Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
Jan 29th 2008, 12:15 pm
#256
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 22,105
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
Think about the kind of thing that tax revenues provide ... and then think about how much opportunity you realistically have to make a real choice about where you spend your money (if its affordable at all) to attain those given services in a free market situation ... if there is even a free market to choose from.
Jan 30th 2008, 1:41 am
#257
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,397
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
What's sinister got to do with it? The simple fact is most things provided for by tax revenues are not profitable, have little chance of being profitable and therefore are provided at better value by the government. Whatever the **** capitalists have to say about it.
Rubbish collection comes to mind as one. Paid a god dam fortune for a service way below what 58 pounds a year covered in my council tax in the UK.
Rubbish collection comes to mind as one. Paid a god dam fortune for a service way below what 58 pounds a year covered in my council tax in the UK.
Feb 20th 2008, 7:28 pm
#258
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Nevada b4 California b4 Colorado b4 Valley of plastic and sand, b4 London
Posts: 2,025
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
Just watched the film, very very sad thing to see how people are treated like cattle.
I noticed we had a couple of Michael Moore threads but they were both pre-film. Has anyone now seen the movie?
As you'd expect, he bigs-up the British, French, Canadian and Cuban systems, whilst finding the worst of the US. Entertaining to see the segment on the UK.
He does a good job of focussing on the woes of "decent hardworking families" and 9/11 heroes with insurance, rather than spending a lot of time on the uninsured (who are clearly feckless scroungers and layabouts and who wouldn't generate the same recognition factor with a widespread audience)
Elvira - you must have seen it, what did you think of the bit where he bashed Hillary. He built her up for 5+ minutes and then whack! That got a bit of a reaction in a San Francisco audience.
Tony Benn seemed off his rocker.
Not sure it will tell the BE crew anything they don't already know, it was interesting listening to the audience on the way out, clearly some had fallen for the US bull on how bad socialised medicine was and had now seen something to challenge that view.
Worth a look just for the Brit section, although the Cuban one was quite amusing and indeed the French, especially the bit where the French gov pays for someone to do the baby's laundry for a new kid, Michael loved that one.
As you'd expect, he bigs-up the British, French, Canadian and Cuban systems, whilst finding the worst of the US. Entertaining to see the segment on the UK.
He does a good job of focussing on the woes of "decent hardworking families" and 9/11 heroes with insurance, rather than spending a lot of time on the uninsured (who are clearly feckless scroungers and layabouts and who wouldn't generate the same recognition factor with a widespread audience)
Elvira - you must have seen it, what did you think of the bit where he bashed Hillary. He built her up for 5+ minutes and then whack! That got a bit of a reaction in a San Francisco audience.
Tony Benn seemed off his rocker.
Not sure it will tell the BE crew anything they don't already know, it was interesting listening to the audience on the way out, clearly some had fallen for the US bull on how bad socialised medicine was and had now seen something to challenge that view.
Worth a look just for the Brit section, although the Cuban one was quite amusing and indeed the French, especially the bit where the French gov pays for someone to do the baby's laundry for a new kid, Michael loved that one.
Feb 20th 2008, 9:45 pm
#259
gurt mint nit?
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: In my shed
Posts: 2,776
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
A week ago my youngest was refused stitches at a Patient First clinic (the kind you find in shopping plazas).
He'd split open his ear playing in a park.
The Doctor refused to give him stitches. We were turned away.
(It has to do with plastic surgery, children and law suits)
Then spent 6 hours at an emergency room which wasn't very busy waiting for attention. It cost $80 for 3 stitches.
He's so proud of the war wound.
I won't go to McPatient First again.
Feb 21st 2008, 12:16 am
#260
my arm aches
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: the warm waters of Florida
Posts: 2,289
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
Wait until you experience it first hand.
A week ago my youngest was refused stitches at a Patient First clinic (the kind you find in shopping plazas).
He'd split open his ear playing in a park.
The Doctor refused to give him stitches. We were turned away.
(It has to do with plastic surgery, children and law suits)
Then spent 6 hours at an emergency room which wasn't very busy waiting for attention. It cost $80 for 3 stitches.
He's so proud of the war wound.
I won't go to McPatient First again.
A week ago my youngest was refused stitches at a Patient First clinic (the kind you find in shopping plazas).
He'd split open his ear playing in a park.
The Doctor refused to give him stitches. We were turned away.
(It has to do with plastic surgery, children and law suits)
Then spent 6 hours at an emergency room which wasn't very busy waiting for attention. It cost $80 for 3 stitches.
He's so proud of the war wound.
