Sicko - Watch Full Documentary

This documentary is always worth a second or third look. I've watched it at least twice...and being the documentary junkie that I am... I will watch it again.
It's particularly important now, because Americans should see the situation that they have decided to stay in; a choice that the corporations and corrupt, spineless politicians have basically made for them. This is why I mentioned Canada and Denmark in recent postings. Americans are so idiotic.

Sick Around the World - A Documentary from PBS

See an interesting documentary from PBS, entitled Sick Around the World. The program examines healthcare systems around the World, and asks how the U.S. system could improve. Watch documentary online.

Bonus:

Hear a discussion about the healthcare plans of Barack Obama and John McCain...actually it's a discussion about Obama's healthcare plan, since he is the only candidate who actually has a plan. McCain's "healthcare plan" involves giving you a $2,500.00 coupon if you're single or a $5000.00 coupon for a family and telling you to have a nice day... you're on your own... free to search for your own healthcare on the open market. What you may not know is that private plans are more expensive (because you don't have the benefit of getting a group rate)...and you can be excluded for pre-existing conditions. Also, the McCain coupon program won't cover catastrophic medical costs. More importantly, the $2,500/$5000 coupon won't come close to covering your costs....and it doesn't address issues such as dental care, home health services, etc. And McCain's program will tax employer benefits. It also wouldn't help those who are poor, out of work, etc. and it would be of little help to the 45 million + who are currently uninsured... or the 70-80 million + who are under-insured. In other words, the McCain program would be a disaster.

Listen Here

17 Year Old Girl Dies After Insurance Company Interferes With Doctors Care

Another Story of Legal Murder By An American Corporation

This comes just after Bush vetoed an expansion of S-Chip (twice).

This also comes at a time when Americans are close to crowning Hillary Clinton as their next leader...even though she is one of the top recipients of corrupt Lobbying money from the health insurance industry and the drug companies. And she is supposed to reform healthcare? She is supposed to be the "change" candidate?

This is why I believe American voters are politically/intellectually lazy. It's much easier for Americans to be told how to vote (by the Corporate media) than to do their homework and vote for their best interests. This kind of laziness is the reason why the Country is in the hole that it's in now. And with Clinton, the hole will only get deeper. She will sell you out to the Corporations completely....and send you right down the river with no paddle and no life jacket...

I just hope that the people of Iowa are paying attention....

Saturday December 22, 2007
The Guardian

The family of a California teenager plan to sue her health insurer which refused to pay for a liver transplant until hours before and she died on Thursday night.
Her family's lawyer, Mark Geragos, will ask the Los Angeles district attorney to press murder or manslaughter charges against Cigna HealthCare, arguing that the firm "maliciously killed" Nataline Sarkisyan by its reluctance to pay for her treatment. The company reversed its stance after protesters called for a rethink, but the decision came too late.

The 17-year-old from Glendale, California, had been in a coma for weeks after complications following a bone marrow transplant to counter leukaemia.
After the operation, her liver failed and doctors referred her for an emergency transplant. Although she was fully insured and had a matching donor, Cigna refused to pay on the grounds that her healthcare plan "does not cover experimental, investigational and unproven services".

Cigna's rejection on December 11 led Sarkisyan's doctors at UCLA medical centre, including the head of its transplant unit, to write a letter to protest that the treatment which they proposed was neither experimental nor unproven. They called on the firm to urgently review its decision.

In the absence of a response from Cigna, doctors told the Sarkisyan family that the only alternative would be for the family to pay. But they could not afford the immediate down payment of $75,000 (£38,000).

The family, backed by nurses, relatives and Sarkisyan's friends, mounted a protest of 150 people outside Cigna's Glendale offices. "Cigna cannot decide who is going to live and who is going to die," the teenager's mother, Hilda Sarkisyan, told the crowd.

