Thank you,

Any thoughts about the good doctor in the vid?

Hello, my name is Rob Johnson, and I'm a psychiatrist and a physician. I live in Walla Walla, Washington, a small town in Southeastern Washington. And I am responding to Michael Moore and to all those who say to America that we cannot come to a conclusive and decisive and civilized response to the events that are so overwhelming to us at this point. I do not believe that. I want a country that is united. I want a government who will reflect the will of the people. And I want people to be looking not for their own self interest but rather to be looking to the good of their neighbor and of the community. This does not seem too hard to realize to me. And, I am growing very weary of those who just simply can't hear this. They are disconnected. I want an America thats civil to each other, with good communication and with solutions to our problems that make sense for all. Thank you for listening. This is Dr. Robert Johnson.

Sounds to me like he is taking Michael Moore to task, not giving him praise. Furthermore, I am not sure he was criticizing 'Sicko'. It could very well be some other of Moore's movies or statements. Dr. Johnson did not, after all, mention any one single issue.

I took care in transcribing that video. If I made any typographical or other errors, I am sorry.

Bush and his band of jack***** are out soon enough. To bad there are no checks and balances for our system in America. Strange setup, IMHO.

To be replaced with another band of jack***** <edited word here, I'm sorry> that will mostly preserve the status quo, as they always have.

And here I thought that the jack*** was the symbol of the Democrats, not the Republicans... <grin/>

Are you a stock holder or employee of a health insurance company, Rush?

Probably a stockholder indirectly, just like Moore probably is.

If you have anything invested in a non-company stock only 401k or other retirement plan, or have anything in a very large number of mutual funds, it is almost certain that some of that money is invested in a health insurance company. The health care industry is a VERY popular investment.

Thanks, KWSN - MajorKong!!!




.

---

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

I am growing very weary of those who just simply can't hear this. They are disconnected.

;)

---

It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

I am growing very weary of those who just simply can't hear this. They are disconnected.

;)

"Many miles away, there's a shadow on the door
Of a cottage on the shore,
Of a dark,
Scottish lake...."

---

Cordially,
Rush

elrushbo2@theobviousgmail.com
Remove the obvious...

solutions to our problems that make sense for all.

;)

---

It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

I knew that recent "Police" band performance would have ill effects. ;)

Or were you quoting a Walter Scott work?

"But it's better not," he said in his own language. "A hundred
curses on the swine-eaters, who know neither decency nor
civility!"

"Make room, the pack of you," he said, advancing to the door."


"Let him alone," he said, "he will come to within time, and come
up to the scratch again. He has not got half his broth yet."


"Come, come, never grudge so much at it, man," said the brave-
spirited Englishman, with the placability of his country; "shake
hands, and we will be better friends than ever."

I am growing very weary of those who just simply can't hear this. They are disconnected.

;)

"Many miles away, there's a shadow on the door
Of a cottage on the shore,
Of a dark,
Scottish lake...."

---

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

I am growing very weary of those who just simply can't hear this. They are disconnected.

;)

"Many miles away, there's a shadow on the door
Of a cottage on the shore,
Of a dark,
Scottish lake...."

Synchronicity II.

---

Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Michael Moore Bulletin on MySpace:

On MSNBC tonight at 8 PM

Today, I will be live on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC at 8:00 PM (EDT). If you forget to set your alarm clock, it will be on again at midnight (also EDT).


Friend count up to: 14453




.

---

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

This was in today's Guardian, the writer is from the U.S. and is living in London. I thought Rush might find this helpful to read, as I understand he is moving to London and may need the services of our National Health Service.
A Precious Provision

Thank you, Hev!

---

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

This was in today's Guardian, the writer is from the U.S. and is living in London. I thought Rush might find this helpful to read, as I understand he is moving to London and may need the services of our National Health Service.
A Precious Provision

Swell, an anecdote. By way of comparison all I ever heard was bitter, brutal complaints about Royal London Hospital. A hundo says that her story wouldn't be so glowing were the kid trapped there...

Depends what you mean by "need"--I already made sure my insurance covers any costs over there. Even though I will be paying for you as well, nearly every time I pay for ANYTHING. Because your health care ISN'T free, they've just taken away your right to choose. Some comments:

"After surviving a winter characterised by frequent health scares and chest infections, Dill died of pneumonia in May."
One has to wonder how many other people will not receive care because of the enormous amount spent on "Dill." Simple cost/benefit analysis, something that NHS does every single day, just like U.S. insurers do...

"While Labour's plans to move away from large hospitals to 'polyclinics' might make this particular scenario unlikely, I still have faith in the NHS."
Surprise, surprise. Labour has to face the niggling little annoyance that since they've created a pyramid scheme, costs keep rising and they need to find a way to cut them. That's funny, because that's exactly what U.S. insurers are faced with.

"After all, I'm from the US, where the possibility of receiving such comprehensive and hassle-free care is a pipedream."
For her, maybe. But not for everyone, by any sense of the word. Mostly because the gov't meddles. Because the gov't taxed the hell out of money they didn't create so employers avoided those taxes. Because she chose a profession that isn't known for it's corporate benefits. I mean, she'd pay for health care through her employer as well, she just would get the benefit of fooling herself into believing that "they" (whoever that is) paid for it. Ignorance is bliss.

"It's difficult to say how different our experience would have been had we lived in the US."
More accurate would have been "I have no idea what would have happened in the U.S., because I don't use that system."

"My partner and I aren't married and both of us are freelance, an entire lifestyle difficult to maintain in the US when insurance is tied to your employment."
Yet for her, the benefits of being freelance outweighed the costs. Another surprise for Carol: EVERYTHING has a cost and that includes opportunity costs.

"Of course the NHS has many problems. The money simply doesn't stretch far enough, and people suffer as a result."
Really? "The money simply doesn't stretch far enough?" Shocking. No, Carol, it doesn't, why? Because that health care ISN'T free. The money used to prolong Dill's life was taken directly from people who might have used that money to prolong their child's life, or send their kid to school, or feed or clothe their kids. Oh, and LOTS went to Iraq. And to build HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. Now THOSE are pricey.

