Sicko
| SiCKO | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Michael Moore |
| Produced by | Michael Moore Meegan O'Hara |
| Written by | Michael Moore |
| Starring | Michael Moore |
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Production
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| Distributed by |
Lionsgate The Weinstein Company |
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Release date
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Running time
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123 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million |
| Box office | $36,088,109 |
Sicko is a 2007 American documentary film made by filmmaker Michael Moore. The film investigates health care in the United States, focusing on its health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. The movie compares the for-profit, non-universal U.S. system with the non-profit universal health care systems of Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Cuba.
Sicko was made on a budget of approximately $9 million, and grossed $24.5 million theatrically in the United States. This box office take exceeded the official expectation of The Weinstein Company, which had hoped for a gross in line with Bowling for Columbine's $21.5 million US box office gross.
According to Sicko, almost fifty million Americans are uninsured while the remainder, who are covered, are often victims of insurance company fraud and red tape. Furthermore, Sicko points out that the U.S. health care system is ranked 37 out of 191 by the World Health Organization with certain health measures, such as infant mortality and life expectancy, equal to countries with much less economic wealth. Interviews are conducted with people who thought they had adequate coverage but were denied care. Former employees of insurance companies describe cost-cutting initiatives that give bonuses to insurance company physicians and others to find reasons for the company to avoid meeting the cost of medically necessary treatments for policy holders, and thus increase company profitability.
In Canada, a citizen describes the case of Tommy Douglas, who was voted the greatest Canadian in 2004 for his contributions to the Canadian health system. Moore also interviews a microsurgeon and people waiting in the emergency room of a Canadian public hospital.
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Wikipedia