save Enemy Site. Baywood: International Journal of Health Services, 2007.
Holtz, Andrew. National Survey Shows Michael Moore’s Sicko Did Indeed Provoke Discussions about US Health Care System. New York: Oncology Times Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc, 2007.