"But despite endless reforms, nobody is talking about abandoning the system itself: it is rightly based on a principle of universal healthcare, a fundamental tenet of an enlightened society."
Yay, it's "fundamental" for the "enlightened" because Carol says so.

---

Cordially,
Rush

elrushbo2@theobviousgmail.com
Remove the obvious...

Olbermann Interviews Michael Moore 7/12/07

Don't worry stock holders, your mutual funds will rotate to a better stock when insurance companies are forced out of business soon.


Moore asks for boycott of CNN

http://commonsense.ourfuture.org/dr_guptas_bias?tx=3


Dr. Gupta's Bias

Submitted by Bill Scher on July 11, 2007 - 7:26pm.

Michael Moore and CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta faced off yesterday on Larry King Live, following Moore's on-air criticism of Gupta's anti-SiCKO piece which accused Moore of "fudg[ing] some facts."

Moore, on his website, is ably taking Gupta to task on the factual points.

And as Huffington Post’s Rachel Sklar notes, during Larry King Live, “Moore cites his source for every statistic offered ... yet Gupta ignores it, all of it, including Moore restating, again, that all of this was available in this email [sent by Moore’s team to CNN] from June 28, 2007.”

But what was most striking was when Gupta showed the heart of his bias, a bias against having our government guarantee universal health care.

Gupta says to Moore, “You criticize the government so soundly. But you're willing to hand over one of our most precious commodities, our health care in this country, to the government.”

Moore rebutted, “I actually love our government ... It does a great job of administrating Social Security ... the problem is who we've put in power who holds office.”

Then in response, Gupta made a completely misleading attack on Medicare:

Michael, one of the best examples of health care, at least some sort of universal health care, would be Medicare. I think you would agree with that.

It's going to go bankrupt by 2019. It's going to be $28 trillion in debt by 2075...would you say that this is going to be still a working system 20 years from now?

Is this some evidence that our government can’t be directed to fix our broken health care system? Economist-blogger Dean Baker doesn’t think so:

CNN’s health care analyst is now telling people that Medicare is going bankrupt. What does this mean?

Medicare’s costs are projected to exceed its revenue and drain the surplus from its trust fund in a bit over a decade, but this has been true at several points in the past. Did Congress tell tens of millions of beneficiaries to get lost? No, Congress appropriated the money needed to keep the program going...

...If Dr. Gupta meant to imply that Medicare, as a government program is uniquely inefficient, then he is way off the mark. According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Table 13) per beneficiary costs have risen in nominal dollars by 519.5 percent since 1980. By contrast, the cost per enrollee of private insurance has risen by 676.6 percent over this same period.

That gets at the heart of Gupta’s bias.

The pressures on Medicare’s finances are not the fault of our government, but of skyrocketing health care costs across the board.

Yet Gupta’s cherry-picks his facts to attack a government guarantee of universal care, and raise the prospect of dismantling Medicare, just like how conservatives sought to do the same with Social Security.

Health care costs are a major problem, but as Baker notes, “Eliminating Medicare would raise health care costs, not lower them.”

Whereas directing our government to ensure universal health care, as Medicare already does for seniors, can contain costs by pooling risk and maximizing bargaining power.

In the Health Care for America plan -- a Medicare-style public plan for those under 65 which would compete with private insurance – policy architect Jacob Hacker writes:

Because Medicare and the Health Care for America Plan would bargain jointly for lower prices and join forces to improve quality, they would have enormous combined leverage to hold down costs. Cross-national evidence and the historical experience of Medicare show conclusively that concentrated purchasing power is by far the most effective means by which to restrain the price of medical services...

...Other nations spend much less for the same medical services than we do because their insurance systems bargain for lower prices. And though Medicare covers less than a seventh of the U.S. population, it has still controlled costs substantially better than the private sector, especially since the introduction of payment controls in the mid-1980s.

When was the last time you saw a mainstream media report that merely raised the possibility that our government’s Medicare plan does a better job at containing costs than private insurance companies?

There is one thing said by Gupta that I have no disagreement with: “It makes it very hard to advance the argument if you're not getting the numbers right.”
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Comments
Dr Gupta
Submitted by rboylern on July 12, 2007 - 6:00pm.

It is sad that a physician would fail to acknowledge the benefit of universal health care for all in favor of the cumbersome and costly system we have in place in the US right now. No system is 100% perfect all the time, but I think the Canadians, the French, the British and the Cubans are doing rather well with their systems. Dr. Gupta rightly points out that these systems are not actually free, but are paid for by taxes. Mr. Moore is also right when he notes that our system with its high premiums and out-of-pocket patient costs amounts to roughly the same thing. The advantage of a nationalized system is that while it has to be paid for by taxes, the taxed are also reaping the benefits and well as subsidizing the care of those who cannot afford to purchase private insurance. This seems to me to be a far better way to do things. You know, when you're admitted to the hospital among the first things asked is whether or not you have insurance. That should never be a primary concern. And then we have the problem of having to pay for things that private insurance doesn't cover. RichardB

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Throwing out the Garbage
Submitted by futurist on July 12, 2007 - 4:57pm.

George W. Bush no longer has any credibility with the vast majority of the American people. By continuing to pander to the mindless religious right the Bush administration and its supporters further diminish what little credibility they have left. Their faith-based agenda of ideological, theological, and political reliance on government is strictly for fools, fanatics, hypocrites, and their bigoted leaders.

Some people feel that the quickest way to change the defective, dishonest, and deluded policies instituted by the current administration and its congressional supporters is to promptly impeach Bush and Cheney. This simplistic tactic ignores the realities of our political system. Neither the political will nor enough votes are currently available in the Senate and House to impeach the current leadership - and they’re just the most visible part of a herd of self-serving autocrats that undermine our democracy.

It’s a waste of time and effort focusing on impeachment now. Rather, there are important, constructive, and substantive matters with higher priorities that must be effectively dealt with by Congress if they want to show that they are really interested in serving the American people.

The first thing is to establish a public financing system for all elections that would reduce -- if not wholly eliminate -- the corruption in our government that comes from the legalized bribery called campaign contributions. All of the corrupt politicians who have been bought and paid for can then be removed from office - if the public is smart enough to understand what legitimate and meaningful representation is all about.

