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Dom Magliari West 201C 5/22/13 Why Financial Gain? Nations around the orld are set u! di""erently# When it comes to !olicy$ countries di""er "rom one another %ased on their %elie"s# From im!ortant things li&e ho to elect a country ruler to smaller !olicies li&e the drin&ing age$ all nations stand %y a system o" %elie"s# these di""erences can %e good$ %ut hen an issue %ecomes immoral$ the country should discontinue the !olicy %ased on hat is good "or its !eo!le# For 'mericans$ it seems that !olicy may %e our healthcare# (n 200)$ Michael Moore came out ith a "ilm a%out healthcare called Sicko. *e challenges our health care !olicies and ho they match u! ith the !olicies o" other nations# +he o,erall message sho s hy our healthcare system is not ideal "or the !eo!le o" our country# Moore uses anecdotal$ statistical$ and testimonial e,idence throughout the "ilm to sho the negati,e side o" our healthcare$ and !uts the 50 million uninsured !eo!le in our country into !ers!ecti,e# *e tra,els the orld and -uestions !eo!le in many di""erent countries a%out their healthcare stories# +his is not the only !ro%lem in 'merica though# +he real !ro%lem is the ay our healthcare !ro,iders are set u! and ho it ill im!act our "uture generations# .nce the stories and statistics are collected$ Moore comes to the conclusion o"$ /(s this hat 'merica stands "or?0 (n the "ilm$ e "ollo Moore around the country as he introduces us to di""erent !eo!le ho ha,e %een a""ected %y health !ro%lems# *e uses their stories to re!resent anecdotal e,idence to sho "irst hand ho 'mericans are dealing ith health !ro%lems# 1aura2s story is an e3am!le o" anecdotal e,idence# 4he as in a head on car collision and as &noc&ed out# 4he

as automatically ta&en %y am%ulance to the emergency room$ %ut once she got there she "ound out that she ould ha,e to !ay "or the ride to the hos!ital %ecause it as not !re5a!!ro,ed %y her insurance com!any# *o could she call in her am%ulance ride hen she as unconscious? 'nother e3am!le is 6ic&$ ho li,es in 'merica and cut o"" t o "ingers hile using a ta%le sa # *e did not ha,e insurance$ so hen he ent to the emergency room he as gi,en the o!tion o" ha,ing them reattached# +he only !ro%lem as that his middle "inger cost 780$000 and his ring "inger cost 712$000 an amount he could not a""ord# *e decided to get his ring "inger reattached and his other "inger thro n a ay# (n "act$ in an article done %y 9aiser$ the a,erage annual healthcare !lan "or 'mericans is 712$8:0# +hat means that i" 6ic& e,en had co,erage$ his in;ury ould cost o,er "i,e times the a,erage amount 'mericans get ith insurance# (n the same article$ it stated that the num%er one reason "or !ersonal %an&ru!tcy due to medical costs# +hese stories lea,e ,ie ers shoc&ed %y hat they see and -uestion hy 'merican !olicy is so harsh# .ther countries o"ten conduct their !olicies di""erently# Moore ,isits a Canadian man named <rad ho cut o"" his "ingers using a ta%le sa ;ust li&e 6ic&# <rad as rushed to the hos!ital$ as treated right a ay$ and the hole !rocedure as "ree due to uni,ersal healthcare# =ni,ersal healthcare is set u! so that the !u%lic has "ree access to any healthcare emergency$ and it is !aid "or %y ta3es# Moore tra,els to Great <ritain$ France$ Canada and Cu%a$ hich all ha,e this uni,ersal healthcare system# *e inter,ie s a doctor in Great <ritain$ and hen as&s here to !ay "or the surgery$ the doctor is con"used# +urns out you do not need to !ay "or the surgery at all# (" you ta&e a ca% or %us to the emergency room$ you ill not ha,e to !ay any "ees at all2# Moore uses testimonial e,idence$ hich uses e3!erts in a "ield to e3!lain a !rocess$ %y inter,ie ing doctors at the hos!itals in these countries# +he doctors all -uestion ho e !ay "or