The demo was amplified by an internet campaign orchestrated by the liberal Daily Kos website and other blogs that bombarded Cigna's HQ in Philadephia. In the middle of the rally, a note was handed to Mrs Sarkisyan saying that Cigna had decided to reverse its decision.

"Cigna HealthCare has decided to make an exception in this rare and unusual case and we will provide coverage should she proceed with the requested liver transplant," it said in a statement.
The news drew cheers from the crowd, but they quickly grew sombre when they heard Sarkisyan's condition had deteriorated. A few hours later, her life support was switched off.

"She passed away, and the insurance [company] is responsible for this," Mrs Sarkisyan told the Los Angeles Daily News.

"Why did it take public humiliation for a multibillion-dollar insurance company to force them to provide appropriate medical care?" asked Charles Idelson of the California Nurses Association.

"This is what's wrong with our health system - insurers decide treatment, not doctors."

The protests over Sarkisyan's case point to growing public disenchantment with the healthcare system in America.

Politicians vying to be the Democratic candidate for the presidential race next year have prepared plans for reform to bring the 47 million uninsured Americans into the healthcare net, and to improve terms for those already insured like Sarkisyan.

The subject was given an added boost this summer by Michael Moore's documentary on the state of the American health service, Sicko.

Moore refers to the case of Sarkisyan on his website, under the simple banner: "Justice delayed is justice denied."

Following the teenager's death, Cigna issued another statement yesterday.

"Their loss is immeasurable, and our thoughts and prayers are with them," it said. "We deeply hope that the outpouring of concern, care and love that are being expressed for Nataline's family help them at this time."

The company recently posted figures for its third-quarter performance this year, which showed profits up 22%. Next year it expects to earn an income of up to $1.2bn.

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Also See Coverage from Rawstory

Nurses Association Says Cigna Should Have Listened To Her Doctors and Approved The Transplant

The John Edwards Healthcare Plan Falls Short

I was reading through John Edward's healthcare proposal recently, and I realized how much it left the private (for profit) structure in place. Private, for profit health insurance companies, employers, drug companies and hospitals will remain in control of our healthcare. Is this Edward's idea of Comprehensive Universal Healthcare coverage? Edwards doesn't seem to understand that the fundamental underlying problem with the American healthcare system is the concept of for profit entities making healthcare decisions rather than doctors. When decision-makers stand to make windfall profits, the best interests of the patient takes a back seat.

The Edwards plan appears to be a fancy way of maintaining the status quo. His "Universal Healthcare" does not = a national system that we need. The Edwards plan keeps the HMO's in the drivers seat. Over time, they would be able to wiggle out of their responsibilities, through their lobbying efforts in Washington.... and within a few years, we would right back in this same position again. As savvy as the insurance industry is, I don't think they would have a problem gaming the system for their own advantage. See the Edwards Healthcare plan (pdf). The Edwards plan would still require workers to have money deducted from their wages for part of the premium costs and there would still be some out of pocket expense.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich is the only Presidential candidate that I know of who has a truly Universal, National Healthcare plan that would take the control away from the private, for profit health industry - an industry that is primarily concerned about making money rather than the health of Americans. The Kucinich Plan more closely mirrors the health systems of Canada and Europe.

Kucinich is the co-sponsor of House Bill H.R. 676, which would create this National healthcare plan. The Bill is currently circulating through Congress and has considerable support. The Kucinich plan puts patients and Doctors in charge of making healthcare decisions. There would also be little out of pocket costs for hospital/office visits. This would be a taxpayer supported system, like the systems that exist in the UK and Canada, but such a plan would eliminate the vultures from the system, making services more efficient. More of the money that is spent would go towards healthcare instead of filling the pockets of a middle man. The U.S. already spends twice and three times the money on healthcare as other countries that have better not-for-profit systems. If they can do it, why can't we- the richest nation on earth?

It is unfortunate that the man with the best Healthcare proposal doesn't have a chance of winning the Democratic nomination, let alone a General election. American voters are motivated more by style than substance. Ignorance about the issues and about the candidates has become a way of life for the American voter.