Once the garbage has been thrown out we can move towards a comprehensive tax based single payer national health care system administered by professional career public servants without interference from political hacks. An energy independence program that creates real jobs, restores our environment, frees our economy from foreign military entanglements, and is free of special interest amendments can follow it.

Ultimately, all government policies and services must be developed and administered pragmatically without partisan political interference. After showing some initiative and enacting meaningful legislation that serves the best interests of the American people we can gather the necessary evidence and send all of the politicians and special interests that have been corrupting our democracy and engaging in crimes against the American people to jail - including Bush and Cheney.

We have to understand that this requires unassisted human reason rather than faith, ideology, and adherence to tradition. This can only happen however if we all reconsider our priorities and use our brains instead of our passions.

PS: Any failure to respond on your part indicates that you're not thinking.

Abraham Moses Genen

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Gupta vs. Moore
Submitted by NewIndependent on July 12, 2007 - 4:11pm.

I always thought Dr. Gupta was a windbag and corporate stooge. Now I know he is. He overlooks the fact that Medicare could easily be funded if this country were not squandering trillions on this illegal war. Health care should be neither an industry, nor a commodity, but rather a right. We would do well to remember that.

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MD inside corporate America
Submitted by janelynne on July 12, 2007 - 3:52pm.

Dr. Gupta made the lucrative decision to take his background and reputation as a doctor, and become allied with the goals of corporate America. That said, he is a rubber stamper for profit-making at the cost of patient care. He is a poor debater, and maybe would have better at medicine. But if his heart wasn't in healing people, maybe it's better he is on CNN.

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Efficiency - Government vs Private Insurance
Submitted by mandoguy on July 12, 2007 - 2:59pm.

Ross Perot understood that the average American voter simply cannot grasp the gigantic numbers in the Federal Budget or the costs of health care nationwide. But they CAN see relationships when graphically depicted. I strongly urge all to visit this marvelously creative (but factual) website and ask any average voter after seeing it if he or she thinks for-profit companies ought to be the financial gatekeepers for the sick and injured.

Go to: http://blog.thebudgetgraph.com/2007/03/08/if-medicaremedicaid-were-run-b...

Their introduction to the two very sobering graphs:

The first compares the government’s Medicare/Medicaid program to the nations largest for-profit private health insurer, UnitedHealth Group. The second is what would happening if our $564 billion Medicare/Medicaid budget were run like our nations leading private insurer.

Also view their graphic depiction of the entire Federal Budget at (which links to the graphs referred to above): http://thebudgetgraph.com/

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The bigger picture
Submitted by Lyra on July 12, 2007 - 1:33pm.

One thing that seems to be completely missing from the health care debate is a realistic overview of how far we have to go to achieve universal healthcare.

Without checking my figures, I believe the numbers are near to 60% of the US population is already receiving tax payer funded health care.

When Medicare, Medicaid, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Military health care, government employee plans, etc etc are added up, and then the corporate tax deductibility of employer provided healthcare are factored in, in effect, publically subsidized... Americans already provide tax payer funded healthcare to a clear majority.

It doesn't seem so far a stretch then, to suggest that a plan to provide healthcare to all is realistic and achievable.

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HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY
Submitted by mdruss42 on July 12, 2007 - 12:39pm.

Industry....organized ecomonic activity, widespread activity, involving many people, especially one that has been EXCESSIVELY COMMERCIALIZED OR STANDARDIZED......or maybe both?

I remember the first time, not too many years ago as time is measured by someone over 60, I heard this phrase. I asked just when health care had become an industry. The questionees acted as if I had just landed from Mars, as if health care had always been considered an industry.

NOW, THAT IS TALENT, TO REVISE HISTORY BEFORE THE EYES OF THE ACTORS INVOLVED AND ERASE ALL MEMORY OF EVERYTHING BUT THE REVISED VERSION.

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Gupta's Comments
Submitted by Greg on July 11, 2007 - 8:13pm.

My only regret was that Mr. Moore failed to call out Dr. Gupta when he used the term "commodity" to describe health care. In other words, Dr. Gupta considers health care something to be bought, sold, and traded rather than an essential service. To me that seemed very telling.







.

---

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

Swell, an anecdote. By way of comparison all I ever heard was bitter, brutal complaints about Royal London Hospital. A hundo says that her story wouldn't be so glowing were the kid trapped there...

Depends what you mean by "need"--I already made sure my insurance covers any costs over there. Even though I will be paying for you as well, nearly every time I pay for ANYTHING. Because your health care ISN'T free, they've just taken away your right to choose. Some comments:

1) You will only be paying for out healthcare if you are paying National Insurance contributions...which as you are not working, you won't be.
2) Instead, you will be taking advantage of our university..your course subsidised by our taxes.
3) We chose this way of funding our healthcare.

---

Account frozen...

1) You will only be paying for out healthcare if you are paying National Insurance contributions...which as you are not working, you won't be.

Money is fungible, so of course I will. Either A) because other taxes I'll pay (basically ALL of them, indirectly) will be used when they rob Peter to pay Paul as a matter of course, or B) because money I pay means less that has to be raised from others.

Actually, they won't allow me to work (which I kinda could) and those sorts of restrictions have worked out really well in European countries. Just ask France.

2) Instead, you will be taking advantage of our university..your course subsidised by our taxes.

The price is what they quoted me, I chose that school based simply on a cost/benefit analysis, i.e., was the cost less or more than the benefit that I thought I would obtain. That money is taken from you by force to subsidize those that could easily be called rich (by world standards) is silly in my book. Guess what? The money they took from you to subsidize the rich could be paying for your health care--oh, except, no it, can't. Since it was taken from you, you no longer have any choice over where it goes. Wave hello to Iraq! Smile at your ballistic missile submarines as the glide by!

3) We chose this way of funding our healthcare.

Really? So anyone in the UK could opt out and cease paying? Kinda like anyone in the U.S. can opt out of Social Security and cease paying? Oh, wait, they can't actually do that... For two reasons, 1) as noted above, money is fungible, and 2) they won't let you.

These things are such a great deal that people have to be FORCED to pay in, because otherwise they wouldn't, and would opt out. Now there's the mark of an effective program. Though, ever notice how even the very poor line up like pigs to the slaughter to pay for a mobile phone even though the company that's offering it to them will make a profit. Hmmmm?

