Moore's 'Sicko' Gives Accused Little Say

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore talks about the state of the U.S. health care system at a news conference outside Los Angeles City Hall Tuesday, June 26, 2007. Moore's latest documentary film, "Sicko," was to premiere Tuesday evening in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon) (Reed Saxon - AP)

WASHINGTON -- In many respects, Michael Moore's new movie, "Sicko," is like a trial for those who oversee health care in the United States. The industry _ doctors, drug makers, hospitals, insurers _ is charged with greed and putting personal interests above patients'. Moore heard from thousands of people who had maddening and heartbreaking brushes with this system.

As chief prosecutor, Moore lets them do most of the talking and weaves their stories into the film with wit, compassion and humor.

But one aspect missing from the film is the defense. Do not expect to hear anyone speak well of the care they received in the U.S. On the other hand, patients and doctors from Canada, Britain, France and Cuba marvel at their health care.

Moore tells viewers there are about 50 million people in the U.S. without health insurance.

Just this past week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there are about 43.6 million uninsured people in the country. In March, the Census Bureau put the number at 44.8 million.

Moore noted that about 18,000 people die each year as a result of the lack of health insurance. That number comes for a January 2004 report from the Institute of Medicine. The report said the uninsured do not get the care they need and are more likely to die prematurely.

Taking on the pharmaceutical industry, Moore says it spent millions of dollars lobbying Congress for a Medicare prescription drug benefit.

"Of course it was really a bill to hand over $800 billion of our tax dollars to the drug and health insurance industry," he said.

Moore is citing the projected cost for the Medicare drug benefit's first 10 years.

Last year, however, Medicare officials told The Associated Press that the projected cost of the benefit through 2015 stood at about $729 billion, a substantial drop compared with original estimates.

Moore also noted the some of the elderly in the drug program could end up paying more for their prescriptions than they did before. That is true. But the vast majority do save because of the tens of billions of dollars in annual government subsidies to help cover the cost of their medicine. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says people save about $1,200 a year on average by participating in the program, called Medicare Part D.

At one point, Moore notes where the U.S. ranks in terms of health care around the world.