I know only to well that it can indeed happen. My husband has a blood disorder (we found out about 1 1/2 years ago when he almost died from a blood clot). He has to have different tests all the time and the meds he takes causes other problems that need to be addressed. Even with insurance the bills keep coming. My daughter needs dental work badly, but where to find the extra money for that?? I should be having a follow up mammogram but that isn't going to happen either. Right now I'm typing with one finger on my left hand, why? The others are locked in a claw today. Don't know why but it happens now and then. Since my husband is the major 'bread winner' and our insurance is through his company, he has to get his medical care, no question there. What gets me the most I think is that if we had less money we could get state paid for insurance, using the ER for every little sneeze, cough or whatever. Be we, along with a lot of others, are caught in the 'working poor' group. Somedays I ask myself, Does it really pay to work hard? I'm glad for the exposure today's show has given this issue. Maybe, just maybe, things will change for the better someday.

It is very sad that this is going on in this country. My husband and I worry every day about medical bills. We have 5 children. We do have medical insurance through my husbands work but we also pay for a portion and have a $25.00 co-pay, which adds up quickly. When our 4th son was born he was sick and was transferred to another hospital we are still paying for that. It's been almost 3 years. After that I had a gallbladder attack and had to have surgery, and we are still paying for that. I feel that all kids deserve the same health care coverage no matter if their parents work in a gas station or have a high paying job. These kids are our future and if only a small few get "better" care and the others don't what's going to happen then? All of our children deserve the same. I do think that the parents that just sit back and let others take care of their children need to be penelized, but that's the parents and not the children. I hope I make sense, not very good with typing, but felt that I needed to voice my opionion.

Our healthcare crisis is also complicated by the legal profession.

I'm a professional counselor, licensed in the Midwest. Despite a nationally standardized exam, I'm only licensed in one state. Go figure.

I've recently decided to discontinue offering online counseling. It's financially prohibitive to hire attorneys in all states to research the law, so I know if I can legally send an email to that state. And what if somebody in a give state, i.e., Texas, is on vacation out of state, i.e., Louisiana, when reading my email? Am I "counseling" in Texas or Louisiana?

I'm also being investigated by my licensing board. Somebody complained about my page, so that started an investigation. My husband thinks the complaint started due to the controversial views I express. He could be right. I may lose my license, or at least my malpractice coverage, due the actions of an anti-Semite, Christian Supremacist, or somebody else who has a problem with freedom. So much for freedom of speech.

One attorney I consulted misquoted the professional counseling statute twice. It scared me that he is somebody who controls the licenses of a lot of healing professionals in my state.

We have a problem keeping doctors in my state. Gee. I wonder why.

People who need online help may go to chat rooms and other environments where the help is potentially misleading, or even dangerous.

It's very sad. I wasn't surprised by Columbine High, Va Tech, or NIU. On 9-11, I was shocked by the enormity, but not the action itself. I know how much anger is in the world, so am less likely than the average individual to be shocked when it surfaces.

My profession is the one that can help with these problems. Too bad the lawyers, licensing boards, and state legislatures make it so hard for us to do so.

For healing,

Diana

Sick in America. Indeed possible and prevelent. However America is not alone. In his film "Sicko" Mr. Moore visited a Canadian ER. As a Canadian Citizen I have to stress that the experience of those Canadians in this film is not reflective of our entire country. In Canada the provincial governements are responsible for Health Care and the discrepency in services across the provinces is atrocious. For all those Americans that were given the impression of how great Canada's "universal" health care system is I feel the urge to educate you on the truth. I have been in Newfoundland emergency rooms with friends bleeding from trauma wounds and haveing to go through 4-5 hour waits. If you go to an ER and are not bleeing or unconscious your wait time is an easy 12-16 hours and even then you may only see an RN. Then there is the incident in Alberta recently where a pregnant woman died in a hosptial ER waiting room. Mr. Moore Canada's Health Care system is nothing to envy. People are dying and getting sick from botched Cancer test results, people are dying TOO young of Cancer and Heart Disease in my province because of waiting lists that are too long and doctors who are over worked and hospitals which are understaffed. Do not look to the great white north for a solution to your health care issues for we are wallowing in a quagmire of our own.

Please Google "Newfoundland Breast Cancer Test Results" and read about how our wonderful health care system caused the deaths of hundreds of its own patients.