---

Cordially,
Rush

elrushbo2@theobviousgmail.com
Remove the obvious...

July 12th, 2007 7:05 pm
Evicted family needs help

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/news/article.php?id=10029

By Nancy McCleary / Fayetteville Observer

RAEFORD — Dorothy Elliott sat on a couch in a sparsely furnished living room, looked around and sighed.

Above her head, a ceiling fan churned out a gentle breeze. Elliott’s fiance, Jerry Hayes, sat on the other couch.

“It’s a dream come true, if only for a week,” said Elliott, who was injured last year when a man stole the cab she was driving.

Elliott and her family have caught a brief reprieve after being evicted Tuesday from their mobile home off Sapona Road.

When Jean Kimpson learned of the family’s plight, she offered to let them stay in a house she owns in the Liberty Point neighborhood.

It’s a temporary fix, though, because Kimpson is trying to sell the house. Elliott and her family must relocate by Monday.

Even so, Elliott is grateful for any help.

Another woman, who wants to remain anonymous, started a checking account for Elliott at First South Bank in Hope Mills.

The woman donated $100.

Elliott, who says she is unable to work, has been denied Medicaid or disability benefits. Her former employer, Old Army Taxi, did not have workers’ compensation, Elliott said.

Her medical bills are $242,000. A crime victim’s program paid about $30,000, but Elliott must find the money to pay the balance.

Hayes quit his job with Old Army after the company and Elliott began trying to reach an insurance settlement. The parties have yet to do so.

Hayes is looking for a job in between taking care of Elliott and his two children — 8-year-old Brittany and 7-year-old Brandon — who live with them.

Elliott said Tuesday she doesn’t know where the family will go.

There was some good news, though. She was contacted Tuesday by the office of U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre and by a state representative about drawing disability benefits.


.

---

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

These things are such a great deal that people have to be FORCED to pay in, because otherwise they wouldn't, and would opt out. Now there's the mark of an effective program. Though, ever notice how even the very poor line up like pigs to the slaughter to pay for a mobile phone even though the company that's offering it to them will make a profit. Hmmmm?

oooh..you just reminded me of something..

*skips happily over to the politics forum to start a new thread*

---

Account frozen...

Michael Moore has 14588 friends now.

'SiCKO' Factual Backup

SiCKO: There are nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance.

* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually reported that 54.5 million people were uninsured for at least part of the year. Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, 2006. Centers for Disease Control. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200706.pdf

* The amount of uninsured is rising every year, as premiums continue to skyrocket and wages stagnate. From 2004 to 2005 the number of uninsured rose 1.3 million, and rose up nearly 6 million from 2001-2005. Leighton Ku, "Census Revises Estimates Of The Number Of Uninsured People," Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, April 5, 2007 http://www.cbpp.org/4-5-07health.htm. With 44.8 uninsured in 2005, in 2007 the number will be much higher. Professors Todd Gilmer and Richard Kronick, in "It's The Premiums, Stupid: Projections Of The Uninsured Through 2013," Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.w5.143, "project that the number of non-elderly uninsured Americans will grow from forty-five million in 2003 to fifty-six million by 2013." According to these authors, by now the number of non-elderly uninsured by this date clearly would be nearly 50 million.

SiCKO: 18,000 Americans will die this year simply because they're uninsured.

* According to the Institute of Medicine, "lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States. Although America leads the world in spending on health care, it is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage." Insuring America's Health: Principles and Recommendations, Institute of Medicine, January 2004.
http://www.iom.edu/?id=19175

SiCKO: Richard Nixon and John Ehrlichman are heard discussing the concept of a health maintenance organization in Oval Office Recordings.

* On February 17, 1971, Richard Nixon met with John Ehrlichman to discuss the Vice President's position on health maintenance organizations, as heard in the film. The Miller Center of Public Affairs has this audio recording (conversation number 450-23. "Richard Nixon - Oval Office Recordings,"
http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/digitalarchive/presidentialrecordings
/nixon/oval?PHPSESSID=b813e56b3017d097cd176720bc10fc74

* The next day, Nixon called for a "new national health strategy" that had four points for expanding the proliferation of health maintenance organizations, or HMOs. "Special Message to the Congress Proposing a National Health Strategy," February 18th, 1971, http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=3311

* The term "health maintenance organization" was coined by Nixon advisor Paul Ellwood. Patricia Bauman, "The Formulation and Evolution of the Health Maintenance Organization Policy, 1970-1973, Social Science & Medicine, vol. 10. 1976. After Congress passed Nixon's HMO Act in 1973, HMOs in America increased nine-fold in just ten years. N. R. Kleinfield, "The King of the HMO Mountain," New York Times, July 31, 1983.

SiCKO: The American Medical Association distributed a record featuring Ronald Reagan discussing the evils of socialized medicine.

* Ronald Reagan's recording was widely available in the 1960s, and was a part of the American Medical Association's "Operation Coffee Cup," a coordinated rebuttal to Democrats' push for Medicare. Max Skidmore, "Ronald Reagan and Operation Coffee Cup: A Hidden Episode in American Political History," Journal of American Culture, vol. 12. 1989.

SiCKO: $100 million spent to defeat Hillary's health care plan.

* "Even before debate began in Congress, a powerful coalition had been cobbled together to fight Clintoncare, as opponents labeled it - congressional Republicans, the insurance industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Business Roundtable, the Christian Coalition, the conservative radio talk show network. Those groups spent between $100 million and $ 300 million to defeat it. And the battle was fought like a presidential campaign - with a TV advertising campaign, a network of field operatives and public relations experts to lobby members of Congress back in their districts." Rob Christensen, "Who killed health care reform? Answer: Everyone," News & Observer, June 19, 1996.

* "In 1993-94, the Health Insurance Association of America, a trade group, spent about $15 million on advertising to defeat Clinton's proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system." John MacDonald, "Proponents, Opponents Join Battle Over Drug Price Limits," Hartford Courant, June 21, 2000.

* "'We spent $1.4 million to fight President Clinton's plan,' [Mike Russell of the Christian Coalition] says." Harold Cox, "Business will spearhead Health Reform II ; Old enemies of Clinton's plan in lead," Washington Times, December 27, 1994.

