Imagine losing half your finger in an accident and being asked to pay $16,000 to have it reattached. It's unfathomable.
Unless you live in America.
This is one of the horrific stories told in Micheal Moore's latest documentary Sicko.
Moore presents the US
healthcare system in a far worse state than commonly understood, and claims it is designed primarily to make a buck rather than provide treatment for those who need it.
If you can get past Moore's usual stunts and sardonic demeanour, this film exposes some facts that are indisputable and condemning, which no-one else has chosen to, or been able to, expose until now.
He advocates socialised healthcare, and visits France, the UK and Canada, to show how effective their systems are in comparison.
Typically there are many facts and arguments that are noticeably absent. This is a shame given that the admissions of
negligence by health insurance employees and medical practitioners support Moore's agenda.
His exaggeration of the perfection of other countries systems is unnecessary, but does provide some comic relief from the grim predicament for many Americans.
Despite its flaws, the flim's shortcomings are far outweighed by its telling of the story - one that the US healthcare industry was terrified would be revealed to a mass audience.
Love or hate Moore, see Sicko. If nothing else, it will make you feel very glad you're unlikely to ever get sick in the US.