Sick Around the World

At the UT Health Care Forum this past Saturday one of the questions was whether or not panelists had seen the Frontline program Sick Around the World. I searched for it online and found it can be viewed at the PBS site. I watched it there tonight:


There is a teachers guide here. There are links, but nothing recent, particularly nothing related to the current attempts at legislation.

The New York Times says,

This fast-moving and entertaining hour starts from the premise that the American health care system, with its high costs, multiple gatekeepers and failure to provide insurance for much of the population, is a failure. And Mr. Reid makes the case (in about 10 minutes per country) that other capitalist democracies have not just cheaper and more equally available health care, but also better care over all, with longer life expectancies and lower infant mortality rates.

The Huffington Post has an article that says,

The film draws a sharp contrast between five other capitalist countries where everyone receives needed health care without risking bankruptcy and the fragmented non-system of U.S. financing and health care delivery where many fall between the cracks.

Charlie Rose discusses the documentary with T.R. Reid. You can watch that video here:

"The fundamental question is a moral question." -T.R. Reid