* "A study by Citizen Action, a consumer group, reports that doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and other providers of medical services made campaign contributions of $ 79 million during the 1993-1994 election cycle. The insurance industry passed out $16 million. The American Medical Association, which objects to cost-control measures, contributed $ 3 million." Froma Harrop, "The big lie about health reform," Rocky Mountain News, August 20, 1995.

* "According to [Citizens for a Sound Economy] spokesman Brent Bahler, the group has not bought any airtime for commercials but has 'tentative plans' for a grassroots advocacy effort that would include an advertising component. Last year, Bahler said, the CSE spent more than $2 million on print, radio and television advertising to defeat Clinton's health care reform plan." James A. Barnes, "RNC Turns To TV Ads On Budget," National Journal, 5.16.95.

SiCKO: The United States is ranked #37 as a health system by the World Health Organization.

* "The U. S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance, the report finds." "World Health Organization Assesses The World's Health Systems," Press Release, WHO/44, June 21, 2000. http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2000/en/pr2000-44.html

SiCKO: Health industry companies accused of wrongdoing in Sicko.

* Aetna: "Aetna Inc. … settled with the plaintiffs, which include the medical associations of California and Texas. Aetna agreed to pay the plaintiffs $120 million." Milt Freudenheim, "Class-Action Status Is Upheld for Doctors Suing Insurers," New York Times, September 2, 2004. See also, Susan Beck, "HMO Postmortem," American Lawyer, October 10, 2003. Settlement Agreement, http://www.aetna.com/provider/agreement_with_physicians.html

* Blue Cross/Blue Shield: "Sixty-seven Blue Cross/Blue Shield companies across the nation have paid the United States a total of $117 million to settle government claims that Medicare made primary payments for health care services that should have been paid by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield private insurance companies, the Department of Justice announced today." "Blue Cross/Blue Shield Companies Settle Medicare Claims, Pay United States $117 Million, Agree To Share Information," Department of Justice News Release, October 25, 1995.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/Pre_96/October95/551.txt.html

* Cigna: "Cigna Corporation, [has] settled with the plaintiffs, which include the medical associations of California and Texas. … Cigna agreed to pay $85 million." Milt Freudenheim, "Class-Action Status Is Upheld for Doctors Suing Insurers," New York Times, September 2, 2004.

* "HCA Inc. (formerly known as Columbia/HCA and HCA - The Healthcare Company) has agreed to pay the United States $631 million in civil penalties and damages arising from false claims the government alleged it submitted to Medicare and other federal health programs, the Justice Department announced today. … Previously, on December 14, 2000, HCA subsidiaries pled guilty to substantial criminal conduct and paid more than $840 million in criminal fines, civil restitution and penalties. Combined with today's separate administrative settlement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), under which HCA will pay an additional $250 million to resolve overpayment claims arising from certain of its cost reporting practices, the government will have recovered $1.7 billion from HCA, by far the largest recovery ever reached by the government in a health care fraud investigation." "Largest Health Care Fraud Case In U.S. History Settled; HCA Investigation Nets Record Total Of $1.7 Billion," Department of Justice News Release, June 26, 2003.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/June/03_civ_386.htm

SiCKO: Executive Compensation

* Michael B McAllister earned $3.33 million in compensation as CEO of Humana. "Forbes 2006 Executive Pay list," April 20, 2006.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/12/AG0Q.html.

* John W Rowe earned $22.2 million in compensation as CEO of Aetna. Rowe has since left Aetna. "Forbes 2004 Executive Pay list," April 21, 2005.
http://www.forbes.com/static/execpay2005/LIRS5NI.html?passListId=12
&passYear=2005&passListType=Person&uniqueId=S5NI&datatype=Person

* Bill McGuire has stock options worth $1.6 billion at the end of 2005, as CEO of UnitedHealth Group. Robert Simison, "SEC Investigates UnitedHealth Over Stock-Options Practices," Bloomberg News, December 27, 2006; Michael Regan, "Business 2006: Who Won, Who Lost," Associated Press,December 26, 2006.

SiCKO: There are four times as many health care lobbyists as there are members of Congress.

* According to the Center for Responsive Politics (www.opensecrets.org), in 2005 there were 2,084 health care lobbyists registered with the federal government. With 535 members of Congress, that's 3.895 lobbyists per member.

SiCKO: Hillary Clinton became the second largest recipient in the Senate of health care industry contributions.

* "As she runs for re-election to the Senate from New York this year and lays the groundwork for a possible presidential bid in 2008, Mrs. Clinton is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from doctors, hospitals, drug manufacturers and insurers. Nationwide, she is the No. 2 recipient of donations from the industry, trailing only Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a member of the Republican leadership." Raymond Hernandez and Robert Pear, "Once an Enemy, Health Industry Warms to Clinton," New York Times, July 12, 2006.

SiCKO: Drug industry money to members of Congress, and the president, who led the effort to pass the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.

* "The health industry gave $14 million total to the eleven elected officials largely credited with negotiating the bill. Pharmaceutical company PACs, employees, and their families gave more than $3 million in campaign contributions to (those) eleven elected officials." Buying A Law: Big Pharma's Big Money and the Bush Medicare Plan, Campaign Money Watch, January 2004.
http://www.ourfuture.org/docUploads/donnelly$_1-15-04.pdf

SiCKO: The Medicare Part D plan will hand over $800 billion of our tax dollars to the drug and health insurance industry.

* According to the Congressional Budget Office, for the ten-year period, 2006 through 2016, the projected spending is $848 billion. "The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2008 to 2017," Congressional Budget Office, January 2007. http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/77xx/doc7731/01-24-BudgetOutlook.pdf

SiCKO: The elderly could end up paying more for their prescription drugs than they did before under Part D - and a majority of senior citizens could still pay over $2000 a year.

