Michael Moore Presents Sicko

Filmmaker Michael Moore, known for his controversial documentaries on the American automobile industry, on gun violence, and on the Bush administration, now takes a stab at the U.S. health-care system in his new film "Sicko."

Blue Cross, Humana, Aetna. These are just a handful of the American health insurance companies that Michael Moore accuses of operating on greed and trampling on the needs of the American public.

Many film critics describe "Sicko" as a wickedly funny satire on the inadequacies of the American health care system.

Moore contends that the American health-care system not only excludes the 50 million uninsured but also consistently fails the 250 million insured Americans.

"This is not only a broken system, this is a sick system," says Moore.

Michael Moore advocates for a national health-care system. To prove that such a system would work, he goes to England, to France and to Cuba where there is universal health coverage.

Once again, Moore creates a documentary that stirs controversy. Many applaud it as a nod to what they see as long-overdue universal health coverage. Others feel that the film's information is slanted. They argue that the European and Cuban healthcare systems are sluggish and outdated and that Moore portrays them through rose-tinted glasses.

At the movie premiere in Washington D.C., Michael Moore had the last word. "The French and the British have a very good system," says Moore. "There are problems with them but they need to fund it properly and they need to take care of the problems. But it's certainly a hell of a lot better than here. And you'll never find a Frenchman [who has] been willing to give up his national health care card for one of our HMO cards. That's for sure."

Parts of the documentary are classic Moore showboating, such as taking a group of underinsured 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba for medical treatment.

But "Sicko" is entertaining, thought provoking and is already a box office hit. It recently debuted in New York City to sold-out crowds.

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