I won't go to McPatient First again.
Feb 21st 2008, 12:30 am
#261
gurt mint nit?
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: In my shed
Posts: 2,776
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
I had a very similar experience when my son wacked his head on the coffee table. We spent 6 hours waiting in the emergency room, from 9pm till 3am, watching the room slowly empty out till we were the last ones left. Turns out none of the doctors wanted to deal with it and they were waiting for a pediatrician to arrive. Eventually they realized that one of them would have to do it, as no ped had turned up. Took all of 2 mins to put the glue on the wound, and was easy, so don't know what all the fuss was for.
If they want it to go fast, it will.
Yeah, I sat there looking at all the nice plush chairs and decor and TV's thinking "all this money on creature comforts and it takes 5 hours to see a kid for stitches." Not one gurney came rolling thru the double doors in that time, either.
Feb 21st 2008, 12:37 am
#262
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 3,338
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
Its because most of the staff employed by the hospital are admin staff and beancounters, rather than doctors and nurses; medical care be damned, they are too busy concocting crazy prices for treatments to send to the medical billing companies, who will, through some barely disguised financial scamming, add even more money to it and send it on to the insurers, who will in turn do their best to weedle out of paying. What a system.
Feb 21st 2008, 7:04 am
#263
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Nevada b4 California b4 Colorado b4 Valley of plastic and sand, b4 London
Posts: 2,025
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
I am just speechless at present after reading about your experience.
Wait until you experience it first hand.
A week ago my youngest was refused stitches at a Patient First clinic (the kind you find in shopping plazas).
He'd split open his ear playing in a park.
The Doctor refused to give him stitches. We were turned away.
(It has to do with plastic surgery, children and law suits)
Then spent 6 hours at an emergency room which wasn't very busy waiting for attention. It cost $80 for 3 stitches.
He's so proud of the war wound.
I won't go to McPatient First again.
A week ago my youngest was refused stitches at a Patient First clinic (the kind you find in shopping plazas).
He'd split open his ear playing in a park.
The Doctor refused to give him stitches. We were turned away.
(It has to do with plastic surgery, children and law suits)
Then spent 6 hours at an emergency room which wasn't very busy waiting for attention. It cost $80 for 3 stitches.
He's so proud of the war wound.
I won't go to McPatient First again.
Feb 21st 2008, 9:20 am
#264
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: NW Chicago suburbs
Posts: 11,253
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
As far as I understand it, they felt it should be stitched up by a plastic surgeon - and the ER was busy and it took a while to get to a minor injury. Just because the waiting room isn't busy doesn't mean the ER isn't busy - the major injuries/illnesses come in by ambulance, straight into the back.
I must be missing something, because I don't really see the problem.
Inconvenient sure, but...?
I must be missing something, because I don't really see the problem.
Inconvenient sure, but...?
Feb 21st 2008, 9:25 am
#265
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
As far as I understand it, they felt it should be stitched up by a plastic surgeon - and the ER was busy and it took a while to get to a minor injury. Just because the waiting room isn't busy doesn't mean the ER isn't busy - the major injuries/illnesses come in by ambulance, straight into the back.
I must be missing something, because I don't really see the problem.
Inconvenient sure, but...?
I must be missing something, because I don't really see the problem.
Inconvenient sure, but...?
Feb 21st 2008, 9:35 am
#266
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: NW Chicago suburbs
Posts: 11,253
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
Feb 21st 2008, 10:05 am
#268
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2007
Location: NW Chicago suburbs
Posts: 11,253
Feb 21st 2008, 10:39 am
#269
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 105
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
hey we have long waiting times in A & E here in Uk. and also treatment times and the drugs is a post code lottery depends where you live what you can have unbelievable but true one young man lived 20 miles away from an area where he would have got the relevant cancer treatment free but he and his family had to pay for the medication and sadly he died from cancer vecause he wasnt able to get the right meds early enough. The hospitals are dirty, you can pick up an infection in hospital after a stay there If you want a ;national' health service please dont follow the full example of the NHS
Feb 21st 2008, 10:54 am
#270
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
Re: Sicko - so who has now seen the film?
hey we have long waiting times in A & E here in Uk. and also treatment times and the drugs is a post code lottery depends where you live what you can have unbelievable but true one young man lived 20 miles away from an area where he would have got the relevant cancer treatment free but he and his family had to pay for the medication and sadly he died from cancer vecause he wasnt able to get the right meds early enough. The hospitals are dirty, you can pick up an infection in hospital after a stay there If you want a ;national' health service please dont follow the full example of the NHS
