Sicko

We dug into our DVD collection the other weekend and found Sicko by Michael Moore. I've read a couple of his books and seen several of his films. I doubt his films really classify as documentaries, but they are great entertainment.

In Sicko he puts his finger on the American health care system and the role of the insurance companies in particular. The funniest scene is probably where he first shows clips from American TV on how good health care the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay get. Then he fills up three boats with 9/11 rescue workers who have been denied sufficient health care by the insurance companies and don't get treated in the US and heads towards Cuba. Outside Guantanamo Bay he picks up a megaphone and shouts out loud that he has sick 9/11 rescue workers on board and requests the same health care as the al Qaeda prisoners. Nothing more, just the same treatment! Hilarious!

Private health care is a growing field also in Finland, and we discussed if that is a threat to the quality of public health care services. At least I have very positive experiences with Finnish public health care during my cancer treatment. But have to admit that we use the private sector often when our kids are sick, mainly because we get to see a doctor on pretty short notice and we have an insurance for our kids. We have noticed that many of our friends don't even bother to contact the public health care any more but take their kids directly to the private side as you don't have to line up so long. Many companies have hired private health care companies for their employees. You can now also get cancer treatment in private hospitals in Finland, if you have the money. Is this a worrying trend? Will the best doctors end up on the private side?