Sicko (2007) on Netflix
PG-1320072h 3mDocumentaryDrama
Americans who believed their insurance covered them describe being denied treatment. A filmmaker compares their for-profit system with the non-profit systems of Canada, Britain and France.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb8.0/1078,277 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes91%
Trailer
Plot summary
Almost fifty million people in the United States had no health insurance in 2007, and many who were covered describe being denied care. Former employees of insurance companies say bonuses went to staff who found reasons to deny medically necessary treatment. The World Health Organization puts some American health measures on par with countries that have far less economic wealth. A filmmaker visits Canada, Britain and France to compare their health systems with the American one.
Cast
- Reggie Cervantesas Herself
- John Grahamas Himself
- Aleida Guevaraas Herself
- Patrick Pedrajaas Himself
- Linda Peenoas Herself
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Sicko (2007)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- A duplicate master copy of the film was held in Canada in case American authorities tried to seize it as part of the investigation against Moore that arose from his taking American 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba for medical treatment.
- The film plays a recording in which Ehrlichman is heard telling Nixon that "the less care they give them, the more money they make" - a plan that Nixon remarked was "fine" and "not bad".
- A blogger who ran an anti-Moore website feared he would have to shut it down because he needed US$12,000 to cover medical treatment for his sick wife. Not wanting the U.S. health care system to limit the man's ability to express his opinion, Moore sent him the money himself.
- Wendell Potter admitted that while he was Head of Corporate Communications at CIGNA, the health insurance industry umbrella agency America's Health Insurance Plans had developed a campaign to discredit Michael Moore and the movie.
- On December 13, 2024, following the killing of health insurance executive Brian Thompson, which renewed public criticism of the health insurance industry, Moore made Sicko available to everyone on his official YouTube channel, arguing for health care reform as a "solution that does not involve any violence".
- Executive producer Harvey Weinstein, whose company provided financing for the film and who is a friend of the Clinton family, asked Moore to remove a scene critical of Hillary Clinton. Moore refused.
- The film was leaked onto the internet two weeks before its official release on June 29, 2007. Moore denied leaking it for publicity, and an investigation was made into the source of the leak.
