I logged on to make a satirical comment about how did this artist manage to take MY medical insurance paperwork this month and turn it into an exhibit?! (I haven’t been able to use my dining room table in forever!) Then I learned from your podcast that this art piece was Emily Barker’s medical bills!! Right on, Emily!
Michael, if you’re ever willing to do an experiment in which you pay for an appropriately-skilled accountant to do my medical billing for a few years, in order to get tangible evidence of the burden on people with chronic illness, I think it would make a huge point. Everyone in the system, from the insurance claims people to the provider billing people, is paid to shuffle the paper. But patients are not, and research shows a lot of complicated billing paperwork after care is bad for people’s health! It’s brutal on people with chronic illness to get the care they need to be more functional, only to use that functionality to handle the paperwork that care creates!
If you are further willing to pay for someone to help me scan in and organize/shred the paper records I have had to keep, it would further save my life and make the same statement. I tried doing this myself, and quickly became too depressed because of the sheer waste of life. I realized in that moment that my 10,000 hours was doing insurance paperwork I could not afford not to do. I haven’t tried to scan them since.
I promise that if you do this, I will pay the time forward to help others in a way that you can juxtapose against the horrendous burden of medical insurance paperwork — it truly is your money or your life.
I’m sorry for your troubles. I’ve seen a lot of it first hand.
I hope you pay your time forward regardless if someone helps you scan and shred your paperwork. Who knows, you’ll probably come across someone with access to a copier that can scan. Or take it to Kinkos or Iron Mountain to scan it and shred it.
My personal opinion is get rid of it. Throw it out. Or burn it. Identity thieves don’t usually target people of lesser means. But I can’t guarantee that.
It’s not worth holding on to. You said it yourself, research shows it’s a burden. Someone already produced a piece of art.
Thanks for your note! I always do pay my time forward, I just could do so much more if my time were my own. Like I would love to be able to have a real Christmas with my family for once instead of doing all this paperwork at the end of the year. I had a disaster loss, too--fire and casualty insurance can be just as bad--so doing this paperwork is more than just time consuming, it's emotionally difficult.
You’re welcome. Thank you for responding. You’ve lost a lot, and you’re frustrated. Sometimes insurance companies make the claims process easy, and other times not. I remember hearing of a good experience from someone and I tried to make a mental note to do business with that company. But I haven’t. Glad you make time for others. I’ll pray for you to receive relief.
My experience is that they don't make the claims process easy for people with chronic health problems or major casualty losses. If you haven't seen Michael's movie Sicko, it's still relevant. "Frustration" isn't really the word, it's more like what one feels after a repeated assault that no one will address or when you are subjected to your-money-or-you-life, literally, on an ongoing basis. Thanks for adding your voice to the chorus who have prayed over the decades, though, it couldn't hurt.
That was a superb review of CODA--I did say to my significant other it was so moving because it was totally authentic but you, Roger, put together how and why the authenticity worked. Of course the acting was brilliant too. That young woman has a star's journey ahead of her and I hope her "deaf family" does too!
This podcast episode kicked ass in so many ways, notably on the market economy and healthcare system as acts of violence. Thank you, Michael. You hooked me in the Nader 2000 campaign and I have never regretted that vote!
Me too! I saw it today in Gloucester MA with one of my best friends. We both bawled, not because it was sad, but because it was so beautifully moving. After the movie we took a scenic ride around Gloucester, such a beautiful place!
So looking forward to seeing CODA. I saw a terrific interview the other day with all the actors. So glad that they got well deserved Oscars.
I grew up in Gloucester and lived there from 1954-88 when the fishing industry was still going strong. My father worked on the waterfront. Many of my classmates were from fishing families. Some lost grandfathers, fathers, brothers, and uncles to the sea. It was always a difficult life but now with all the government regulations/quotas and the price of fuel it's barely worth it, but it's in their blood.
I will be seeing CODA this week at the
Peterborough Community Theater in Peterborough NH. It is the oldest movie theater in NH. opening in 1914.
I went through school with Capt. Billy Tyne, the captain of the Andrea Gail. I watched Perfect Storm at a theater. Several years later I tried to watch it on DVD. I could only watch up until they started to sink and had to turn it off. Too painful.
I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to cause pain. Yes, it’s a sad story. I wanted to visit Gloucester, and hopefully will someday. I drove through Massachusetts on a work run, but I was too insecure at the time to sightsee solo. I wanted to get some genuine chowder.