Erika, 22

St. John's, NL, Canada

Michael Moore is not fully informed or simply close minded. On his comment about fire departments - if you are not in their jurisdiction, they will let your house burn, while ensuring those around are not harmed. Why? Because they MUST be able to collect funds for pay, maintenance, etc (True, see story from Kokomo IN where this actually happened to a subdivision who refused vote to pay taxes that support the fire and police department). I needed an ambulance, was in an unincorporated area and paid $750 for a 4 mile ride w/insurance. Why? Insurance, salaries, maintenance, reserve funds for emergencies. Money for these does NOT fall from trees.

As far as not being allowed to make a profit? Are you kidding me? My son is in his 1st year of residency. He is $180K in debt from medical school. He works overnight every 4th night which is 6am to 1pm the next day for a total of 31 hours straight - with no sleep and usually no meal breaks. He works more than the 'mandated' 80 hours in 6 days. He gets paid $48K a year for this. He gets 1 day off every 7 to 18 days while working 12 to 18 hours a day on those not overnight. He is stressed over the hours and is exhausted. But he has a 'knack' for what he does and is very good.

Doctors who go through this shouldn't make a profit to make a decent living? Make enough to pay the $1500 a month for 25 years on the student loans? Malpractice insurance? No one works for the fun of it. EVERYONE wants a 'profit' to live their life.

Is Mr Moore deciding how much is ‘fair' and how much is profit? Is he going to decide, then, what kind of house or car a doctor should have simply because of their profession?

Part of the problem we have is those who do not pay ANYTHING and get medical care on everyone else's dime. Too many on state aid go to the ER for a hangnail so they don't have to wait for a Dr appointment - why? Because they can. Stop some of this and more money that is already there can be used properly. I work at a hospital and see people with cell phones, packs of cigarettes and gold jewelry in nicer cars than mine - why shouldn't they have a co-pay like the rest? That too would add funds needed.

Hospitals and other in the medical field must make a profit so they can have reserves for future expansion, maintenance, new facilities, research. NONE of that is free.

Canadians come here and pay for health care because their socialized system (and doctors are their employees) are overloaded with abusers. He is also wrong when he says those in Canada don't wait for life threatening services, a man with a brain tumor was told he'd have to wait 4 - 6 months, a death sentence (Readers Digest). They mortgaged their house to bring him to the US, a move that saved his life. I lived in Germany for 3 years, my landlord waited 6 weeks for an appointment on a 'routine' infection. He lost his pinkie finger to the first joint as it spread.

Yes, there should be a happy medium. But to say doctors don't deserve to make a profit is sheer lunacy.

You can bet your bottom dollar Michael Moore makes a profit on what he does and has a better house, car and bank account than most.

I watched this movie about a year ago when my church mentioned it in a ceriman one day. I was shocked. I knew there were problems in the US but I didn't know how expensive it was to get the basics done. When I heard that a man had to choose which finger he wanted saved I was so mad. I was so mad that I talked about this movie to anyone who would listen. My daughter has watched it and has done the same thing. It was the best movie I have ever watched.

I am Canadian. I am tired of hearing Canadian's talk about our Health Care System. Even before I watched the movie Sicko I appreciated my Healthcare System. In my experience I have never been let down. I can't say that my healthcare is the best but I am alive, health, and happy. My children and grand children are healthy. My extended family is also healthy.

When it comes to going to the doctor for a check up I just call and make an appointment. When I need an opperation all I do is wait for the Doctor to make the arrangements. I don't care how long I have had to wait. My life and the lives of my family have not been in jeprody or gone in great debit due to health care issues.

Even when I couldn't afford the $44 per month for my health care premiums I am never refused health care. When I couldn't afford it when I was a young single mother of 3 all my expenses were covered for any of my needs. I didn't even have to be on welfare to receive proper care.

When my extended family had Cancer all needs were covered. The operations or treatments were covered and I never worried that my father would die because he couldn't afford the services he received.

When my child had pneumonia and needed to be in the hospital all I had to do was go to the hospital and they would take care of her. Now, 10 years latter she may have to wait 4 hours or more to get in but I didn't have to check my bank account to see if I could afford it first.

As I got older and I made more money I then had to worry about if the company I worked for had medical coverage to pay for my medicine and my children's medicine. Thank goodness when I couldnt' afford my medicine, my Doctor would almost always have samples of what I needed.

I have joked about the reason I married my husband. I say I married him for his medical plan. I have not been able to buy new glasses in 5 years, but now that I have great coverage, I got new glasses. My husband has not had his teeth cleaned in 12 years but now he can afford it. I need medicine daily so I can work and our insurance company covers it. The only bad thing about Canadian's Health Care System is this. For those people who are a middle class person do not receive a good medicine plan. But no one has to worry about the major medicine needed for things like cancer. That will always be covered. I will never have to worry about that. No matter what province I live in.