* "For all patients, Medicare covers 75 percent of the first $2,250 worth of drugs. But after that, coverage drops to zero - and doesn't resume until the patient hits $5,100 in expenses. Then Medicare kicks in again, paying 95 percent of costs. But it's this gap - of almost $3,000 - that many sick and disabled seniors call unaffordable." Medicare's 'Donut Hole,' CBS News, July 26, 2006.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/26/eveningnews/main1839288.shtml

* "Nearly 7 million seniors and individuals with disabilities who purchased stand-alone prescription drug coverage are now at risk of falling into the 'doughnut hole.' According to a report released today by Senior Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee… nearly 88 percent of new drug plan enrollees, roughly 7 million individuals, are at risk of losing coverage for their medications while they continue to pay monthly premiums to their insurers. The report further details how few individuals have enrolled in plans without doughnut holes, presumably because of the prohibitive cost of such plans." "88% Of New Medicare Drug Program Enrollees At Risk Of Falling Into The 'Doughnut Hole,'" Joint News Release From Representative Charles B. Rangel, Ranking Democrat, Committee On Ways And Means, Representative Pete Stark, Ranking Democrat, Subcommittee On Health, Committee On Ways And Means, Representative Sander M. Levin, Ranking Democrat, Subcommittee On Social Security, Committee On Ways And Means, September 21, 2006.
http://www.house.gov/list/press/wm31_democrats/060921_88
_of_new_medicare_drug_program_enrollees_at_risk_of_falling
_into_the_doughnut_hole.html

* "Over the past year, Part D drug prices have increased several times faster than the rate of inflation. Families USA analyzed the prices for 15 of the drugs most frequently prescribed to seniors. We examined prices for each of the plans offered by the largest Part D insurers, which together cover about two-thirds of all Part D beneficiaries. We then compared the lowest available Part D price for each drug in April 2006 with the lowest available price for the same drug in April 2007. The lowest price for every one of the top 15 drugs prescribed to seniors increased, and the median increase was 9.2 percent." Medicare Part D Prices Are Climbing Quickly, FamiliesUSA, April 2007.
http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/medicare-part-d-drug-prices.PDF

SiCKO: Fourteen Congressional aides went to work for the industry; Billy Tauzin left Congress to become CEO of PhRMA for a $2 million annual salary.

* See, e.g., The Medicare Drug War: An Army of Nearly 1,000 Lobbyists Pushes a Medicare Law that Puts Drug Company and HMO Profits Ahead of Patients and Taxpayers, Public Citizen Congress Watch, June 2004,
http://www.citizen.org/documents/Medicare_Drug_War%20_Report_2004.pdf

* "Retiring Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., who stepped down earlier this year as chairman of the House committee that regulates the pharmaceutical industry, will become the new president and CEO of the drug industry's top lobbying group…Public Citizen, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, called Tauzin's hiring 'yet another example of how public service is leading to private riches.' Tauzin gets a pay package reportedly worth at least $2 million a year, making him one of the highest-paid lobbyists in Washington." "Tauzin switches sides from drug industry overseer to lobbyist," USA Today, December 15, 2004.. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2004-12-
15-drugs-usat_x.htm

SiCKO: Canadians live three years longer than we do.

* The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5, and the life expectancy in Canada is 80.2. Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006 at 283.
http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf.

SiCKO: Tommy Douglas, who pioneered Canada's health care system, was heralded as the nation's singular most important person.

* "In November 2004, Canadians voted Tommy Douglas the Greatest Canadian of all time following a nationwide contest. Over 1.2 million votes were cast in a frenzy of voting that took place over six weeks as each of 10 advocates made their case for the Top 10 nominees in special feature programs on CBC Television… . From his first foray into public office politics in 1934 to his post-retirement years in the 1970s, Canada's 'father of Medicare' stayed true to his socialist beliefs -- often at the cost of his own political fortune -- and earned himself the respect of millions of Canadians in the process." "The Greatest Canadian," CBC, 2004. http://www.cbc.ca/greatest

SiCKO: Canadian "wait times" not nearly as long as some try to allege.

* According to Statistics Canada, the official government statistical agency, "In 2005, the median waiting time was about 4 weeks for specialist visits, 4 weeks for non-emergency surgery, and 3 weeks for diagnostic tests. Nationally, median waiting times remained stable between 2003 and 2005 - but there were some differences at the provincial level for selected specialized services.… 70 to 80 percent of Canadians find their waiting times acceptable" "Access to health care services in Canada, Waiting times for specialized services (January to December 2005)," Statistics Canada, http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/82-575-XIE/82-575-
XIE2006002.htm

* A recent study of emergency care in Ontario found that overall, "50% of patients triaged as CTAS I [most acute] were seen by a physician within 6 minutes and 86% were seen within 30 minutes of arriving at the [Emergency Department]. In contrast, the 50% of patients triaged as CTAS IV or V who were seen most quickly waited an hour or less, while 1 in 10 waited three hours or more. Understanding Emergency Department Wait Times: How Long Do People Spend in Emergency Departments in Ontario? Canadian Institute for Health Information, January 2007.
http://www.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=reports_
wait_times_bulletins_e

* "Gerard Anderson, a Johns Hopkins health policy professor who has spent his career examining the world's healthcare, said there are delays, but not as many as conservatives state. In Canada, the United Kingdom and France, 'three percent of hospital discharges had delays in treatment,' Anderson told The Miami Herald. 'That's a relatively small number, and they're all elective surgeries, such as hip and knee replacement.' John Dorschner, "'Sicko' film is set to spark debate; Reformers are gearing up for 'Sicko,' the first major movie to examine America's often maligned healthcare system," Miami Herald, June 29, 2007.

SiCKO: Drugs in England only cost $10.

* For much of 2006, the standard charge for a prescription was £6.65. "The cost of an NHS prescription in England is to rise by 15p to £6.65 from the start of April." "Prescription charge to rise 15p," BBC News, March 13 2006.

* From April 1 2007 to present, the charge is £6.85. "There are many unacceptable inequities and anomalies in the present system. Although around four out of five prescriptions are exempt (see below for list of exempt categories), the price of a prescription (£6.85 from 1 April 2007) often hits those who cannot afford such charges. There are many people with chronic conditions who are not exempt and those on low incomes find it very difficult to pay. This causes a disproportionate levy on a limited section of the population." British Medical Association, "Funding - Prescription Changes," March 2007. http://www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/FundingPrescriptionCharges

SiCKO: After losing 42,000 civilians in eight months during a vicious bombing campaign during World War II, Britain pulled together and instituted a National Health Insurance program in 1948.

