SICKO

Michael Moore's new movie is called "Sicko". It shows the corruption of American health care. There are more people in the US with no coverage at all (40 million) as there are people in Canada (30 million). This movie is not even about them, this movie is about the 250 million Americans with insurance who inevitably realize that their coverage is not all they thought it was. Working in this system I can really relate to this movie. I personally had a patient go home with a blood pressure of 60/40 because she did not want to pay the deductible for a hospital room. She left against medical advice and her husband was told to wake her up periodically through the night and to call 911 if he could not wake her.

I also had a trauma patient that was self employed. He got into a motorcycle crash on the freeway and refused the ambulance not wanting to pay the bill. He said he already pays about $10000 a year for him and his wife and did not want an ambulance bill on top of that. I did not tell him that a visit to a typical trauma room costs $30 to 50,000 anyway (so I am told)

Finally, I know someone else admitted for one night with a migraine who got an MRI in the morning. The bill was $25000 but she only paid $35. Still, though $25000????

The US ranks 37 in the world for health care (Canada is only 30 by th way) behind Costa Rica. Not really the greatest then is it???? What good is it to have all the guns when you people are not healthy????