Here is the short version of my very very very long previous blog. If you truly want to be moved, disgusted, and deeply saddened by how tremendously broken the health care system is in this country then GO SEE SICKO!

This rises beyond political parties or religious beliefs or social status, this is a documentary that questions whether this country which proclaims to be the "best country in the world!" even cares whether you live or die. The answer sadly (but not shockingly) is no. It contrasts the amazing level of compassion that other countries have for their people compared to how we feel about ours. The bottom line is that the owners of this country will never allow universal health care to happen because THEY CAN'T PROFIT FROM IT! So sad.

One of the best lines in the movie is a quote from somewhere else that says "you can judge a society by how it treats its best...and its worst". And judging from the numbers of people who are dying at the hands of the insurance corporations while the government not only turns a blind eye but lines their pockets with bribes from these corporations, we should be so very ashamed.

This movie should be a wake up call to all Americans. Any American who can watch this documentary and not be moved in a way that makes you either want to move out of this country or start marching on Washington in protest, must either have a stone cold heart or be so brainwashed by the neo-conservatives  that there is no sense even fighting with them.

Seriously, just go check it out. (Oh and then tell me what you think).

Here is the link to Moore's website for the movie:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/index.html

Yesterday Adam and I watched Sicko, a documentary bu Michael Moore. 5 years ago you couldn't have paid me enough to watch his documentaries, but now that I am free from the corrupt clutches of the Republican parties and ideas, I can watch things like this with an objective and open mind. Wow I am SO glad that I did!

Sicko was probably one of the best documentaries I have ever watched. It made me cry (a lot), it made me laugh, it enraged me, baffled me, and brought me despair. It is a powerful look at the horribly flawed healthcare system that plagues this country. It made me realize what a tiny box this country is in, how ignorant we really are, and how disgustingly complacent we are about matters like this.

If you would have asked me about universal healthcare 5 years ago I would have parroted some asinine republican garbage about how we are all responsible for ourselves and that we live in a country that ALREADY provides for the poor. That there are PLENTY of clinics and free health care services available to people who can't afford it. Yep I believed that nonsense for quite a while. But I can pinpoint the day with remarkable recollection that I completely lost faith in the health care system in the U.S.

No it wasn't that I need carpal tunnel surgery in both hands and can't afford the deductible and the 20% I will owe for the procedure. And that was WITH insurance. Now that I don't have insurance I'm screwed. My hands have been numb for about 7 months. I know there is permanent nerve damage by now. And there's not a damn thing I can do. Or how Adam needs back surgery. There is this really awesome laser surgery with a very high success rate and the insurance company will not pay for it because it's "experimental". Sorry buddy you'll just have to live with the pain! Oh and me too for that matter. Oh well sure you can take one of those disease modifying drugs for your rheumatoid arthritis! You know the ones that make you puke every time you eat, give you stomach cramps so bad you can't even stand, and still cost $100 for a one month supply…yep those will do just fine.

But those weren't the things that made me lose faith in this country it was the day that Adam needed a tooth pulled. And he didn't have dental insurance…

Well there was one day about two years ago that I spent a whole day driving Adam around trying to find an emergency dental clinic to pull his tooth that was causing him so much pain that he kept blacking out. I almost called an ambulance but since we didn't have health insurance I know that was folly and that we would end up paying thousands of dollars for a stupid ambulance ride to the hospital where they would do nothing for him because, guess why? That's right, no health insurance. So I called every county clinic to try and get him in and they gave me every excuse in the book as to why they couldn't help him. (It was too late in the day, that office only did emergency extractions on Wed & Fri, we had to be on Medicaid, etc. etc. etc.) So we started driving to these clinics to try and get it fixed. What we found were dilapidated grungy little "offices" with dirty floors, broken chairs, strange smells, and archaic looking devices and equipment. Okay fine we'll deal with that, as scary as it is, yes Adam would probably end up with an infection from unhygienic tools, but whatever, he had to get his tooth extracted. We begged, pleaded, and said anything we could to try and get them to just extract the infected tooth that was causing his whole cheek to swell to the size of a baseball. Still the same stupid answers; Only accepting Medicaid patients, not in this office, we need to see the oral surgeon and the oral surgeon is not in today.

What a fucking nightmare. Finally I broke down and called someone I knew could help. Sort of. Someone who would lend me the $250 that a real dentist wanted to pull one measly tooth. And she did. And she held it over me just like she held everything over me. Even after it was paid back. Still thrown in my face…But you know what? Even with all that, we were lucky. Damn lucky that we HAD someone to call for help. And that that person DID help. Not everyone is that lucky. And we were lucky it was just one tooth that one time. It could have been so much worse…

Shortly after that, I tried to get Adam on Medicaid since he was on disability at the time for his numerous back conditions. No income. No job. No nothing. I thought hey cool at least we can get him some Medicaid so he can start seeing a doctor now that he lost his insurance from his last job. And the letter came about 3 weeks later. Denied. No explanation. No nothing. Just denied. How is it that someone who has NO INCOME is not eligible for Medicaid??

So I know first hand that the system is broken. I found myself in tears watching these heart wrenching stories of people with cancer being denied life saving procedures for RIDICULOUS reasons absolutely fucking ridiculous I tell you. I found myself in tears when I found out that in the UK the same medicine that costs me almost $900 without insurance costs a Brit £6.65. That's just about $13.00. Adam's medicine that costs over $1000 without insurance, same price £6.65. WHY??? WHY???WHY??? And now here I sit with NO health insurance and COBRA is over $700. I can't afford that! And now I can't afford my medicine. When I had insurance I was paying about $600 per month in co-payments and premiums for Adam's premiums, our specialists and medications. Like that wasn't enough. Now they will want $700 plus about $500 in medications and specialists? Out-fucking-rageous.

OKAY WELL I DOUBT ANYONE HAS REALLY BOTHERED TO READ MORE THAN A LITTLE OF THAT RANT I JUST WENT OFF ON, BUT IF YOU TRULY WANT TO BE MOVED AND SEE HOW TREMENDOUSLY BROKEN OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS IN THIS COUNTRY, THEN GO SEE SICKO!  PUT YOUR PRE-CONCEIVED NOTIONS AND BIASES ASIDE AND GO WATCH THIS DOC. IT IS NOT ABOUT RICH PEOPLE OR POOR PEOPLE OR REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS OR CHRISTIANS OR ATHEISTS. THIS RISES ABOVE ALL OF THAT. IT IS A MUST SEE MOVIE FOR EVERY AMERICAN CAPABLE OF FEELING SOME SMALL AMOUNT OF COMPASSION FOR THEIR FELLOW AMERICANS.

Seriously, just go check it out. (Oh and then tell me what you think).