OK.......INSURANCE....I GIVE MY MONEY TO AN INSURANCE COMPANY....WHERE...HOW...WHY....DOES THIS COMPANY....FEEL THEY CAN TELL ME WHETHER OR NOT I AM COVERED....IT IS MY MONEY....I EARNED....WITH THE SWEAT FROM MY BROW.....I BUY A BICYCLE...I TAKE IT HOME...I KNOW THE WHOLE BIKE IS IN THAT BOX THAT MY MONEY PAID FOR....I BUY CAR INSURANCE....WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THE VEHICLE DUE TO AN ACCIDENT, I KNOW I M FULLY COVERED....I BUY HOME INSURANCE.....I KNOW THAT I AM COVERED IN CASE OF A FIRE...I KNOW I AM FULLY COVERED.....EVERYTIME...IT IS MY MONEY....MY DECISION AS TO WHAT I AM COVERED FOR...I RECIEVE EVERYTHING ,MY MONEY HAS PURCHASED....NOW........WHERE, HOW, DOES AN INSURANCE COMPANY FEEL THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE ME WAIT FOR COVERAGE, WAIT FOR A CHECK, WAIT FOR THEM TO DECIDE FOR ME WHAT MY MONEY WILL DO ...I PUT MY MONEY INTO THIS INSURANCE BECAUSE I WANT SECURE MONEY, MONEY PUT AWAY FOR SUCH A NEED....I FEEL INSURANCE COMPANIES HAVE TAKEN THE REAL REASON INSURANCE WAS MADE IN THE FIRST PLACE AS SOCIAL SECURITY....BOTH...WERE MADE UP FOR THE COUNTRY TO HELP THE COUNTRY HAVE MONEY PUT ASIDE FOR HEALTH CARE AND RETIREMENT.....BOTH OF WHICH HAVE BEEN TAKEN FOR A RIDE, THE MONEY USED BY EVERYONE ELSE, MONEY NOT THERE FOR USAGE, .........THEY ARE BOTH LIKE A BANK ACCOUNT.....TRUST....BY THE CUSTOMER,THAT THAT MONEY WILL BE THERE....THE ACCOUNT FOR HEALTH CARE...THE ACCOUNT FOR RETIREMENT....THE ACCOUNT FOR CHRISTMAS ...THE ACCOUNT FOR VACATION......ONLY THE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THE GOVERNMENT HAVE TAKEN THIS TRUST TO THE CLEANERS AND BECOME A HOLDER OF THE MONEY, A DICTATOR TELLING PEOPLE THEY CAN OR CANNOT HAVE WHAT THEIR MONEY HAS PAID FOR.....TELLING PEOPLE TO SUFFER....DIE......BE LAID IN BED FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES....NEVER BE ABLE TO WALK ,EVER AGAIN....AND WHO IS GOING TO NOW PAY THE BILLS...GO TO WORK FOR THEM...GET THE GROCERIES...CLEAN THE HOUSE......DO THE LAUNDRY....MAKE SURE THE LIGHT BILL HAS BEEN PAID......AND PEOPLE THINK THAT WE HAVE TO GO TO THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE THE INSURANCE COMPANIES BEHAVE THEMSELVES, DO AS THE PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR, TO MAKE THEM ....THE GOVERNMENT ALREADY TAKES FROM THE PEOPLE...EVERY DAY.....THE COUNTRY JUST HAS A BAD HABIT OF LETTING EVERYTHING GO, NOT DISCUSSING IT, LEAVING ALL THE DECISIONS UP TO THE GOVERNMENT...WHILE WORKING 10, 12, 14, 16, HOURS A DAY......SLEEPING 5, 6, MAYBE 7 HOURS, AND DOING ALL THE OTHER JOBS AT HOME.......ONE SUBJECT CANNOT BE SPOKEN ABOUT ON A TV SHOW....FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR WHAT IS GOING ON....TO CHANGE....PEOPLE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE TOWN MEETINGS....AND TALK ABOUT ALL THE SUBJECTS....SEE...HOW ONE TIES INTO THE OTHER...HOW ONE IS HIDDEN BY ANOTHER.....HOW ONE IS NOT ALL THERE....AMERICA NEEDS TO TAKE THE TIME.....