Gloucester was a wonderful place to grow up in. I was blessed. It's still a very special place, but very crowded. Tourism is the major industry now that fishing struggling.
You should check it out someday and smell the salt air and have some chowdah. Roy Moore's Lobster Shack on Bearskin Neck in Rockport has Lobster right off the boat.
Virgillio's Bakery on Main Street, in the west end of Gloucester has the best bread and Italian sandwiches. It's a short walk from the Fishermen's Statute and Stacy Boulevard. There are award winning gardens on the Boulevard too.
I'm going back in August for my 50th high school reunion.
FYI... the "high school" in CODA is not Gloucester High. It was filmed at a school in Beverly, MA.
Thank you for the tips! I’m writing them down in my journal. Enjoy your reunion! Our 20th was postponed permanently due to Covid. I live in Michigan. Consider viewing my Substack blog/ podcast. I give away stuff to subscribers!
Hi Michael, I too, just loved Coda. Had no expectations, but wanted to watch as many "best Pic" nominees as I could. I thought Belfast was good. I thought "Don't Look Up" was a spot on satire of our current state; politically and culturally, very frightening. Then I saw Coda and just loved every minute of it. Working class struggles; the deaf son who kept fighting for doing the right thing and not worrying about his deafness. "They need to understand us" I think he said. I watched it with my sister, and we were both in tears of love. Then I invited a neighbor who doesn't have Apple to watch it with me again. I hope it will go to Netflix if not the theaters; so many more people will watch it.
I have been a fan of yours since I bought a video copy of "Roger and Me" at a yard sale, in my progressive little neighborhood in Columbus Ohio. It's called Clintonville, of all things, but is an old hood in columbus with houses built in the late 1800s and then a lot in the 1920's 30's and on. Students who came from all over the country to go to Ohio state discovered this run down hood just north of the campus and started buying these grand old houses and rehabbing them, and have been here ever since
Hope to get to know you better. I have family connections in Flint, more in Traverse City and E Lansing and working class family who lived on Mackinac Island for years.I'm 67 and a widow, and a recently retired Psych nurse. Have been working on "Medicare for All" for years. Also close to the Somali population here in Cbus. and on the board for a non-profit. My late husband was one of the first Somalis in Columbus and was a community leader until he passed in 2010.
One benefit of the pandemic was that film festivals had to have virtual screenings. As a result, I got to see CODA when I "attended" Sundance last January. I loved it and posted about it on Facebook, saying I hope it would be picked up for theatrical release and everyone would have a chance to see it. When I saw it was going to be available on Apple TV and then some theaters, I again urged people to see it. All my friends and family know I have an annual goal to see all Oscar nominated films prior to the ceremony, and when asked what I thought should get best picture, I said CODA, although I didn't think it would (I assumed Power of the Dog would win). So I was delighted when it did, in fact, get the best picture award along with the others it won. I agree it is a wonderful film.
Thank's for the nano review of CODA. Will view ASAP. AND the head's up re: brilliant conceptual work at Whitney by Barker. Medicare For All Single Payer must be our future.
I could not believe my eyes--did not WANT to--when Chris Rock got smacked. Tears in my eyes; one thought in my mind: black on black violence here too! ( I live in Oakland, CA where that's a permanent media meme.) Chris' cool was INSPIRING. He's always been & will remain our Rock.
Thank you for your insights in this podcast, Michael. I never knew about the real danger you were in many moons ago during the academy awards..and the issue with security😔
I finally saw CODA last night. I was blown away. What an incredible movie. The acting was amazing. The scene where they were doing the duet at the Fall Concert and it went silent and the scene where she was auditioning and she started to sign to her parents where the most powerful for me.
Seeing the familiar places was fun too. As kids we used to jump off the rocks at the quarries. I lived across the street from the Railways in the late 70s-80s.
The thing is, he laughed at the joke! Then saw that his “love” was pissed and thinking he was being chivalrous went and slapped CR! What a fucking infant! I used to love WS! Won’t ever watch one of his movies again!
I logged on to make a satirical comment about how did this artist manage to take MY medical insurance paperwork this month and turn it into an exhibit?! (I haven’t been able to use my dining room table in forever!) Then I learned from your podcast that this art piece was Emily Barker’s medical bills!! Right on, Emily!