Unfortunately, despite significant support in Congress and from medical professionals, the Bill stands little chance of becoming law. The lobbyists who work for the insurance companies and the drug companies are working overtime in an effort to kill the Bill. And even if it passes in the House, it will not likely get through the Senate. If it ever reached Bush's desk, it is no secret that the Bill would be vetoed.

Watch as Kucinich briefly discusses his health proposal.

NPR's Farai Chideya Talks With Black Bloggers

The Guests Trashed Michael Moore's Efforts

Bloggers Jasmyne Cannick, Michael David Cobb Bowen, and Rob Fields had the pleasure of being featured on Black Entertainment Radio NPR's News & Notes program today. The interview eventually focused on Michael Moore & his recent interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Each blogger took their turn throwing jabs at the filmmaker, basically labeling him a joke regarding his film (without evidence or justification to support their view).

But what really raised my blood pressure was the way that all the guests accepted CNN's version of "The Facts" (without doubt), taking the networks critique of Sicko as gospel. They simply bought into the notion that Moore "did not have his facts straight" as Mr. Fields put it, and that Sicko is purely "propaganda" as Mr. Bowen proclaimed. Fields also refers to the War in Iraq as "This Iraq Thing". lol Wow! Jasmyne Cannick went as far as saying that she didn't care about Moore or his film. The problem of healthcare was not an important issue, at least not for her.WHAT??? And this was coming from a so-called Black Blogger? Anyone who has been paying attention knows that Black Americans as a group are greatly impacted by this broken healthcare system. Only Hispanics have poorer healthcare. But when it comes to healthcare, I see Hispanics & Blacks as being in the same boat. And we have all heard about the disparities in access, good care, and outcomes. Blacks fare worse in just about all major categories. About 45 Million Americans don't have healthcare, and another 35 million or more have periods where they go without coverage, bringing the total of people without adaquate care to just over 80 million. (according to a 2004 estimate). Black mortality is higher across the board. Even when African Americans have decent insurance, there are still disparities in care, although some sort of Universal coverage for all would save lives because of the preventive care that could be provided. More on disparities. (1) And let's not forget about 12 year old Deamonte Driver who died earlier this year from a preventable Dental condition. Here is what the ADA (American Dental Association) had to say about this tragedy. There are tons of other Deamonte Drivers out there who have not received major media attention.

And this was not important to her???

It was clear from the discussion that the panel really didn't know what they were talking about regarding Moore or Healthcare. Instead of attempting to comment on a subject that they knew nothing about, they should have passed on answering the question. They were clueless to the fact that Moore has a staff that makes sure his information is in order and he was able to rebutt CNN twice after his initial Wolf Blitzer interview. (1) (2) It turns out that CNN didn't have its facts straight. Its hit piece was biased and inaccurate. But I guess these Black bloggers were not concerned enough to find this information out (information which was available before the show).

They label these issues as unimportant....or as hoaxes, because they don't want to invest the time to find out what the hell is going on. For many Black Bloggers, these issues aren't "juicy" enough to warrant attention. But at the drop of a hat they will turn around and create 10 postings of the most ignorant, nonsensical bull---- that you could imagine, especially nonsense of the urban/entertainment variety. It's downright embarrassing. At least 2 of these bloggers were more of the entertainment variety.... not serious bloggers. Who the hell chose these 3???

Listen To The Segment, Taken from NPR's News and Notes, Wed. July 11th.

This is why I hate being considered a "Black Blogger". Because I quickly get thrown into the same box with the kind of people interviewed by NPR. I have to deal with being compared with the nonsense that they put out. There is this cloud of ignorance that hangs over the Black blogosphere that prevents these bloggers (not all, but many) from seeing the bigger picture on all sorts of issues. In this case, the kind of mentality that persists with some Black bloggers is- since the person bringing the message isn't Black (i.e. Michael Moore on Healthcare)
well then it must not be important to me. This kind of ignorance and short-sightedness is pervasive in the Black Blogosphere, and it causes Black Bloggers to miss out on so many other events going on in the World.