these ty!e o" medical emergencies and chec&u!s in 'merica# +hey tell Moore that they are ha!!y they li,e in a country ith a system here they can hel! all !eo!le# 'nother ty!e o" e,idence that Moore uses is statistical e,idence# 's he continues to tra,el around the orld$ he sho s us that 'merica is ran&ed num%er thirty se,en in the orld in healthcare# +his is a shoc&ing num%er considering the "act that third orld countries are ahead o" us# Moore e3!lains the !assage o" a %ill called Medicare >art D allo s healthcare com!anies to charge hate,er they ant "or medications# (n Sicko, Moore !oints out that 'mericans !ay and a,erage o" 7)$000 hile Cu%ans they !ay around 7251 a !erson# *e e3!lains that Great <ritain$ France$ Canada$ and Cu%a all ha,e a higher li"e e3!ectancy than 'mericans$ and are seen as healthier too# Moore uses his ,arying ty!es o" e,idence to e""ecti,ely relay his ideas %y letting e,eryone else do the tal&ing# +he stories are ell organi?ed and thought"ul$ and Moore does not ma&e it a%out himsel" and his o n %elie"s$ hich &ee!s it un%iased# *e sim!ly states the o!inions o" those he encounters around the glo%e# ' sli!!ery slo!e "allacy is the %elie" that something should %e a,oided due to dire conse-uences# +he ideology that 4ocialism arise "rom 'merica ado!ting uni,ersal healthcare needs to %e !ut to rest# +his sli!!ery slo!e "allacy is ruled out hen Moore sho s ho other countries are "lourishing# (" anything$ it gi,es !eo!le more o" a ,oice$ li&e in France# (n this case the assum!tion that ado!ting uni,ersal healthcare ill create a 4ocialist state is too much o" a stretch# Where the real !ro%lem lies is ho the healthcare system is set u! in 'merica# >oliticians are %ought out %y healthcare com!anies in hat is called rent see&ing# Com!anies o""er large sums o" money to !oliticians so that they may !ass %ills that are %ene"icial to their com!any# (nstead o" hel!ing !eo!le$ the com!anies are getting a ay ith crime$ and their greed

is hurting our economy# +his is one o" the largest !ro%lems "acing 'mericans today$ and it ill a""ect "uture generations too %ecause this !ractice ill %e hard to o,ercome# @ose!h 4tiglit?$ a teacher at Colum%ia =ni,ersity$ also tal&s a%out ho mono!olies use rent see&ing to ta&e o,er a !ortion o" the !olitical scene# 4tiglit? tal&s a%out this in an article he !u%lished called /+he >rice o" (ne-uality#0 4tiglit? %elie,ed that there is less e-uality in 'merica$ and that large cor!orations are the ones ith the true !o er in our nation today# 4tiglit? says$ /(n 'merica$ ith its -uasi5corru!t system o" cam!aign "inance and its resol,ing doors %et een go,ernment and industry$ !olitics is sha!ed %y money#0 With rent see&ing going on the healthcare industry is a%le to get control o" hat they ant to charge "or the medical costs# When Ni3on too& o""ice$ a !lan "or !ro"it "irst as the main goal# *o do e &no this? (n Sicko, a ta!e o" Ni3on and @ohn Ahrlichman sho that they sim!ly ant to ma&e a large !ro"it in the healthcare "ield# 't "irst$ Ni3on does not seem ant to ado!t any source o" healthcare !lan and is heard saying$ /Bou &no ho ( "eel a%out those damn things#0 <ut once Ahrlichman descri%es it to %e !ro"it dri,en and less a%out care Ni3on says$ /(t2s "ine#0 *o is it that a leader o" a country is a%le to sim!ly decide that less care is the %est o!tion "or a nation? ( had my o n e3!erience ith the healthcare system# ( %ro&e my nose many times and ( needed surgery so that ( could %reathe right# ( got the surgery months later in 4an Francisco and it ent great# When ( got home ( had a 730$000 %ill# My insurance co,ered a%out t o thirds o" it and ( &ne my "amily could not a""ord it# ( sent in a letter to the com!any e3!laining that ( as a "ull time student and una%le to !ay the %ill# My re-uest as e,entually acce!ted# +his as o%,iously good "or me$ %ut seeing such a high num%er !anic&ed my "amily and (# We initially thought the entire o!eration ould %e co,ered$ and i" it as not$ ( ne,er ould ha,e gotten it done# +hat is hal" o" a year o" college that ( could %e !aying "or instead# ( as ,ery luc&y that