* "The Blitz was September 7, 1940 through May 11 1941. "42,000 civilians are estimated to have died during the campaign, with over 50,000 injured, and around 130,000 houses destroyed." See, "Remembering the Blitz,"
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/archive/exhibits/blitz/intro.html; "Living With War; Air Raids," The Discovery Channel,
http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/ww2_home/ww2_living_with
_war/index.shtml
* "The NHS was set up in 1948 and is now the largest organisation in Europe. It is recognised as one of the best health services in the world by the World Health Organisation but there need to be improvements to cope with the demands of the 21st century." "About the NHS," NHA website,
http://www.nhs.uk/Aboutnhs/howthenhsworks/Pages/
HowtheNHSworks.aspx

SiCKO: In a study of older Americans and Brits, the Brits had less of almost every major disease. Even the poorest Brit can expect to live longer than the richest American.

* "The US population in late middle age is less healthy than the equivalent British population for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, lung disease, and cancer. Within each country, there exists a pronounced negative socioeconomic status (SES) gradient with self-reported disease so that health disparities are largest at the bottom of the education or income variants of the SES hierarchy. This conclusion is generally robust to control for a standard set of behavioral risk factors, including smoking, overweight, obesity, and alcohol drinking, which explain very little of these health differences… Level differences between countries are sufficiently large that individuals in the top of the education and income strata in the United States have comparable rates of diabetes and heart disease as those in the bottom of the income and education strata in England." (See also Table 1 - for example, prevalence of diabetes among high-income Americans is 8.2 per thousand, while it's 7.3 among low-income Brits.) Banks, Marmot et al., "Disease and Disadvantage in the United States and in England," Journal of the American Medical Association, 2006;295:2037-2045.

SiCKO: A baby born in El Salvador has a better chance of surviving than a baby born in Detroit.

* According to the United Nations Statistics Division, Population and Vital Statistics Report, the rate of infant deaths per thousand in El Salvador is 10.5. "Table 3, Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year, June 15, 2007." http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf

* According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, the rate of infant deaths for Detroit is 15.9 per thousand. "Number of Infant Deaths, Live Births and Infant Death Rates for Selected Cities of Residence, 2005 and 2001 - 2005 Average," Michigan Department of Community Health Web Site, http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/osr/InDxMain/Tab4.asp.

SiCKO: Around 65 percent of young Americans can't find Britain on a map.

* "About 11 percent of young citizens of the U.S. couldn't even locate the U.S. on a map. The Pacific Ocean's location was a mystery to 29 percent; Japan, to 58 percent; France, to 65 percent; and the United Kingdom, to 69 percent." "Survey Reveals Geographic Illiteracy," National Geographic Today, November 20, 2002. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/11/1126_021120_
TVGeoRoperSurvey.html.

SiCKO: Companies that no longer offer pensions to new employees.

* These can be found on a list prepared by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Pension Change Fact Sheets, http://www.bc.edu/centers/crr/PFFS.shtml In addition, the Pension Rights Center has also compiled a near-comprehensive list. Companies That Have Changed Their Defined Benefit Pension Plans, http://www.pensionrights.org/pubs/facts/company_list.html

SiCKO: Like Canadians and Brits, the French live longer than we do.

* The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5, the United Kingdom is 78.5, France is 79.6, and Canada is 80.2. Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006 at 283.
http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf.

SiCKO: The productivity rate per hour in France is higher than in America.

* According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, France has a higher labor productivity (GDP per hour worked) than the United States. "OECD in Figures 2005, 2005/Supplement 1 at 84.
http://213.253.134.29/oecd/pdfs/browseit/0105061E.PDF

* "Britain has yet to catch up with its rivals on productivity. Gordon Brown, the chancellor, has long wished to close Britain's productivity gap with other countries. It is proving a long haul. In 2004, output per hour worked was 19% higher in France, 15% higher in America and 5% higher in Germany than it was in Britain." "Poor show; International comparisons," The Economist, January 21, 2006.

SiCKO: French policy on childcare and household assistance for new parents.

* According to the French-American Foundation comprehensive review of child care, "For non-working parents or parents who work part-time, haltes garderies (drop-in centers) provide part-time, occasional, and drop-in care. Haltes garderies are also subsidized (by municipality and the National Family Allowance Fund), with parents paying a portion of the costs based on a sliding scale (parents pay an average of $1 per hour). … For working parents [there are] licensed family day care providers (assistants maternelles), licensed babysitters at home (social security costs and salaries subsidized by the National Family Allowance Fund)." Peer, Shanny., "The French Early Education System," French-American Foundation, November 13, 2003.,
www.eoionline.org/ELC/Presentations/Peer4.pdf

SiCKO: There is a company in France, SOS Medecins, which will perform doctor house calls at any time.

* SOS Medecins has an English website, viewable here: http://www.sosmedecins-france.fr/en/smf_en_present.htm.

SiCKO: The government initially refused to pay for the health care of 9/11 volunteers, because they were not on the government payroll. It remains difficult for the volunteers to access the $50 million fund that has been appropriated for their care.

* The Department of Defense and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Recovery From and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States Act provided a total of $175 million for workers compensation programs - $125 million to NYS Workers Compensation Review Board, and an additional $50 million to reimburse the NYS Uninsured Employers Fund, including for benefits paid to volunteers. However, there have been major delays in getting money to volunteers. See. e.g. "Statement of Robert E. Robertson, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues," "September 11, Federal Assistance for New York Workers' Compensation Costs," United States Government Accountability Office, (GAO-04-1068T) September 8, 2004.

* "With strong advocacy from New York's Congressional Delegation and labor leaders, a portion - about $52 million - of the $125 million in federal funding that had been allocated for administering workers compensation claims was re-allocated to provide some funding for medical treatment programs, but it will only meet a fraction of the need. Congress approved the legislation authorizing this funding in late December 2005." Devlin Barrett, "Congress Gives New Life to 9/11 Programs," Newsday, December 22, 2005.

* A $52 million fund for volunteers was eventually established, but experts agree it's inadequate. The New York Times reported on September 6, 2006 that "Dr. John Howard, who was named the federal 9/11 health coordinator in February, has already said that the $52 million the federal government has appropriated for treatment late last year is inadequate. He said in an interview yesterday that the new study will very likely mean that the gap between funds and the need for them is going to grow." Anthony DePalma, "Illness Persisting in 9/11 Workers, Big Study Finds," New York Times, September 6, 2006.

