'Sicko' Raises Hope for a Cure

June 21, 2007 — -- The capital premiered Michael Moore's latest film, "Sicko," alongside fresh health-care reform legislation Wednesday in a uniquely D.C. blend of politics and entertainment.

Moore's latest documentary follows average Americans navigating the nation's health-care system and compares it to government-run programs in countries like France and Canada.

Ultimately, the film portrays the American health-care system as a broken one, arguing that the crisis affects not only the 47 million uninsured Americans, but also millions of premium-paying citizens struggling against bureaucratic red tape.

"Sickness doesn't know Democrat or Republican," Moore said on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon during a news conference where he touted the merits of a not-for-profit national health-care system enshrined in a bill introduced in 2003.

Moore joined Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who are co-sponsoring legislation that would create a comprehensive, publicly financed national health insurance program covering everything from dental to emergency care by the physician of the individual's choice.

"This is not a political issue," Moore said. "I can't imagine anyone that doesn't believe that every American has the human right that when they get sick they have the right to go to a doctor and not have to worry about whether or not they can afford it."

Critics have called "Sicko" the least agitprop of Moore's films.

In a written review, Fox News' Roger Friedman said, "This time around, the controversial documentarian seems to be letting the subject matter do the talking, and in the process shows a new maturity."

Still, no Republican Congress member was seen at the film's screening in Washington where six Democratic representatives made appearances, perhaps symbolically demonstrating the unlikelihood of a bipartisan partnership anytime soon.

Along with Kucinich and Conyers, political personalities in attendance included Reps. Corrine Brown, D-Fla.; Jane Harman, D-Calif.; Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.; and Bob Filner, D-Calif.

"I think the movie is going to rally public support for our bill. It is going to cause people to become aware of the level of suffering," Kucinich said in a Wednesday interview. "In a sense, it is a landmark in documentary filmmaking because it is going to mobilize public support for a change in our health-care system."

Kucinich's co-sponsored bill also aims to extend and improve Medicare coverage so that every person residing in or visiting the United States or a U.S. territory, regardless of legal status, would be eligible for unlimited health care.