I am from BC, Canada and I have never had a problem with Health Care. If you make under $28,000 a year your health care is free. The highest that you have to pay per month (depending on how much you make ) is $54.00. 2 years ago my step dad contracted a virus that attacked hs heart. He is 44 years old. He works out everyday, never smoked, barely drinks and eats very healthy. Very healthy person. FOr 2 years his heart got worse, and worse. In February the doctor told him his heart would not last more than 3 weeks. This is after being in the hospital over and over again. Which he never got 1 bill for. The doctor told him they were putting him on the heart transplant list. He got a heart in 2 weeks. He had the surgery and is making a wonderful recovery. The medication he has to take everyday is huge and EXTREMELY expensive. He did not have to pay 1 cent for the surgery or to stay in the hospital for almost a month and that medication is totally covered. Some of it he has to take for the rest of his life. Not all stories have a happy ending like this but us as Canadians don't have to worry about money when something happens to us and we need to go to the hospital. IF my parents were to have to pay for that surgery and all the other costs that came with it. Either he would have died or they would be forever in debt. 1 bottle of bills he has to take everyday has a $1300 dollar price tag on it. Thats just 1 of the 7. That is a huge stress that we don't have to worry about.

I live in Canada, and I love my healthcare system. I can go in the hospital and have a baby, stitches, operations.... without the worry of whether or not I will be asked to leave because I can't, or my insurance will not cover it.

It has been mentioned that there are incredible wait times in the ER. If you have a heart attack, stroke or other life threatening illness or perceived life threatening illness, you DO NOT wait! I gladly let those in life threatening situations, go before me. That is the nature of our social healthcare system. We care for those in the most need.

It saddens me that in the United States, medicine is just another way to make money. Amercians love their country and fight for it, but they had better die in that fight because the cost of being injured is too great. Government should return the loyalty. Take care of your people, because they love you. They have a right to be healthy and safe.

I really think it doesn`t matter who you are or how much money you have, or where you live, everyone should receive the same health care.

Here in Canada i found are health care plan is pretty good but i am so afraid sometime that it would come like in the United State. That alone would make me sick.

Its bad enought that we have to take a morgage to send are childrens to college or University, my son just finish 2 years of college.

My daughter is starting her third years of University, she wants her PHD so she`s got 8 years all together to do.and i dont even think will be able to afford it. i`m kind of glad i only have 2 childrens that`s so sad to say,i dont want to have to say honney i`m sorry but we got no more money for your school, But we still have to eat and pay the bill.

Only the rich will be able to afford school even though my daughter is probably smarter then there children.

Dear Oprah Show:

My emotions took me off guard as I watched today's Oprah show. As a typical Canadian I am not prone to spontaneous bouts of national pride and found myself surprised by the tears that welled up in response to the question: "Should the gas attendant's child receive the same medical care as the investment banker's child?" I cried as I realized that if I was asked that question in your studio audience, I could, with very few exceptions, answer an emphatic "yes" on behalf of my entire country.

Though I echo the post below from a concerned Canadian health care
recipient, my main concern is not with the imperfections of systems but more the fundamental beliefs that underly a
nation's desire to improve their particular system. No
matter what problems our current system encounters--and there are
many--my wishes to improve our system intrinsically remain within the
realm of the state-run system. Governments are entities subject to considerably more regulation. Accountability through regulation, coupled with the additional threat of removal through the electoral process provides much more security to the Canadian health care recipient.

I know the above statement might sound ignorant and naive to a population that supposedly "hates" its government. However, I hear there's an opportunity coming up for "y'all" to change that

Sincerely,

Sheri

I am a mother of a 23 year old daughter who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in January of this year. I live just outside Ottawa, Ontario in Canada. She had just graduated the April before from University. She worked all through school and for 6 months after graduation. She decided to go to Europe and she ended up coming home after only a couple of weeks overseas-due to unforseen circumstances. We now realize what a blessing it was that she was home when she got sick.

We live in country where health care is a right and not something based on your income. My daughter had no healthplan, as she had no job. She was not covered under our plan since she was over 21 and not in school. She was covered for basic care by our provincial plan, that every person is covered by. She had MRI's, Bonescans, Catscans, she saw neurosurgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, neurologists and many other specialists in a matter of less than 2 weeks. She was started on chemo, while they were doing all the tests and she ended up before the first treatment was finished, in the hospital and we were told she probably would only live for a couple of weeks. Well she is still here and the treatment has worked but I have to tell you that we realize that if we lived in the U.S. that she would be dead and we would have been broke.

She only had to pay $2.00 whenever she got a prescription and she paid nothing for her chemo drugs. There was a new anti-nausea drug that wasn't covered by our provincial plan but she was covered by a special plan for people that don't have the money to pay for it.

We have never had to wait for a test or for an appointment with any of our specialists. I do know that it happens in our country that people wait too long sometimes but I also know that if someone needed bone marrow transplant they WOULD not have to wait because of money.

