HMO's

Mike's Letter

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October 22nd, 1999 12:00 AM

Dear friends,

After paying a visit earlier this year to Humana HMO headquarters with a man who had been denied treatment and was dying, we at "The Awful Truth" have received a ton of mail from people who told us of their own encounters with our incredibly cruel health care industry.

The letters were powerful and moving. How could the quest for greed be this blatant to cause so much injury and death? Why is nothing being done about it?

We have decided to explore making a feature-length documentary on HMOs, for-profit hospitals, the pharmaceutical companies -- the whole damn mess. The number of people in this country who have NO health insurance just went up another ONE MILLION since last year -- to 44 million citizens who are just plain outta luck if they get sick.

Each of the presidential candidates are ducking the real issue. (Gore wants to "help the children." How sweet! There are 200 million people in this country who AREN'T children. Cut the crap!! Be a man!! Quit using the kids.)

We're over in Europe right now for the theatrical premiere of "The Big One", and I'll tell you, they think we Americans are a bunch of idiots and barbarians when it comes to taking care of our own people. They laugh at the depictions made by the U.S. health insurance companies of Europe's "socialized" health care. It's all such a crock; truth is, you get sick here in Europe, you get help. Now. Free. Period. The Europeans acknowledge that we are much more advanced with our facilities and treatments -- and that makes them only more mystified why, in a country so rich, we hoard the medicine for those with the bucks -- and let tens of millions suffer and die before their time.

So here's my request: We want to hear from those of you who have your own personal horror stories to tell when it comes to dealing with your HMOs, drug companies, hospitals, whatever. We don't have to use your name if you'd prefer. But we do want to hear from you. Give us the details, but keep it as brief as possible (you can imagine the volume of mail we expect to get from such an appeal). We can't promise to get you or your loved one the care you deserve, but we will try, as we did on "The Awful Truth," to help save a few lives by pressuring and humiliating these HMOs into doing the right thing.

Send your HMO/Pharmaceutical/Hospital/Medicare horror story (or how you have had to cope with illness if you have NO insurance) to:
Dogfilms@aol.com

ALL correspondence is CONFIDENTIAL and nothing will be used in the film without your written permission.

This is the first time we have embarked on a documentary through the Internet. The web allows us to find each other in a way never before possible. I sincerely hope, if you have been or are being harmed by our "health care" industry, that you send us an e-mail.

Thanks,

Michael Moore

P.S. Members of Mike's Militia: Every day there is a new internet guerilla mission on this website. Log on and raise a ruckus!

P.P.S. If you don't have time to catch the French premiere of "The Big One" and would like to own your own copy, click here.

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