Mom Gadget Domestic Product Reviews and Giveaways

SiCKO the Film - A Review That Hits Home

by Gayla McCord on November 19th, 2007

He’s one of those people that you either love him or hate him - no matter what your feelings are toward Michael Moore, he is hitting on a subject that packs a very powerful punch and it’s time everyone listen - just pretend he’s Burl Ives if you must - but PLEASE listen.

It’s not about political views, that can be clouded by varied opinions and argued from side to side - this topic is affecting every single American - like it or not.

As parents, we think we’re doing right by our children - providing the family with valuable insurance - but are we protecting them or are we laying the groundwork for our children to become one of 50 Million uninsured Americans who can’t get coverage because of a pre-existing condition? Or one of those American’s who have insurance but are consistently being denied coverage because treatments are considered experimental or on life threatening.

Just because you have a good job with great benefits, don’t think for one minute those benefits will be there or that they will be enough when the going gets tough. That’s what Larry and Donna Smith thought. Donna was an Editor of a Newspaper and Larry was a Union Machinist. They raised six kids, put them through college and were living life in a nice comfortable, middle class home. Co-pays and deductibles have nearly eaten them alive following Larry having three heart attacks and Donna and her diagnosis with cancer.

After being forced into bankruptcy, Larry and Donna are now forced to share a room with their daughters computer while sleeping on bunkbeds - because they can’t afford anything else but their medical care.

Which by the way, their daughter and son are rude as hell and can kiss my lily white rumpus! They should have more respect for their parents!

Next was Laura, she was injured in a car accident and was rendered unconscious. The ambulance took her to the hospital for treatment. Recently she was notified that insurance would not cover the ambulance because it was not pre-approved.

Apparently if you have insurance and you’re unconscious, you still MUST call and get approval for some treatments to insure coverage.

Where do you hope to be at the ripe old age of 79? Well, Frank is 79 and he’s having to do isle cleanup, push a broom and clean toilets for a supermarket to help cover medical care for his wife that Medicare won’t.

Living the American dream, isn’t he?

Did you know that for a little girl who is deaf to receive an implant that will help her hear is approved, but only one. To receive an implant in both ears is unnecessary and is experimental. It’s true! And this film shows the little girl and her parents as they sort through this experimental process.

The thing that makes me most angry is this is happening to people who HAVE Insurance - it’s happening to Veteran’s and it’s happening to Heroes!

Ladies did you know that if you have EVER had a yeast infection, yes, a common, treatable with over-the-counter medication type yeast infection, insurance companies CAN and WILL deny you for female type cancer treatments or surgery because it may be a pre-existing condition?

While watching Sicko, you’ll hear the story of a woman who underwent surgery that her insurance paid over $7,000 for. Once the bloodhounds at the insurance company did their homework and found that damaging yeast infection lurking in her medical history, they recouped the payment from the hospital. The hospital has now turned to the patient for FULL payment for services rendered.

I’m sorry, I do have to make a correction here, they did say they are not denying treatment, they’re just denying payment.

It’s nice to know there’s a big fat Christmas bonus waiting for the bloodhounds who do such a bang-up job finding all these pre-existing conditions.

This is the part that scares me most and the part that my husband and I are now facing.

In three weeks, we’re supposed to know our fate. Apparently their experts seem to think the anxiety, depression and bipolar should all fall under the same diagnosis or something. I answered everything as honestly as I could. My husband had not been diagnosed with bipolar at the time - and being that I am not a medical professional that can diagnose or foresee a future diagnosis, I didn’t mark that part. Only the stress, anxiety, depression and that he was taking medications, then listed them.

My husband is a HERO - A Veteran who stood on the front lines in Desert Storm. My husband is a wonderful man who wakes, shaking in the night from nightmares filled with visions and smells of burning flesh that haunt him from long ago.

I suppose I would be more accepting if it were me and my health coverage that was in question here, but we’re talking about a HERO! A soldier that gives those vultures the right AND Freedom to cut and deny treatment to policy holders.

Here is the way it works, according to insiders from our nations leading insurance providers…

• Account specialists are forced to maintain at least a 10% denial rate
• The account specialist who has the highest number of denied treatments receives a bonus.

It seems the term used for payouts is loss and well, they don’t want those.

If a representative gets treatment cancelled in a retroactive manner, they get a bonus then too!

Pretty darned impressive if you ask me!

This year while you are enjoying your holiday with your friends and loved ones, remember the families and the more than 2,300 Americans with great health insurance who will die because they were denied treatment under their existing policy.

And this is only half my rant. What the media has shown us about healthcare in other countries is such a Flaming LIE!

Yes, I’m ALL for socialized medicine! If our Government can oversee such things as Fire and Rescue, Public Libraries, Public Schools and the United States Postal Service, don’t you think they might just be able to handle something like healthcare?

I’m not asking that you race out and purchase the DVD - check around at your local library or video rental store. It’s really worth watching - if not for yourself, do it for the future of your children! They’re health may depend on it.

A very special thanks to all the people and families who participated in this film - what an eye opening experience.

Who else is talking about SiCKO - Aida - J Dub - About.com - Zero Spoilers - FishWarp - Amerikanbeat -

Tags: siCKO, Michael Moore, American Healthcare, politics, health care, insurance, blue cross blue shield, cigna, humana

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POSTED IN: MomGadget, MomGadget Reviews