To strive, to seek, to find…

It gets better… I get angry.

ttalkman: …

I am an American with health insurance. I’ve had trouble in the past with insurance paying bills. Also have had trouble with insurance companies while on sick leave from work. They assume you are not legit. They are sometimes more trouble than the actual illness.

3

November 04, 2007

Suchandrika: … http://suchandrika.wordpress.com

ttalkman - thanks for the comment. Very sorry to hear that.

4

November 05, 2007

Kevin Lloyd: …

I am an American who is considered middle class. I am a member of the Plumbers and Pipefitters union. The United Association to be exact. I recently started a business here in Florida and lost my insurance benefits through the union hall. Please do not think I am rolling in the money cause I (and the wife) will assure you that I am not. I maintain my union dues and am still a member in good standing. So needing coverage for myself, my wife and I chose to pick me up on her Insurance policy offered at her workplace. This does cost additional money. I had coverage for the entire family through the union(This was part of our benefits under contract) and additional for the children on her policy at her workplace. This helps to cover any charges that are my responsibility after insurance has paid their portion. She has coverage given to her as an employee. As a father of a 17 year old athletic son (numerous sprains and broken bones from his sports) and and a 13 year old daughter (smarter,prettier and less prone to injury!),we are at the pediatricians office quite regularly. I have never been unhappy with our medical needs. I call and get an appointment and if I feel I need to get in that day, they always squeeze me in. I have never had a bad experience at the hospital in the emergency room or while I or the children were admitted. I have a brother who also is in the same union, but is still working for a contractor. He and I got into a discussion about socialized medicine. He told me he watched this movie Sicko. So now he is all for changing our health care system. He told me all about the horrible things that happened to these people. I honestly dont watch many movies untill they are on DVD. Curiosity set in and I looked up this movie and see it’s a Michael Moore film. Hmmmm. Straight up, this guy is’nt real high on my people who I admire list. OK, I know Im going to get beat up over this but…Why do people admire an individual who only looks at one side of the story? Is this considered journalism? Should he be rewarded for stating only his position, knowing that people will take his stance as gospel? This is not responsible. I’ll bet he has insurance and gets quality care. I think he should have shown the majority of middle class America who work hard,and pay for their insurance. The individuals shown were irresponsible in that they did not carry insurance. As a parent, this is something you do, period. Just as you work to put food on the table you find a job that will offer insurance or you go out and get a plan that you can afford. This idea that, because people are not resposible for their families just annoys me. While working for a contractor a few years back, I was working on an air conditioning unit that was made in Canada. There were manufacturer problems, so the manufacterer sent a mechanical enginner and one of their service techs to have a look at the unit. The engineer was a young lady who as we looked over the side of the building (yes we should have been working but took a short break), was more astounded that we could just go to the hospital when we wanted. I was astounded that she said it was’nt that easy for them. Is this what we have to look foward to? OK, I was also amazed that she had never seen an alligator eigther but I guess not everybody has them around. I just felt compelled to write something to the effect that I am sure that you guys across the big pond have problems in your health care system. But I assure you that the people shown were NOT the norm. I work with and know people who live on incomes that are not poor nor rich and the biggest thing that I have heard complaining about is maybe a long wait (a couple of hours at most). But I would be a fool to think that there are no problems. I just honestly have’nt heard of anything that type as potrayed on the movie except on the news. All I am saying is dont take what this guy has shown as the total truth. It is very one sided.

5

November 19, 2007

Suchandrika: … http://suchandrika.wordpress.com

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the comment. After reading it, I had a few thoughts:

1) “I honestly dont watch many movies untill they are on DVD. Curiosity set in and I looked up this movie and see it’s a Michael Moore film. Hmmmm. Straight up, this guy is’nt real high on my people who I admire list.”

Maybe it’s better to see a film before judging it? I tend to go with that, it helps my reviewing…

2) “Why do people admire an individual who only looks at one side of the story? Is this considered journalism?”

I’m not sure if Moore is considered a journalist - does it matter? Look at Nick Broomfield, Paul Greengrass - would the tag of journalism really add anything to their work? I think not.

Plus, don’t be taken in by journalists’ (specifically news reporters’) claims of total objectivity - there is always a bias involved in journalism, even if it is only evident in what has been edited out. Something has always been edited out.

When someone is more open about his or her agenda - as Moore is with Sicko - it can come across as one-sdied. It is obvious when it’s Moore. If you disagree, you can always go and read up on the other viewpoints. You can more easily pinpoint what has been edited out with his work. He is very open about his lefty-liberal, pro-socialised medicine viewpoint in Sicko. It’s a kind of honesty from him, being so blatant.

3) “The individuals shown were irresponsible in that they did not carry insurance.”

Okay, now you’re just annoying me. THE FILM IS ABOUT PEOPLE WITH INSURANCE. The insurance companies betray them by thinking about their own profits above the health of the people who faithfully pay their insurance premiums. This leads to deaths.

You could have found this out by READING MY REVIEW ABOVE. Please don’t post essay-length comments unless you have bothered to find out the basic facts that are fundamental to your ultimately gossamer-thin argument, yeah?

4) “All I am saying is dont take what this guy has shown as the total truth. It is very one sided.”

Um, I SAID THAT IN MY REVIEW.

Just one more…

5) “You find a job that will offer insurance or you go out and get a plan that you can afford…”

So medical insurance and the threat of bills affects your choice of job, and there is the possibility that the best care will be denied to you and your family because the “plan that you could afford” may not have been the most comprehensive one out there? Well done, American healthcare.

Take care Kevin (seriously, don’t want to exhaust those insurance claims),
Suchandrika

6

November 19, 2007

Part the first

michael moore