Universal Health Care Documentary Analysis

Opening the film with a gruesome anecdote about a man losing his fingers was effective because it immediately grabbed the audience’s emotions, appealing to pathos. Though Moore could have just as easily opened with another story about a sick American being uninsured, a heavy cough or high fever wouldn’t have had the same emotional pull that imagining someone’s fingers eaten by seagulls in a pile of garbage does. That image horrifies the audience and effectively captures their attention.

2. United States: While some manage to escape the red tape of private insurance companies and receive satisfactory care, Sicko reports that almost fifty million Americans are uninsured, and even those who pay for insurance are often supporting companies who

Nothing is free. Universal health care refers to care that is provided by the government through funding from the people in the form of taxes. It is government regulated which allows for fair price ceilings and salary control for doctors and other healthcare workers. No profit is gained, and that makes it a more efficient, balanced, and above all -- equitable, for all citizens.

5. Michael Moore’s visit to Canada provided limited information about their system, but he interviewed people waiting in a Canadian hospital ER about their confidence in the system and care, and they all reported high levels. It is, of course, unlikely that every single patient would pledge faith in the system, so that shows an element of bias. It was clear, however, that care is less profit-focused and more people-focused than it is in the US.

6. I don’t think the trip to Cuba was necessary for proving Moore’s point. The Guantanamo Bay information was an interesting aside, but a prison system is almost not comparable to an all-encompassing government program, because prisons are under a lot of moral and legal pressure to avoid abuse or mistreatment of prisoners, and therefore likely overcompensate with care. Additionally, it is not clear whether the 9/11 survivor’s visit was an accurate view into how Americans (who don’t pay Cuban taxes) would be welcomed into the country’s medical system had they not been followed by extensive T.V. equipment and a promised opportunity to look good on America’s