Black Bloggers (not all, but many) think too small. They create these well defined boxes that dictate what is important to them, and they never seem to be able to step out of these boxes that they have created for themselves (and for others). They tend to concentrate on race based issues, not understanding how non-racial issues might impact the stories that they are concerned with.

You cannot fully understand something like Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath if you don't understand what is happening 6000 miles away in Iraq. You cannot fully understand 9/11 if you don't understand U.S. Foreign policy that preceded it or the history of Al Qaeda. You cannot separate domestic policy from Foreign policy. This is how we can wake up to a 9/11 and people are dazed, asking why do they hate us... and then they proceed to swallow (hook, line & sinker) at least 3 years of media propaganda about Iraq and the War On Terror.

Too many Black bloggers are unwilling or unable to connect these dots because they have such a narrow view of the World. They see things in a vacuum. Unfortunately, many of these bloggers (not all, but many) have brought their ignorant BET culture into the World of blogging.

I did not identify as a "Black Blogger" when I started out, for the reasons that I have mentioned. I did not want to be pigeonholed. I did not want to identify with the kind of ignorance & shortsightedness that was on display in the above NPR interview. But because of the lack of support that I received from the "White Blogosphere" I found that it would be best for me to identify with my own ethnic group....thus this blog morphed into more of a Black identified Blog (not my original plan). However, I still don't really consider it as such, and I make sure that I cover a wide range of subjects here. And I was lucky to connect with great co-bloggers WHO ARE ABLE TO SEE THINGS OUTSIDE OF THE "BLACK BLOGGERS" BOX...(pure luck).

I actually tend to have more in common with Progressive, Moderate and Independent White Bloggers than I do with Black Bloggers. And I only enjoy reading a handful of Black Blogs... they know who they are.

But with the kind of ignorance that I heard from the Black Bloggers on NPR, I am not surprised that the White Blogosphere still does not take us seriously.

I was once a regular listener of NPR's News and Notes. I stopped listening a few months ago when the program changed its format. The Roundtable segment (the bread and butter of the show) was eliminated as part of the change, among other things. It quickly became clear to me what the NPR producers were trying to do... they were trying to attract a younger audience to the show. They dedicated the entire month of June to Hip Hop. The show has now turned into Black Entertainment Radio. Therefore... I turned them off and have not been a regular listener since. However, I occasionally will check the website for programs, so that I can catch information for my blog. All Things Considered is now my favorite NPR program.... no compromise on quality there.

The quality of the show really took a hit after the loss of Tavis Smiley and then again after the loss of Ed Gordon. I think Chideya is a smart lady.... but she is working far below her capacity. There seems to have been a deliberate effort to "dumb down" the show... the NPR interview above is a perfect example of that. Chideya must do a better job of challenging her guests and the listeners. The show has become an insult to my intelligence.

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You can follow this story at NPR's News and Views Blog.... Be sure to check the comments and feel free to join in.

Every American Should See The Film Sicko

I just got home from watching Sicko. I had not been to a movie in about 3 years. Mostly because the movies that have been coming out lately have been lame...and they did nothing to "move" me to want to see them. And it's also because I basically hate to go out. Also, my favorite movie theater in Richmond Heights (inner ring St. Louis burb) has been pretty much destroyed...so I had to cut down on my trips to the show. But when I do go, I now have to drive to a burb (a quieter one) farther out.

Anyway... I had an idea of what Moore was going to cover based on all the reviews and the publicity. But that still didn't prepare me for this one. I will offer no spoilers...but I will say that this film should be required viewing for all Americans, regardless of social/economic status (teens on up). And unlike Fahrenheit 9/11, this film has no political bent.

