On Michael Moore’s Sicko
June 25th, 2007
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Michael Moore’s new documentary on the American Health system has opened to rave reviews–especially from the usual anti-establishment crowd. Professor Saul Levmore of the University of Chicago has one of the few balanced reviews,
So let me ask some questions. Moore tries to show that many Canadians and French are happy with their systems and do not have long queues and so forth, but some real data would be excellent. We tend to think that when prices are fixed (by law or by insurance payouts) queues are a convenient method of rationing scarce resources. Still, we do not like our time spent in hospital waiting rooms. It might be that there is a tradeoff between these queues and simply being told that the system does not provide certain procedures; the latter may be a better form of rationing, especially for people who place a high value on their time.[link]
While it is undeniable that the American health care system faces huge challenges, advocating a Cuba type system without understanding and acknowledging the differences between American and Cuban political system and the American affection for ”choice” is foolish.
Update: And while Americans might love bitching about the health system, health care reforms are well behind other issues when it comes to elections–way behind Iraq.
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2 Responses to “On Michael Moore’s Sicko”
Damon June 26th, 2007 at 11:47 am #
I believe the market failures Sicko addresses are not due to a failed government system but to an epidemic of unhealthy lifestyles that cannot be supported economically. Preventable illness comprises 80% of the burden of illness and 90% of all healthcare costs. Preventable illnesses account for eight of the nine leading categories of death. No medicine, surgery or treatment can reverse the damage caused by a lifetime of smoking, poor eating and lack of exercise. By simply increasing treatment that buys time, ignores the inevitable need to align patient’s economic incentives toward healthy living. This is the innovation needed in the economic system of health care, not just more health care.
Rohit June 27th, 2007 at 1:20 pm #
Damon,
Of course, but preventive care is simply not as sexy as clinical care. And this is equally true for politicians, doctors and even patients.