Sick Around America

Harry Crawford
Nursing Student

FILM  REVIEW
by Harry Crawford | visit him on facebook
Sick Around America (Learn More)

The documentary “Sick around America” is a very interesting video that talks about the number one crisis in America, “Healthcare”.  It explores things such as job benefits in the healthcare system, the patient's hospital expenses, the patients' difficult decisions on how to pay off their bills. The medical expenses have gotten really expensive and some people do not have insurance because they cannot afford it, or they do not qualify for the insurance through their employers. This medical crisis has even driven people into filing bankruptcy.


 In order for the bill to get paid bankruptcy became the final option which messes up the customer’s credit report. This crisis was so bad according to this documentary that people were dying to the lack of the insurance coverage because they couldn’t get treated without the insurance. I personally understand the hospitals reasoning for the non-treatment. If you do not have insurance more than likely the hospital is not going to get paid because the treatment is set so high that it is impossible to ever pay it off. For example a younger white married couple was expecting a little boy that was two months early.

The medical bill for the treatment that the baby was given while in the hospital was a half a million dollars! This is outrageous.  According to “Sick around America” 4 ½ million jobs were lost; which means 4 ½ million people are without an insurance policy! A plan was made to help the uninsured. This plan is called, “Medical Underwriting”. The goal to this plan is to collect as much information as possible to see if you qualify for insurance.  The film suggests that if you 're thought  to be too costly to insure, you would be denied. People have begun to get so desperate to find insurance for them and their family, that they seek for jobs based solely  on thieir insurance plans.

As a nursing student I ask myself how you handle situations like this. I feel that you should always treat a patient regardless of insurance or not. There are many programs that are established to help to help the less fortune with medical insurance. For the elderly you have Medicaid. The welfare office presents numerous insurance companies for the ones that don’t have a job and will never work again due to illness. You can receive insurance through the University you attend as well. There are several ways to achieve medical and dental insurance today.

So the question remains, to what extent is health insurance companies to blame for the problems of the American healthcare system? With the economy being as bad as it is, the modern health care company has to take orders from their executives to make sure they can change the plans. However, should there be a law that mandates that everyone in the United States be insured?  Barack Obama's recent health care program is forcing us to consider  such a mandate. Serious initiatives would ensure that health insurance companies would fight for the right to make sure every customer they see be insured. The documentary states that people are dying due to the lack of insurance coverage because they cannot be treated. This is a huge crisis in America. I personally feel this is the wrong thing to do and could possible cause a law suit in the near future.

I have experienced being released from my medical insurance because I had to present documentation that I was in college. I was not notified until I went to the doctor for a checkup and they informed me that I was not insured. Not only was this embarrassing but the matters could have been worst if I was getting surgery or was deadly ill.  The movie spoke of a law called granted issue which would insured everybody but the only problem is that everyone would not be required to sign up for the program.

The second question states, what, if anything should be done to fix the problems? I feel there should be a law stating that it is mandatory for everybody to sign up for insurance. This law would prevent this crisis from happening. It is not fair to the ones that want the insurance but cannot afford it. By attempting this law you would still have to vote on it so it is still up to the people and what they want. Would this act cost taxes to increase more? How much would this settlement cost us?

As much as this would be a great idea for everyone to be insured you still have to be opened minded. This is something that “we the people" would take into consideration. Legislation and voting shouldn't be stymied by bureaucracy of the current status quo.

In conclusion, “Sick in America” was an excellent documentary that should be shown to every American to highlight the need for health insurance. This has really impacted my life personally, as well as influenced my thoughts on the health system in this country. I feel my job as an American is to share the word about the importance of this issue.  An all-inclusive health insurance program is the best route to take with the type of world we are living in.  From infants to elderly, insurance is the way because it is less stressful and it helps take care of the health of all our citizens. I will always remember this video and will take it's information with me in my future as a healthcare professional.