I believe that everyone should have healthcare no matter what their income is. I also believe that if someone has money and doesn't want to wait the time for an MRI that they should be able to go and pay for one at a private clinic or go to the US or out of province and pay to have one.

I know that our system isn't perfect but I also know that while I sat at the hospital with my daughter for over 6 rounds of chemo and 30 sessions of radiations. I sat with people off the street and with lawyers, professionals, retired people and some of them came from money and some definitely struggled with money but I can guarantee you that they all received the same medical care.

I think that the States would benefit with a healthcare plan for everyone. I know I am thankful that I live in Canada because I would not have my daughter here with me now if I didn't.

I would just like to say that the professor on the the show mentioned for in or around 9 months finance of the irak war...... or 30 billion a year given to medical study for the purpose of reseach......So 3.3 Years of research budget....however the government wants to budget or justify it,... The American government, could set up a basic plan more or less for 100 billion dollars.... and everyone would have atleast basic coverage or more??? Come ON...............I find it hard to believe that the amount of money we all pay in taxes means very little to nothing...Its just part and parcel and this coverage does not exist... how do they get away with this?

How can this not be set up already by the government in this day and age????

How can anyone be denied life saving medicine or surgery..so an organization will profit.......?

Like the doctor said every claim they recieve is money...no matter what.... to deny it is part of the job and makes money .....That lady has guts......to be so candid..But she speaks the truth!.... Scary......Someones doctor...all our doctors????wow

I am shocked and saddened ...yet hopeful because people like michael moore and operah have power and influence to stand up and say lets change these ways..... and people...{powerful organizations} will listen.........Thank you to all the people in this world with a mind of their own.that use it!...strength, courage and heart for our fellow man will change ignorance in people and make it a better world for our kids. Keep trying to be better for others people............And always speak up for important causes!

....All we have discovered and made reality in just the last 100 years ....This should not be a hard goal to manage for this country.

The corporations: insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and suppliers, might help by responsibly monitoring the costs to our healthcare providers.

If the insurer approves $15.00 for a pair of rubber gloves, the vendor takes as much profit as possible, the hospital charges the full allowed fee, and then they pass that cost on to the patient. A $1.25 pair of gloves just became $15 plus processing labor.

No one has the power to change this except the government, by enforcing monitoring systems and standards. Everyone is trying to survive against the corporations.

Locally, a group of doctors invested to build a free-standing facility which would provide services at a reasonable cost, along with pharmacy and urgent care, with profits going back to the facility and to the doctors instead of corporate overhead.

A competitive major hospital approached them with a choice: forced boyout or the chain would open a competitive facility next door and force them out of business.

The doctors now work for the corporation and lost their investments. They lost, we lost.

When reading the replies from all my fellow Canadians, I am mostly pleased at what I see. I love being a Canadian, as well as a "Maritimer" from Nova Scotia. I am 22 years old, and after watching today's Oprah show, my heart goes out to all the Americans who are suffering from their poor health care system. Many people view America as the most powerful country in the world, yet many "poorer" countries live healthier lives, and provide their citizens with better heathcare. What kind of message is that giving people?

I know that I have traveled to the U.S a few times, and every time we go, other than our now required passport, the #1 thing we make sure we have is our travel insurance card, because we know if we ever broke an arm in America, we would have to wait until we got back home to Canada to have it x-rayed and casted unless we wanted to owe a couple thousand dollars!
My fiance's sister was intending to go with us to the U.S once year, and actually feared doing so, because she was 8 1/2 months pregnant, and knew if she went into labour there, she could have never afforded the bill.

I admit, as Michael Moore stated on today's show, many Canadians do have longer wait times to see specialists, but when it comes to life or death situations, there is no wait. I have had many experiences with Canadian healthcare myself, and it has always been great. I had a reptured appendix at the age of 13, and I am obviously still here, due to the quick reactions of the surgeons. I also experienced heart palpitations for the first time a few months ago, and not knowing what it was, got quickly driven to the hospital in Lunenburg, N.S
This hospital is on the verge of closing due to lack of staff, but as soon as I went in and said the word "chest pain" I was undressed and lying hooked to an EKG faster than I could even blink. There were 2 nurses working that night. The doctor was called in, and within 20 minutes, I was given a clean bill of heath and sent home by the doctor.

God bless Canada, and god bless you Americans, who deserve better than what you are being dealt. Rich, poor or in between, we are all people and we are all the same inside. There should be no such thing as DISCIMINATION BASED ON INCOME.

Your neighbor to the north,

Sandy