If anyone wants to know why the Angry Independent is so angry.... go watch the film Sicko. This film sums up quite a bit of my frustration. There are so many things that the film touches on...that I won't attempt to do a review. But it goes beyond healthcare and flirts with the wider questions of how we got here, who the hell are we as a nation, who are we as supposedly civilized human beings, who we are as a so-called "Democracy", and where are our priorities?

I knew of the problems with the healthcare industry, but Moore has a way of giving you a look under the rug to see just how dirty things really are. The health system in the U.S. is basically a criminal racket (like the mob) run by Corporations that are not concerned whatsoever about the best interests of patients. They are primarily concerned with profits. As a result, the U.S. healthcare system has decayed to a pretty dismal level in terms of patient care. It's now pretty much a broken system.

This is the problem with having a critical sector like public health owned and controlled by the private sector. This should have never happened. It should have become a publicly run system a long time ago. Private doctors and private insurers here in the U.S. get cudos and bonuses for cutting off your healthcare and thus protecting (and increasing) the profits of their corporations. The current private U.S. system has created a race to the bottom in terms of patient care, and has motivated health workers to focus on profit over people. This has allowed greed and corruption to take control of the system. This is the nature of private business... which is why it is the wrong framework for providing healthcare.

In contrast, national health systems in other countries focus on prevention and on the needs of the human being, rather than on the profits of a corporation. The systems are not driven by profit. Once you remove the element of private corporate profits- (Healthcare as a business)- the focus is placed on the patient. In the U.S., workers in the private healthcare industry are rewarded with cash bonuses based on the number of people they turn away (many of whom ultimately get sicker and die). They are offered incentives for making you sicker. But in State controlled health systems overseas, healthcare workers (Doctors in the UK for example) are given bonuses based on the number of people who they can make healthier. The focus of a good State run health system (People) is completely the opposite of what the focus is in the current private health system in the U.S. (Profits).

Just imagine if other critical sectors of the society were controlled by private interests instead of public interests. Could you imagine private police forces? This is already happening ladies and gentleman in certain corners of American society. Imagine a situation where private corporations offered police services to cities and counties across the nation. The private corporation would be responsible of setting standards and the concern would be to provide service at the cheapest cost. The city would be concerned with obtaining the lowest bid contract. And the company would have an interest in paying police the least amount possible to provide the service as a way of maximizing profits.

Could you imagine a private FDA? Well guess what.... we already have that by proxy. The FDA is owned and operated by the private drug industry.... they not only have the FDA and the Congress people in their pockets... these Corporations have their own people working in the government....and vice versa, retired government folks go on to work as corporate officers or board members of the companies that they regulate (something that should be outright illegal). This is why we have so many drugs making people sick...and so many drugs flooding the market in general...and at such high prices that many people can't even afford the decent (low risk & relatively safe) drugs that they need.

Could you imagine private soldiers and private militias driven by profits and accountable to no one? This is already happening as well.

Private ambulance companies??? This is an industry that has been around for a while and it is growing. Many communities are turning to private ambulance services because they are cheaper. Cheaper often = ambulance crews who earn just a few bucks above minimum wage. The city of St. Louis uses private ambulance companies to augment the small St. Louis Fire Department fleet. If something major happens in the city of St. Louis...like a 9/11 type mass casualty event... there would not be nearly enough ambulance crews to deal with it (Not even with the St. Louis Metro Mutual Aid System, which is a pretty impressive system). Such a major disaster in St. Louis would be a calamity....because again, the focus is on profits, rather than Public Safety and Health. I recall one case where a man waited over 20 minutes for one of the private ambulances to arrive. The man, a heart attack victim, did not survive. The private ambulance company continues to take ambulance calls for the city.

But the list goes on and on. We are slowly losing critical sectors or institutions to private corporate interests.... Sectors like public health should not be profit driven industries.

I give the film 4 1/2 Stars out of 5. And it should be considered for an Oscar (for a Documentary) in my humble opinion.

That's all for now....