Michael, if you’re ever willing to do an experiment in which you pay for an appropriately-skilled accountant to do my medical billing for a few years, in order to get tangible evidence of the burden on people with chronic illness, I think it would make a huge point. Everyone in the system, from the insurance claims people to the provider billing people, is paid to shuffle the paper. But patients are not, and research shows a lot of complicated billing paperwork after care is bad for people’s health! It’s brutal on people with chronic illness to get the care they need to be more functional, only to use that functionality to handle the paperwork that care creates!
If you are further willing to pay for someone to help me scan in and organize/shred the paper records I have had to keep, it would further save my life and make the same statement. I tried doing this myself, and quickly became too depressed because of the sheer waste of life. I realized in that moment that my 10,000 hours was doing insurance paperwork I could not afford not to do. I haven’t tried to scan them since.
I promise that if you do this, I will pay the time forward to help others in a way that you can juxtapose against the horrendous burden of medical insurance paperwork — it truly is your money or your life.
I’m sorry for your troubles. I’ve seen a lot of it first hand.
I hope you pay your time forward regardless if someone helps you scan and shred your paperwork. Who knows, you’ll probably come across someone with access to a copier that can scan. Or take it to Kinkos or Iron Mountain to scan it and shred it.
My personal opinion is get rid of it. Throw it out. Or burn it. Identity thieves don’t usually target people of lesser means. But I can’t guarantee that.
It’s not worth holding on to. You said it yourself, research shows it’s a burden. Someone already produced a piece of art.
Best of luck.
" hope you pay your time forward regardless"
Thanks for your note! I always do pay my time forward, I just could do so much more if my time were my own. Like I would love to be able to have a real Christmas with my family for once instead of doing all this paperwork at the end of the year. I had a disaster loss, too--fire and casualty insurance can be just as bad--so doing this paperwork is more than just time consuming, it's emotionally difficult.
You’re welcome. Thank you for responding. You’ve lost a lot, and you’re frustrated. Sometimes insurance companies make the claims process easy, and other times not. I remember hearing of a good experience from someone and I tried to make a mental note to do business with that company. But I haven’t. Glad you make time for others. I’ll pray for you to receive relief.
My experience is that they don't make the claims process easy for people with chronic health problems or major casualty losses. If you haven't seen Michael's movie Sicko, it's still relevant. "Frustration" isn't really the word, it's more like what one feels after a repeated assault that no one will address or when you are subjected to your-money-or-you-life, literally, on an ongoing basis. Thanks for adding your voice to the chorus who have prayed over the decades, though, it couldn't hurt.
I hear you. There is quite a bit of assaults. I think Michael Moore in this podcast used the word “violence”. That’s an apt description.
Consider joining me at my discord server: https://discord.gg/dgu5JA4a
Or hopefully I’ll see you around here AJ.
😥
Good to hear your calm cool voice of reason, and recommendations I enjoyed the movie as well.
That was a superb review of CODA--I did say to my significant other it was so moving because it was totally authentic but you, Roger, put together how and why the authenticity worked. Of course the acting was brilliant too. That young woman has a star's journey ahead of her and I hope her "deaf family" does too!
This podcast episode kicked ass in so many ways, notably on the market economy and healthcare system as acts of violence. Thank you, Michael. You hooked me in the Nader 2000 campaign and I have never regretted that vote!
I was a blubbering mess at the end. Such a good movie. Amazing acting.
Me too! I saw it today in Gloucester MA with one of my best friends. We both bawled, not because it was sad, but because it was so beautifully moving. After the movie we took a scenic ride around Gloucester, such a beautiful place!
So looking forward to seeing CODA. I saw a terrific interview the other day with all the actors. So glad that they got well deserved Oscars.
I grew up in Gloucester and lived there from 1954-88 when the fishing industry was still going strong. My father worked on the waterfront. Many of my classmates were from fishing families. Some lost grandfathers, fathers, brothers, and uncles to the sea. It was always a difficult life but now with all the government regulations/quotas and the price of fuel it's barely worth it, but it's in their blood.
I will be seeing CODA this week at the
Peterborough Community Theater in Peterborough NH. It is the oldest movie theater in NH. opening in 1914.
Gloucester. They’re always from Gloucester” - From the film “Perfect Storm.”
I went through school with Capt. Billy Tyne, the captain of the Andrea Gail. I watched Perfect Storm at a theater. Several years later I tried to watch it on DVD. I could only watch up until they started to sink and had to turn it off. Too painful.
I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to cause pain. Yes, it’s a sad story. I wanted to visit Gloucester, and hopefully will someday. I drove through Massachusetts on a work run, but I was too insecure at the time to sightsee solo. I wanted to get some genuine chowder.