day# (t is ;ust un"ortunate ho e,er that e as 'mericans ha,e to thin& a%out money "irst %e"ore our o n health# 4eeing other countries gi,e !eo!le the same o!eration ( had "or "ree is a smart ay to ta&e care o" its !eo!le# .nce Ni3on2s !lan ent into !lay$ e,erything got tougher on 'mericans# *ealthcare com!anies %egan ra&ing in huge !ro"its$ some e,en tri!ling their earnings as e3!lained in Sicko. More !eo!le %ecame uninsured and the system %ecame %ro&en# +oday e "ind that the CA.2s o" these com!anies do not e,en ha,e an M#D#$ %ut are %usinessmen ho ha,e ta&en the reigns and ma&e !ro"it %y denying more !eo!le and !ro,iding less care# ' doctor earns more money in a year %y the num%er o" !atients that they deny and hel!ing the com!any# (n Sicko, ho e,er$ doctors in Great <ritain earn more money %ased on the !atients they hel!# A,en sto!!ing a !erson "rom smo&ing can increase their salary# +hat is the ty!e o" healthcare that ma&es sense to me# *ealthcare com!anies used to %e an unta!!ed mar&et$ and no they are doing %etter then they e,er ha,e %e"ore$ and are traded on the stoc& mar&et regularly# No the CA.s2 "ocus ill %e creating !ro"it "or its stoc&holders instead o" the correct treatment "or its !atients# +here are other ays o" ma&ing money in this countryC the healthcare com!anies should ;ust do hat is right$ hel!ing the less "ortunate instead o" ma3ing !ro"its# Not all !eo!le see it this ay in 'merica though# (n Sicko, a oman named 1inda >eno$ ho or&ed "or *umana$ -uit her ;o% %ecause she could not li,e the rest o" her li"e doing hat she as trained to do# 4he admitted to Congress that her main ;o% as to sa,e the com!any money# .ne year she hel!ed sa,e the com!any hal" a million dollars and as gi,en a raise to a si3 "igure income# (t as all a%out the "inancial %ene"it o" the com!any$ and it seemed to not %e a%out insuring !eo!le "or care# *er em!loyer told her that she as not denying actual care$ %ut she as denying !ayment "or the !atient# +his is %asically the same thing$ and is another

"allacious argument# +his "allacy is &no n as s!ecial !leading %ecause denying the !atient money is the same as denying them healthcare# +his is also a !er"ect e3am!le o" testimonial e,idence that Moore uses in his "ilm and hel!s sho ho !eo!le in the healthcare "ield are re arded "or denying care# (n the end$ many %elie,e that 'merica is still the greatest country to li,e in# <ut hy sto! there? (" e can %etter our re!utation and hel! our !eo!le e,en more$ then hy not try? @ust li&e Moore stated at the end o" Sicko, /(" a car ma&er ma&es a %etter car e %uy it#0 .ur nation can change "or the %etter$ e ;ust need to !ut in the e""ort# (" Angland can ado!t and a""ord a healthcare system here e,eryone can recei,e care$ e,en a"ter World War (( destroyed their country$ then e can easily do the same thing# <ut until Democrats and 6e!u%licans !ut their egos aside and come together$ nothing ill %e done# *ealthcare is one o" the ma;or !ro%lems in our country$ and i" e can get e,eryone insured then e ill %egin to see our nation turn itsel" around again# More !eo!le healthy could mean more !eo!le or&ing and %ettering our economy# Wor& CountD 1$E:1