My Doctor Weighs in on Sicko

I spoke with my doctor over the weekend who very generously gave me plenty of time to go over the results of my annual physical. Other than higher-than-I-would-like cholesterol, I seem to be humming along pretty well.

At the end of our phone conversation I decided to ask him if he has seen the movie Sicko. Wow – did I get an earful! Ranting about how Michael Moore is crazy, that he is spreading lies, that he is almost a Communist, etc. After listening to the tirade I asked again if he had actually seen the movie to which he said “no” – he wouldn’t dream of giving Michael Moore any of his money. So I offered to buy him a movie ticket because I would rather talk with my doctor about Sicko after he has seen it than before. I have some questions.

One valid point my doctor made (without having seen the movie) was that there may be a better solution than what Michael Moore proposes in Sicko. Just adopting a health care system from another country – such as Canada or France – may not be the best answer. There might be a third way, by taking some aspects of both systems and even adding a part that doesn’t seem to exist anywhere. He suggested more free market aspects.

Anyway, my thought today is that I do hope that the conversation continues and shifts from whether or not we like Michael Moore to some smart solutions for health care woes. At least the movie gives us some concrete things to talk about.