Posted on 12/22/2004 8:08:50 PM PST by Lando Lincoln
The Los Angeles Times has details on Michael Moore's latest piece of propaganda theater--a hit on the health care/pharmaceutical industry titled "Sicko:"
Rumors are already flying within the industry about Moore's moviemaking tactics. Moore, it is said, has hired actors to portray pharmaceutical salesmen who offer gifts to doctors who promote their products. There's also word that he's offered physicians $50,000 apiece to install secret cameras in their offices in an effort to document alleged corruption.
In September, employees said that Moore was shoving a microphone at people at GlaxoSmithKline, Bloom notes, even though he was in town only for a radio appearance.
"We have six business centers nationwide, all of which report 'sightings,' " Bloom said. "Michael Moore is becoming an urban legend."
Tentatively titled "Sicko," Moore's film will probably be released in the first half of 2006, sometime between the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. No deal has yet been reached, but an announcement is expected after the new year. There's interest in the industry, he says, on the part of some of the major studios and not just their specialty divisions.
Quick aside: My hubby worked in the health care field (both government and pharma) for several years, and I'm well aware of a lot of the crap--kickbacks, marketing violations, pricing shenanigans, etc.--that goes on.
That said, unhinged pharma-bashers like Moore put all the blame for America's health care crisis on greedy drug companies--and none on Americans themselves. One of the biggest factors driving up health care costs and fueling pharma is obesity.
Nearly 130 million adults are overweight in the US alone, and 60 million of them are considered clinically obese. RTI concluded last year that the health care costs associated with obesity now rival those attributable to smoking. Obesity costs in the U.S. totaled up to $92.6 billion last year, and government-funded public insurers Medicare and Medicaid financed about half the bill.
Instead of whingeing (it's my word of the day) about the high cost of cholesterol drugs and diabetes treatments and gastric bypass surgeries, and instead of demonizing the pharma innovators who are rescuing Americans from their destructive vices, Michael Moore could actually do some good for the country by taking personal responsibility and turning the camera on himself.
The demon is in the mirror, dude.
Here's the site to check it out: Placebo Journal
Please understand that I'm not opposing or attacking you as a person; I'm saying there's something wrong with the system, and I want to understand it.
Sepsis, a cardiac infaract, a pulmonary embolis, and so on, existed decades ago.
Health care was a lot cheaper decades ago.
What's changed?
I'd like to see a pie chart showing how costs in health care have changed over the years, and how much of it is simply due to an aging population that needs more health care.
I can get a $200,000 operation in India, using Indian doctors, for $10,000.
Why shouldn't I?
Isn't it absurd to pay $200,000 for an operation?
D
I love placebo journal...it is one of the rare medical journals that I read on a regular basis.
Lard Almighty, M&M should be the last person to attack the pharmaceutic industry, I am sure he already takes full advantage of their products. According to his age and weight and overall appearance he fits the profile of dealing with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia or other lipid disorders, osteoarthritis, hirsutism (that sure explains the excess of facial hair), incontinence, hand problems (umm, no comment there) and that's to name a few.
"Maybe he could do this country some good with this one?"
Not if he can help it. He's Anti-American commie scum!
Does anyone know that MM tried his hand at acting before he took up making crockumentaries. Someone told me that saw is fat self in a small part in a movie. Now if I could remember which movie we could all rush out and NOT rent it.
"A rib spreader big enough for Mikey will need to be brought to his gasping carcass with a forklift."
Hopefully on some sand dunes.
LOL - that you already read "PJ" doesn't surprise me in the least - guess that's why I recommended it in the first place. And we also read it cover to cover, including the "ads." I'm tempted to send it to a couple of docs I transcribe for but I'm not sure if they share my evil sense of humor, finely honed when I was a physical therapist at a university hospital and we used to round with the orthopods and plastic surgery residents (burn unit and transgenders who got measured for Jobst stockings).
But probably if someone spends only one night in the hospital they really were not all that sick --- no one recovers from a serious disease that fast.
And often when there is a vague but recurring abnormal test more tests get done and often nothing is discovered.
If government takes over health care --- there will be rationing --- and it will be done on the basis of votes because that's how politicians think.
He won't be doing the country any good if he has no credibility and makes up stuff. If, anything, he will make the problems worse.
Moore / BEACHED WHALE Yahoo typo!!
Check out this Yahoo link. It's about Moore's new pharma movie and includes
two Michael Moore pictures: one of the fat commie himself, and one of a picture
of a ***beached sperm whale*** taken my a photographer named Michael Moore.
Yes, a beached sperm whale. I could not make this stuff up. This must be one of the
best mislinks of all time.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=493&e=15&u=/ap/people_moore
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