Sicko Page #12

and sailed into Guantanamo Bay.

As we approached the line in the water

beteen the American and Cuban side.

We were told to be careful for mines.

Permission to enter.

I have three 9/11 rescue workers.

They need some medical attention.

These are 9/11 rescue workers!

They just want some medical attention!

The same kind that al-Qaida is getting.

They don't want any more than

you're giving the evildoers, just the same!

Hello.

No one in the guard tower was

responding and then we heard a siren.

We figured it was time

to get out of here.

But what was I supposed to do with these

sick people and no one to help them?

I mean. Here we were stuck in some

godforsaken Third World country.

And communists. No less. When I was

a kid. These people wanted to kill us.

What was I supposed to do?

(# "I'll See You in C-U-B-A"

by the Austin Lounge Lizards)

Excuse me, we're looking for a doctor.

Is there a doctor here in Cuba?

Any doctors?

All in this one block?

All right, thank you very much.

Thank you.

(Moore) OK. OK. I know what you're

thinking. Cuba is where Lucifer lives.

The worse place on Earth.

The most evil nation ever created.

How do we know that? 'Cause that's

what we've been told for over 45 years.

A series of offensive missile sites

can be none other

than to provide a nuclear strike capability

against the western hemisphere.

I'm not gonna yield until Fidel Castro

allows freedom on the island.

That's a...

You can count on it.

Put it in the bank.

(Moore) It seems that

what really bugged us about Castro

was that he overthrew

the dictator that we liked.

And replaced him with a guy

we didn't like - himself.

And so now. After all these years.

One thing is clear -

the Cuban people

have free universal healthcare.

They've become known as having not

only one of the best healthcare systems.

But as being one of the most generous

countries in providing doctors

and medical equipment

to Third World countries.

In the US. Healthcare costs

run nearly $ 7.000 per person.

But in Cuba. They spend only $ 251.

And yet the Cubans are able to have

a lower infant mortality rate than the US.

A longer average life span

than the United States.

They believe in preventive medicine.

And it seems like there's a doctor

on every block.

Their only sin

when it comes to healthcare

seems to be

that they don't do it for a profit.

Anybody need medication right now

from the pharmacy?

- Are you the pharmacist?

- Yes.

Do you have this?

- Is this one similar to yours?

- (Reggie) Yeah. It's $120 in the US.

- This is $120 in the US?

- Yes.

- How much is that in American dollars?

- It's like five cents.

- Five cents?

- Yeah. More or less.

Thank you very much.

Muchas gracias.

$120 is a lot of money

when you get $1,000 in social security

disability and need one or two a month.

Five cents here?

It's like the biggest insult.

It just doesn't make any sense.

It doesn't make any sense.

I wanna fill a suitcase up

and go back home with it.

(Moore) I took my group

of sick Americans to a hospital

to see if they could get some care.

They didn't ask for money

or an insurance card.

Just their name...

and date of birth.

That was the entire intake session.

(Moore) Thank you very much

for doing this.

I asked them to give us

the same exact care

they give their fellow Cuban citizens.

No more. No less.

And that's what they did.

I'm Dr. Roque.

I'm an internal medicine specialist.

- John Graham.

- How are you feeling?

My lungs hurt. I have pain.

I get pretty severe nosebleeds at times.

I get terrible headaches in the night,

but I haven't been evaluated

for the sleep apnea for nine years.

- Yeah, I have...

- Many medications for lung problems.

Almost every medication

for lung problems, I've got.

After 9/11, things have happened,

my teeth started falling out.

Because of certain conditions,

I was grinding.

There's one test that they recommended

I take, it's about $5,000 to $ 7,000.

The dentist that I talked to,

it's like $15,000 or more.

It's two years I have no medical coverage,

so I can't go for the last part of the test.

It's OK, everything's gonna be OK.

Right?

Yes. I am so...

It's so hard for me to digest

somebody saying it's free.

Because 20 years of our lives

have been spent fighting.

So I am so grateful.

No, you don't need to say that.

- Thank you. Thank you.

- OK.

Come on, don't cry.

Everything's gonna be OK, right?

- Thank you.

- At least what we can do, right?

(Moore) Reggie was diagnosed with

pulmonary and bronchial problems.

The Cuban doctors gave her

a treatment plan to follow back home.

Along with some of those

five cent inhalers.

William Maher received a number

of treatments on his neck and his back.

Having ground down his teeth for

three years due to post-traumatic stress.

He left Cuba with a new set of teeth.

After a series of tests

on his heart. Lungs. Blood and stomach.

John now knew

what his ailments were.

He was given a strict plan to follow.

Plus a number of treatments

and was feeling better

than he had in years.

The Cuban doctors were able to take

Donna off five of her nine medications.

And with a correct diagnosis.

Gave her a treatment plan

to help her live a more normal life.

When firefighters

and paramedics in Havana

heard that the 911 rescue workers

were in town.

They invited them over

to one of their firehouses.

And so. On our last day there.

As we arrived. They stood at attention

because. They said.

They wanted to honor the heroes of 911.

S. Somos familia. Y los hermanos

que perdimos en las Torres Gemelas

se sinti en el mundo completo.

The brothers we lost on 9/11

was felt around the world.

- Mis hermanos.

- Mis hermanos.

Don't hesitate to hug a brother.

It's very important for them to wear

the SCBA so they don't end up like me.

- They're lungs.

- These tanks.

SCBA. Self-Contained

Breathing Apparatus.

Tenemos una reserva tambin en el carro.

Es un placer poder venir aqu.

Esto es lo nico

que tenemos nosotros. . .

F-F-F.

Three Fs.

(Moore) If this is what can happen

beteen supposed enemies.

If one enemy can hold out his hand

and offer to heal.

Then what else is possible?

That's when I heard

that the man who runs the biggest

anti-Michael Moore website

on the internet

was going to have to shut it down.

He could no longer afford to keep it up

because his wife was ill

and they couldn't afford to pay

for her health insurance.

He was faced with a choice of either keep

attacking me or pay for his wife's health.

Fortunately. He chose his wife.

But something seemed wrong

about being forced into such a decision.

Why. In a free country. Shouldn't he

be able to have health insurance

and exercise his First Amendment right

to run me into the ground?

So I wrote a check for the $ 12.000

he needed to keep his wife insured

and in treatment.

And sent it to him anonymously.

His wife got better

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote