Sicko

You should see Sicko, Michael Moore's 2007 documentary about health care in the United States. It's guaranteed to really piss you off, if you're an American.

It sure as hell pissed me off.

Sicko makes crystal clear the fact that when it comes to health care, we in the good ol' U-S of A are a society of haves and have-nots, at the mercy of a ruthless, profit-oriented insurance system. It ain't about health care; it's business.

Michael Moore took a lot of flak when this movie was released, and I don't doubt there are exaggerations in some of the film's case studies. Moore is without doubt a polemicist; he comes from a clear point of view.

So what? So do most of his critics, who tend to be right wing, Fox News zealots. They don't hate him for who he is; they hate him for what he stands for. And they do hate him.

While there may be exaggerations in Sicko, there's a lot of truth here, too – painful truth. Moore did not invent the former health care officials who repudiate and regret their participation in this bottom-line system. He did not invent the health insurance company claims adjusters who are rewarded for denying as many legitimate claims as possible.

Health care isn't a privilege, it's a basic human right. Much of the civilized world, Sicko informs us, enjoys health care at that level. Not so in the United States, as we know.

The American health case system is a crime against humanity.

So go see Sicko. You can find it on Netflix.

It will infuriate you.