Did anyone catch this show the other night? I know it was filmed with nearly the same bias that Sicko was, but it still makes me sick that the "greatest healthcare system in the world" can not find the means to care for a mother of five with cancer who needs a liver x-plant.
What really got to me was this Foster Freise character. His firm belief that it is the responsibility of the wealthy to give to healthcare charities for the poor. He himself has donated millions to such charities and set up clinics. I think that's fantastic, but what really gets to me is that he truly believes that those donations will do the job, when the doctors are commanding so much salary. It is a noble idea, but not all of America's millionaires are donating on the level he is. It's for that reason that I think the US needs a system much like the French, whereby gov't intervention of healthcare is means tested: if you can afford health insurance, then you can have it. If you can't the government will do means-tested top ups to ensure all are receiving the same fair treatment.
Also, that line he slipped in about "but in the UK, there are long waiting lists and healthcare is rationed". Speaking as someone who works for the NHS, I can't really say it's rationed, considering the activity my Trust does each year (175,000 inpatients and 400,000 outpatients). And what he doesn't realise is that there are short wait times in the states because 1/6 of the population can't even get their foot in the door to the hospitals!