SiCKO: American officials claim that detainees at Guantanamo Bay receive excellent health care.

* "There is still acute care 24 hours a day, in which surgical procedures, everything, can be performed right there in the detainee camps, but as those wounds healed and as the detainees got further and further away from acute injuries, there has been increasing emphasis on preventative care. Indeed, the immunization rate there is higher than in the United States of America…. Things such as screening for cancer have taken place there. Colonoscopies--a procedure which, as we all know, is used commonly in this country to screen for colon cancer--are performed there on a routine basis. The health personnel-to-detainee ratio is 1 to 4--remarkably high. That is all health personnel who are there. And I guess, as I left this briefing and the opportunity to talk to the doctors and the nurses and the psychologists and the psychiatrists, I left with an impression that health care there is clearly better than they received at home and as good as many people receive in the United States of America." Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN), remarks on Guantanamo Bay, U.S. Senate, September 12, 2006.

* "They go out, they do sick call on the blocks three times per week, care for them there, if they can… We have diabetes. We have high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Those detainees -- we've created a population health database so that we can track those detainees to make sure we're seeing them frequently, monitoring their labs and their overall health." Statement of Navy Commander Cary Ostergaard. "Hearing Of The House Armed Services Committee Subject: Detainee Operations At Guantanamo Bay," June 29, 2005.

* "Detainees receive medical, dental, psychiatric, and optometric care at U.S. taxpayers' expense. In 2005, there were 35 teeth cleanings, 91 cavities filled, and 174 pairs of glasses issued." "Ten Facts About Guantanamo," Department of Defense, September 14, 2006. http://www.defenselink.mil/home/dodupdate/For-the-record/documents/
GuantanamoBay_Top10_ATTACHMENT2.doc.

SiCKO: Cuba is one of the most generous countries in providing doctors to the third world.

* "WHO statistics show that the incidence of AIDS in Cuba is the lowest in this hemisphere, and there are now more than 800 Cuban doctors in Haiti alone working to control the AIDS epidemic. President Castro has offered an almost unlimited number to be sent to Africa, to be paid by the Cuban government with only a small stipend from the host countries." "President Carter's Cuba Trip Report By Jimmy Carter," May 21, 2002.
http://www.cartercenter.org/news/documents/doc528.html

* "The close friendship between Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has netted Venezuela a loan of 20,000 Cuban health workers -- including 14,000 doctors, according to the Venezuelan government -- who work in poor barrios and rural outposts for stipends seven times higher on average than their salaries at home. Castro has vowed to send Chavez as many as 10,000 additional medical workers by year's end." "As Cuba Loans Doctors Abroad, Some Patients Object at Home," Boston Globe, August 25, 2005.

* "President Evo Morales on Friday heeded the wishes of six visiting U.S. senators by acknowledging the positive effects of American aid in his country - but added that Cuban doctors had had a greater impact on Bolivia than their U.S. counterparts… [I]n a Friday interview with Bolivian radio network Fides, Morales said the assistance of Cuban leader Fidel Castro - who has sent Bolivia some 1,700 doctors and paramedics this year alone, setting up free hospitals and eye clinics throughout Bolivia -- outshines the United States' own medical aid." "Morales Says Cuban Doctors top U.S. Medical Aid," Boston Globe, December 29, 2006.

SiCKO: In the U.S., health care costs run nearly $7,000 per person. But in Cuba, they spend around $251 per person.

* United States health spending per capita is $6,697 per person according to Catlin, A, C. Cowan, S. Heffler, et al, "National Health Spending in 2005." Health Affairs 26:1 (2006). As with the number of uninsured, the number continues to increase and is projected to be $7,092 per capita in 2006, $7,498 per capita in 2007 and reaching $12,782 by 2016, according the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures, National Health Expenditures Projections 2006-2016,
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/proj2006.pdf

* The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report says Cuba spends $251 per capita on health care. (Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/52.html)

SiCKO: In Cuba, access to health care is universal.

* "Cuban dissatisfaction with their personal lives does not mean they are negative about the revolutionary government's achievements in health care and education. A near unanimous 96 percent of respondents say that health care in Cuba is accessible to everyone. Gallup polls in other Latin American cities have found that on average only 42 percent believe health care is accessible." Gallup/ Consultoría Interdisciplinaria en Desarrollo, "Cubans Show Little Satisfaction with Opportunities and Individual Freedom Rare Independent Survey Finds Large Majorities Are Still Proud of Island's Health Care and Education," January 10, 2007.
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brlatinamericara/
300.php?nid=&id=&pnt=300&lb=brla

SiCKO: Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate and a longer average lifespan than the United States.

* The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5, and is 77.6 in Cuba. Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006 at 283. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf.

* According to the United Nations Statistics Division, Population and Vital Statistics Report, the rate of infant deaths per thousand in Cuba is 6.2 per thousand, and in the United States is 6.8. "Table 3, Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year, June 15, 2007."
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

No, it doesn't because he's wrong as is evidenced by the overall tax burdens of the countries with socialized health care systems. Which, you should note, still charge for medicines.

the cost of a prescription is £6.85..unless you are on a low income, a child or a pensioner then it is free.

And still make their decisions based on costs. And still don't cover everything. And still simply just let people die, because their care is too expensive.

That is actually quite rare.

You can't take ANYTHING Moore says, anything at all, at face value because he won't hesitate to badly mislead you in order to get his point across. Same with Ann Coulter, or Al Franken. They're all just ideologues.

I think most people will put the best spin on something to make their point.

However Michael Moore tends to back his data up. The only serious attempts to undermine his arguments have all been adhonemim attacks...along the lines of he makes money for his books and films therefore he is wrong..he is not a very nice guy..therefore he is wrong...he is fat..therefore he must be wrong. That sort of thing.

Besides, what kind of idiot would really want Dubya in charge of your health care? Imagine it now, Dan Rostenkowski in charge of your life. Swell.

You tell me..you are the ones that put him in charge of your country.

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Account frozen...

Michael Moore's SiCKO Rally in Denver

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGN_i5BKJVU

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss