Michael Moore on Larry King Live

[guestname]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I thought Michae Moore is an expert when it comes US healt care system but looks like he doens't know what an anesthesiologist does...he was on Larry King Live coupel of days ago adn here is his response to a question Larry K. asked.

KING: Do you -- if you had a serious health problem, you wouldn't leave the country, would you?

MOORE: No, I wouldn't because I'm one of the 9 percent of the American people that belong to a union of non-governmental employees. Only 9 percent now belong to a union. And so that means I have very good health insurance as part of my union, The Directors Guild.

And so, you know, and in fact, I mean, I had appendicitis a couple years ago, had to have my appendix out. And they rushed me to the hospital and they wheeled me in and, you know, I'm not worrying about the money. I had other worries. I'm looking up at the anesthesiologist as he's -- you know I just said to him, you know, there's a lot of people that pay you some big bucks just to turn that up a notch or two.

Here is the link http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0706/29/lkl.02.html

 

[rn29306]

MOORE:....I mean, I had appendicitis a couple years ago, had to have my appendix out. And they rushed me to the hospital and they wheeled me in and, you know, I'm not worrying about the money. I had other worries. I'm looking up at the anesthesiologist as he's -- you know I just said to him, you know, there's a lot of people that pay you some big bucks just to turn that up a notch or two.

I'd throw someone some cash in the pot if the MD would have turned the knob up a WHOLE LOT, not just a notch or two......

 

[cfdavid]

You know, it's not like most Americans have a problem with debating important issues. It's just that he uses some very cheap methods in an attempt to get his "points" across. Using footage out of context, exploiting a few horror stories (lemons mind you) etc. He's such a chump.

 

[rmh149]

We just need to encourage him to EAT more and Smoke more.

 

[me454555]

healthcare is a funny thing, somoene says "you're car is broke and you're gonna need $10,000 in repairs to pay" the customer says "ok sure" but if you get a problem, no one wants to pay for it to get fixed. "how come my cabg costs $20,000? Thats a rip off" People have no concept of the intrinsic costs of health care and that is the core of this whole healthcare problem.

 

[cfdavid]

healthcare is a funny thing, somoene says "you're car is broke and you're gonna need $10,000 in repairs to pay" the customer says "ok sure" but if you get a problem, no one wants to pay for it to get fixed. "how come my cabg costs $20,000? Thats a rip off" People have no concept of the intrinsic costs of health care and that is the core of this whole healthcare problem.

Yeah, no doubt. It's easy to place a value on an iPhone or a car. Even traditional services like day care or house cleaning. But, what's NOT having uncontrolled diabetes worth?? What about maintaining normal cardiac rythm??

I used to respectfully argue with my grandpa when he'd complain about the cost of his medications. But, they were keeping him ALIVE, for god's sake. I understand it's frusterating when people are paying so much of their "disposable" income for healthcare, but what's the alternative?

 

[powermd]

Yeah, no doubt. It's easy to place a value on an iPhone or a car. Even traditional services like day care or house cleaning. But, what's NOT having uncontrolled diabetes worth?? What about maintaining normal cardiac rythm??

I used to respectfully argue with my grandpa when he'd complain about the cost of his medications. But, they were keeping him ALIVE, for god's sake. I understand it's frusterating when people are paying so much of their "disposable" income for healthcare, but what's the alternative?

Clearly people feel ENTITLED to good health with minimal personal expense (and effort). People suck. But you knew that already.

Interestingly, people DON'T feel entitled to a working car when the transmission goes out. Or working plumbing when the pipes freeze. You have to earn that by paying for it. The services of a lawyer, accountant, or the kid that blows the leaves- hey, ya gotta pay. Doctors? Why do they deserve any money, they're already rich! And it would only take him 30 minutes to remove my appendix! The nerve...

 

[huron]

"MOORE: Yes, yes, that's -- oh, absolutely. I -- doctors are not the problem. I've talked to enough doctors. Actually, family doctors are a demoralized bunch these days because what they have is a middleman in between them and the patient. It's called the insurance man. The insurance company is the one deciding whether or not the doctor can perform a procedure or treatment on a patient.

I mean just think about that. You go to see a doctor. The doctor says I think you need this particular operation. But the doctor just can't order the operation or send you to a specialist. He has to call someone sitting in a cubicle, maybe a thousand miles away, who has -- who can then give permission. And as you see in my film, the doctors who work at the insurance companies, they get bonuses for denying the most number of claims. They actually get rewarded. And they actually have a ratio, a percentage, that they're expected to deny in terms of, you know, people that need help. That's a crazy system."



(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SICKO," COURTESY OF THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY) MOORE: There was one person in the health care industry who did have a conscience, Dr. Linda Peeno, a former medical reviewer at Humana. She was let go because she wasn't denying enough claims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM MAY 30, 1996 TESTIMONY BEFORE THE U.S. CONGRESS)

LINDA PEENO, THE CARE FOUNDATION: I am here primarily today to make a public confession. In the spring of 1987, as a physician, I denied a man a necessary operation that would have saved his life and thus caused his death. No person and no group has held me accountable for this because, in fact, what I did was I saved a company a half a million dollars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)






While I have not yet see the movie, I will try to make time to see it the first night is opens in my town. One of the major issues it raises is access to medical care the plight of the uninsured and under insured, and the games Insurance companies play to avoid paying legitimate claims and also the extremes the insurance companies will go to keep from paying out money.

The private insurance company model is clearly broken. I commend Michal Moore for addressing this and speaking up for the working poor and the self employed who can't get or afford health insurance. Having tried to get health insurance while working locums, I can attest that if you are older than 25 you will not be able to purchase private health insurance at any price.

 

[jwk]

I thought Michae Moore is an expert when it comes US healt care system but looks like he doens't know what an anesthesiologist does...he was on Larry King Live coupel of days ago adn here is his response to a question Larry K. asked.

Why on earth would anyone think an idiot like Michael Moore is an expert on healthcare, or anything else for that matter?

 

[proclivity]

Why on earth would anyone think an idiot like Michael Moore is an expert on healthcare, or anything else for that matter?

because he's obviously not an idiot. He has done some very forward thinking research and has tried to convey the ideas to us.

Have you seen the movie?

 

[Noyac]

Why on earth would anyone think an idiot like Michael Moore is an expert on healthcare, or anything else for that matter?

But the system broken for the most part and we need someone to expose its faults. At least Moore is attempting to expose the system. None of his films has made any difference as far as I can tell but our healthcare is a system that needs to be discussed and at least he is doing that.

We can all sit back and say that Moore is a bafoon with a high school education or we can jump on the opportunity to fix our healthcare system. The vast majority of the public is not that intelligent. Especially, when it comes to healthcare. We need educate them and Moore is opening the door for this opportunity.

Its just like the aana and their agenda. We need to educate the public.

 

[lane]

because he's obviously not an idiot. He has done some very forward thinking research and has tried to convey the ideas to us.

Have you seen the movie?

i saw the movie almost 3 weeks ago when it leaked to the internet. he may have some forward thinking, but i have a hard time taking seriously a "documentary" that starts by blaming the government for healthcare woes then concludes by saying government should run healthcare, has a montage on how sexy hillary clinton is, and conveniently glosses over any glaring discrepancies to his truthiness (for you colbert fans) or lack thereof.

 

[swpm]

because he's obviously not an idiot.

No, but from his past work, we know he's dishonest and absolutely willing to distort reality, selectively ignore information, and manipulate context to further whatever his agenda happens to be at the moment.

Can't say I have any intention of watching his latest "documentary."

 

[Mman]

because he's obviously not an idiot. He has done some very forward thinking research and has tried to convey the ideas to us.

Have you seen the movie?

having spoken with him in person, he is obviously an idiot. Whether or not a specific point in his movie is valid is for people to debate, but he has an agenda for everything he does and that agenda is not educating the public.

 

[powermd]

having spoken with him in person, he is obviously an idiot. Whether or not a specific point in his movie is valid is for people to debate, but he has an agenda for everything he does and that agenda is not educating the public.

I'll bite. What was the content of your conversation with Mr. Moore? How were you able to rightly conclude that he is an idiot?

I thought Bowling for Columbine was an excellent film. Farenheight 9/11 didn't seem to present any new information that hadn't already come out somewhere else. I haven't seen Sicko yet, but Kurt Loder's review stated that he is very selective when presenting the Canadian, British, and French health systems by presenting a few happy customers and success stories and ignoring the the extensive problems with each country's system. If that is true, I'm very disappointed.

 

[swpm]

I thought Bowling for Columbine was an excellent film.

Well, it was excellent in the sense that it was a finely crafted piece of manipulative propaganda.

http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html

 

[powermd]

Our health care crisis needs a revolutionary change, not just a reshuffling of the payment system. Capitalism must be restrained. Personal freedoms must be limited. Society must become oriented toward wellness. Not expensive band-aid fixes for end stage disease. The food industry, as well as our institutions (of education, employment, even prison) must take responsibility for proper nutrition and exercise. People can't be trusted to do it on their own. Tobacco should be severely restricted, if available at all. Priorities must be set for expenditure of health care dollars. Rationing by cost-benefit analysis must occur, rather than ability to pay, as it is now. Doctors must play a much greater role in communities as advocates for healthful living, and proper health maintanance. Nationally doctors must have a much larger role in policymaking. The focus of policymaking must shift from emphasis on the individual, to societal benefits. Once we achieve all that, we can start talking about what a great country we are.

Until then, we are just a bunch of self-destructive children.

 

[Hoya11]

i saw the movie almost 3 weeks ago when it leaked to the internet. he may have some forward thinking, but i have a hard time taking seriously a "documentary" that starts by blaming the government for healthcare woes then concludes by saying government should run healthcare, has a montage on how sexy hillary clinton is, and conveniently glosses over any glaring discrepancies to his truthiness (for you colbert fans) or lack thereof.

I think elizabeth from the view made the same argument to him, kind of doesnt make sense really. He is truly blaming HMOs, as private businesses, and saying the government should take it over. His response to her was that the government has done a good job with education, fire dept, and that it is also dependent upon the people elected 😉 , not all governments are equal

 

[starsop93]

No, but from his past work, we know he's dishonest and absolutely willing to distort reality, selectively ignore information, and manipulate context to further whatever his agenda happens to be at the moment.

Can't say I have any intention of watching his latest "documentary."

What from his past work was dishonest and distorted?? Seriously, people say that all the time and can only pick out a few examples of non-significant cuts from his films. I think if you look at Bowling for Columbine and Farenheit 9/11, he was right on all the major points as history has unfortunately shown us.

It now sounds like he has made another good movie that will bring the issue of health care to the forefront like it should be. I have not see it yet, but I will. Nevertheless, if he did gloss over the downsides of the French, British, and Candian systems, as has been stated, I will be pretty upset too.

There's no question he is a media hound, but I believe he honestly is trying to get people talking about issues they should be talking about; i.e. gun violence, corporate malfiesence, governmental dishonesty and incompetence, and our ailing health care system.

 

[urgewrx]

Are we nowadays calling idionts, people who have a different point of view from ours?
​

I'm pretty sure he makes more money than all of us together. Who is the idiot now?

 

[Mman]

I'll bite. What was the content of your conversation with Mr. Moore? How were you able to rightly conclude that he is an idiot?

He's from my neck of the woods. He likes to rant and rave and draw attention to himself, that's all.

 

[swpm]

Are we nowadays calling idionts, people who have a different point of view from ours?

It'd be easier to respect the man if he was simply an honest advocate for the causes he chooses. But he's not. I'm a lot further left than most, and for me Moore evokes a visceral disgust, in large part because when it comes to convincing reasonable people, his "support" is a taint.

He's a liability, exactly the kind of self-appointed spokesperson the left doesn't need.

I'm pretty sure he makes more money than all of us together. Who is the idiot now?

So money is the chief determinant of where one falls on the idiocy scale?

 

[Sevo]

If you want to take a look at another "documentary" that focuses on health care, take a gander at "Dead Meat" at:

http://www.onthefencefilms.com/video/deadmeat/

 

[johankriek]

healthcare is a funny thing, somoene says "you're car is broke and you're gonna need $10,000 in repairs to pay" the customer says "ok sure" but if you get a problem, no one wants to pay for it to get fixed. "how come my cabg costs $20,000? Thats a rip off" People have no concept of the intrinsic costs of health care and that is the core of this whole healthcare problem.

a cabg will set you back 200K not 20 K

 

[jwk]

because he's obviously not an idiot. He has done some very forward thinking research and has tried to convey the ideas to us.

Have you seen the movie?

OK - maybe idiot wasn't the perfect description - swpm says it better below.

And no - I haven't seen the movie and have no intention of seeing it - I think he's an idiot. 😀

No, but from his past work, we know he's dishonest and absolutely willing to distort reality, selectively ignore information, and manipulate context to further whatever his agenda happens to be at the moment.

Can't say I have any intention of watching his latest "documentary."

 

[rmh149]

a cabg will set you back 200K not 20 K

200K...are you sure? Thats a little high. It is more like 40-55K