Thursday, June 28, 2007 at 12:12am
'Sicko' may be the cure we need
Column: Spiritual Psychology
How many politicians and drug company executives opposed to universal healthcare does it take to change a light bulb? None: "If the government would leave the bulb alone, it would screw itself in."
Quite remarkably, that's the market philosophy that has been sold to the public about healthcare — and more puzzling, a view that the public has bought. Proof: Unlike every other industrialized nation, and some Third World and developing countries, we don't' have universal healthcare.
Currently nearly 50 million Americans, including 10 million children, are uninsured, and their ranks are growing every day. Consider also that it's not only the uninsured who are at risk. Those who have health insurance might painfully discover limitations, maximum payouts, rising co-payments, medical conditions that are not covered, and, too often, insurance companies that are ingenious in denying benefits rather than providing them — the bottom line trumps the promised line. Even the relatively affluent fear that catastrophic illness could wipe them out, putting them in dire circumstances — and for good reason: It can and has happened!
Worse news: We spend 16 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP — the total value of goods and services) on healthcare and leave out millions. The European Union countries spend on average less than 10 percent of their GDPs on healthcare and cover everyone.
Never mind that we are the most religious nation in the industrialized world with core principles of compassion, helping the needy and sharing resources, just to name a few moral principles that would dictate providing the basic security of healthcare to everyone — especially since we happen to be the richest and most powerful country on the planet.
Why has our religious nation put up with a shameful situation antithetical to religious and humanistic teachings and values — and a situation that inflicts so much pain and suffering? Religious groups have not been shy about speaking out and protesting other social issues.
Organized protest, and the removal of politicians who reject universal healthcare, would surely be effective — just count the numbers. That's what the politicians do when protest surfaces, the angry crowds grow, and the complaint mail overflows. Stand up and be counted, and you will see change. That's exactly what might happen if a comment I heard recently suggests a rising tide of desperation: "I'd vote for the devil if he would guarantee healthcare."
One reason for inaction may be that countless numbers have been suckered into going along with the status quo by the intimidating war cries calling one-payer universal healthcare "pinko, socialism, or worse, communism." At the same time these clever pitchmen and naysayers demand corporate welfare — subsidies for oil companies and other corporations — calling that good business. Also, making universal healthcare a "lefty" doctrine ignores the fact that other capitalistic democracies have universal healthcare — and in some cases conservative governments that are far from "pinko."
This all adds up to a pretty grim picture. That's the bad news. The good news is that things may be about to change. Michael Moore will hit the fan this weekend with the nationwide release of his documentary "Sicko" — starkly revealing the messy and cruel side of our healthcare system. And it may be just the cure we need.
When I entered the theater last week for a preview of Moore's documentary, I expected to be amused but I wondered, "What could be new?" After all, I've been writing about healthcare for the past 20 years and have all the facts and figures at my fingertips or in a computer file — so do the politicians. But surprised I was — and you will be too.
Michael Moore has accomplished what no one else has been able to do successfully. He has made the healthcare crisis first and foremost a human issue, not a political or bipartisan debate. The names you will hear, the faces you will see, and stories that unfold from the suffering people in his film transcend differences of political affiliation, socio-economic class, race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. You can't escape feeling that with a slight change of fate or bad luck, one of those frightening stories could become your story. As the film drives home: We are all in the same boat — and the boat is sinking.
Emphasizing that healthcare is a wrenching issue for everyone, not only seniors seeking prescription drug benefits and improvements in Medicare coverage, the preview audience that came out for "Sicko" was largely "30-something." And the bursts of cheers and applause throughout the screening were unlike anything that I've witnessed before. Perhaps the troops are rallying. The unexpected appearance of Michael Moore in the lobby afterward, wearing his signature red cap, ratcheted up the enthusiasm. When the mob scene exploded out onto the street on Broadway and 68th Street in Manhattan, I was able to work my way through the crowd and exchange a few words with Moore. Then, reflecting his style, there was no limo waiting. He hailed a taxi and disappeared into the night.
Back to solutions for our dilemma — yes, if left alone, the bulb might screw itself in. But as Michael Moore will show you, with that solution there will be no light.
I won't give away any more of the thunder of the film. Go see it. Then turn on the lights.
— — —
Bernard Starr, Ph.D., formerly professor of developmental and educational psychology at the City University of New York, now teaches psychology and leads the Spiritual Forum at Marymount Manhattan College. In addition to his work in radio, he is a longtime contributor of commentary and opinion articles to numerous major publications. He is also the main United Nations representative for the Institute of Global Education that founded the Mucherla Global School in Mucherla, India. His book "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality and Psychology to be Truly Free" will be published by Rowman and Littlefield in October 2007. His email address is {email OmniCns@aol.com}OmniCns@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Bernard Starr.
