"SiCKO"

This morning I was watching Oprah Winfrey's talk show with Michael Moore on the American Medical Healthcare system and how it's 250 million insured are worried whether these healthcare companies will pay for their medical bills.

Michael Moore, an American filmmaker who directed the Academy Award nominated documentary film 'SiCKO', regarded as controversial and provocative, probably earned the wrath of the US government for taking on the trillion dollar healthcare industry but considered a hero by most Americans who are at the receiving end of this life and death issue.

The film, released in June last year, served as an eye opener to most Americans who were unaware that their healthcare plan were not as good as those found in the Western world. The issue is not so much about those who do not have healthcare plan, but those who have, and having different levels of healthcare plan, where their claims have been denied after being subjected to rigorous investigation. Many of those who became ill, or suffering from critical illnesses, have been accused of hiding the fact during pre-signing of the plan.

During the talk show a video clip was shown to the audience where a medical practitioner for a healthcare testified that advancement in the healthcare company is based on how many claims are denied, which would save the companies millions in dollars; more claims means failure. Driven by this pressure and motivation it's not hard to imagine how far these healthcare companies would go.

Moore was quoted as saying, "We need the healthcare guaranteed for every American, remove the profit from the system and regulate the pharmaceutical companies."

This makes me wonder if healthcare companies in our country is even anything like that. While it is true that profit is essential for companies to survive and remain competitive but how much weight is placed on the insured?