Quite remarkably, that's the market philosophy that has been sold to the public about healthcare — and more puzzling, a view that the public has bought. Proof: Unlike every other industrialized nation, and some Third World and developing countries, we don't' have universal healthcare.
Currently nearly 50 million Americans, including 10 million children, are uninsured, and their ranks are growing every day. Consider also that it's not only the uninsured who are at risk. Those who have health insurance might painfully discover limitations, maximum payouts, rising co-payments, medical conditions that are not covered, and, too often, insurance companies that are ingenious in denying benefits rather than providing them — the bottom line trumps the promised line. Even the relatively affluent fear that catastrophic illness could wipe them out, putting them in dire circumstances — and for good reason: It can and has happened!
Worse news: We spend 16 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP — the total value of goods and services) on healthcare and leave out millions. The European Union countries spend on average less than 10 percent of their GDPs on healthcare and cover everyone.
Never mind that we are the most religious nation in the industrialized world with core principles of compassion, helping the needy and sharing resources, just to name a few moral principles that would dictate providing the basic security of healthcare to everyone — especially since we happen to be the richest and most powerful country on the planet.
Why has our religious nation put up with a shameful situation antithetical to religious and humanistic teachings and values — and a situation that inflicts so much pain and suffering? Religious groups have not been shy about speaking out and protesting other social issues.
Organized protest, and the removal of politicians who reject universal healthcare, would surely be effective — just count the numbers. That's what the politicians do when protest surfaces, the angry crowds grow, and the complaint mail overflows. Stand up and be counted, and you will see change. That's exactly what might happen if a comment I heard recently suggests a rising tide of desperation: "I'd vote for the devil if he would guarantee healthcare."
One reason for inaction may be that countless numbers have been suckered into going along with the status quo by the intimidating war cries calling one-payer universal healthcare "pinko, socialism, or worse, communism." At the same time these clever pitchmen and naysayers demand corporate welfare — subsidies for oil companies and other corporations — calling that good business. Also, making universal healthcare a "lefty" doctrine ignores the fact that other capitalistic democracies have universal healthcare — and in some cases conservative governments that are far from "pinko."
This all adds up to a pretty grim picture. That's the bad news. The good news is that things may be about to change. Michael Moore will hit the fan this weekend with the nationwide release of his documentary "Sicko" — starkly revealing the messy and cruel side of our healthcare system. And it may be just the cure we need.
When I entered the theater last week for a preview of Moore's documentary, I expected to be amused but I wondered, "What could be new?" After all, I've been writing about healthcare for the past 20 years and have all the facts and figures at my fingertips or in a computer file — so do the politicians. But surprised I was — and you will be too.
Michael Moore has accomplished what no one else has been able to do successfully. He has made the healthcare crisis first and foremost a human issue, not a political or bipartisan debate. The names you will hear, the faces you will see, and stories that unfold from the suffering people in his film transcend differences of political affiliation, socio-economic class, race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. You can't escape feeling that with a slight change of fate or bad luck, one of those frightening stories could become your story. As the film drives home: We are all in the same boat — and the boat is sinking.
Emphasizing that healthcare is a wrenching issue for everyone, not only seniors seeking prescription drug benefits and improvements in Medicare coverage, the preview audience that came out for "Sicko" was largely "30-something." And the bursts of cheers and applause throughout the screening were unlike anything that I've witnessed before. Perhaps the troops are rallying. The unexpected appearance of Michael Moore in the lobby afterward, wearing his signature red cap, ratcheted up the enthusiasm. When the mob scene exploded out onto the street on Broadway and 68th Street in Manhattan, I was able to work my way through the crowd and exchange a few words with Moore. Then, reflecting his style, there was no limo waiting. He hailed a taxi and disappeared into the night.
Back to solutions for our dilemma — yes, if left alone, the bulb might screw itself in. But as Michael Moore will show you, with that solution there will be no light.
I won't give away any more of the thunder of the film. Go see it. Then turn on the lights.
— — —
Bernard Starr, Ph.D., formerly professor of developmental and educational psychology at the City University of New York, now teaches psychology and leads the Spiritual Forum at Marymount Manhattan College. In addition to his work in radio, he is a longtime contributor of commentary and opinion articles to numerous major publications. He is also the main United Nations representative for the Institute of Global Education that founded the Mucherla Global School in Mucherla, India. His book "Escape Your Own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality and Psychology to be Truly Free" will be published by Rowman and Littlefield in October 2007. His email address is {email OmniCns@aol.com}OmniCns@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Bernard Starr.