Gloucester was a wonderful place to grow up in. I was blessed. It's still a very special place, but very crowded. Tourism is the major industry now that fishing struggling.
You should check it out someday and smell the salt air and have some chowdah. Roy Moore's Lobster Shack on Bearskin Neck in Rockport has Lobster right off the boat.
Virgillio's Bakery on Main Street, in the west end of Gloucester has the best bread and Italian sandwiches. It's a short walk from the Fishermen's Statute and Stacy Boulevard. There are award winning gardens on the Boulevard too.
I'm going back in August for my 50th high school reunion.
FYI... the "high school" in CODA is not Gloucester High. It was filmed at a school in Beverly, MA.
Thank you for the tips! I’m writing them down in my journal. Enjoy your reunion! Our 20th was postponed permanently due to Covid. I live in Michigan. Consider viewing my Substack blog/ podcast. I give away stuff to subscribers!
https://dimeo.substack.com/p/god-guns-texas-and-bow-ties-god-how?s=w
Hi Michael, I too, just loved Coda. Had no expectations, but wanted to watch as many "best Pic" nominees as I could. I thought Belfast was good. I thought "Don't Look Up" was a spot on satire of our current state; politically and culturally, very frightening. Then I saw Coda and just loved every minute of it. Working class struggles; the deaf son who kept fighting for doing the right thing and not worrying about his deafness. "They need to understand us" I think he said. I watched it with my sister, and we were both in tears of love. Then I invited a neighbor who doesn't have Apple to watch it with me again. I hope it will go to Netflix if not the theaters; so many more people will watch it.
I have been a fan of yours since I bought a video copy of "Roger and Me" at a yard sale, in my progressive little neighborhood in Columbus Ohio. It's called Clintonville, of all things, but is an old hood in columbus with houses built in the late 1800s and then a lot in the 1920's 30's and on. Students who came from all over the country to go to Ohio state discovered this run down hood just north of the campus and started buying these grand old houses and rehabbing them, and have been here ever since
Hope to get to know you better. I have family connections in Flint, more in Traverse City and E Lansing and working class family who lived on Mackinac Island for years.I'm 67 and a widow, and a recently retired Psych nurse. Have been working on "Medicare for All" for years. Also close to the Somali population here in Cbus. and on the board for a non-profit. My late husband was one of the first Somalis in Columbus and was a community leader until he passed in 2010.
One benefit of the pandemic was that film festivals had to have virtual screenings. As a result, I got to see CODA when I "attended" Sundance last January. I loved it and posted about it on Facebook, saying I hope it would be picked up for theatrical release and everyone would have a chance to see it. When I saw it was going to be available on Apple TV and then some theaters, I again urged people to see it. All my friends and family know I have an annual goal to see all Oscar nominated films prior to the ceremony, and when asked what I thought should get best picture, I said CODA, although I didn't think it would (I assumed Power of the Dog would win). So I was delighted when it did, in fact, get the best picture award along with the others it won. I agree it is a wonderful film.
Hey Mr Moore, we met years ago eating chilling dogs, talking about George Bush, and. Massimo Cortese. Love all your work still, Rock on.
Good will out. It must. You help me to continue to hope for that, Michael.
Thank's for the nano review of CODA. Will view ASAP. AND the head's up re: brilliant conceptual work at Whitney by Barker. Medicare For All Single Payer must be our future.
I could not believe my eyes--did not WANT to--when Chris Rock got smacked. Tears in my eyes; one thought in my mind: black on black violence here too! ( I live in Oakland, CA where that's a permanent media meme.) Chris' cool was INSPIRING. He's always been & will remain our Rock.
Thank you for your insights in this podcast, Michael. I never knew about the real danger you were in many moons ago during the academy awards..and the issue with security😔
Classical Gas!!! My absolute favorite! My theme of 1968, an unbelievable year. Oh, the podcast was great too! :-)
Hope you all have a Happy Easter.
⚘️🐰🌷🐇🌺
I finally saw CODA last night. I was blown away. What an incredible movie. The acting was amazing. The scene where they were doing the duet at the Fall Concert and it went silent and the scene where she was auditioning and she started to sign to her parents where the most powerful for me.
Seeing the familiar places was fun too. As kids we used to jump off the rocks at the quarries. I lived across the street from the Railways in the late 70s-80s.
Well deserved Oscars.
The thing is, he laughed at the joke! Then saw that his “love” was pissed and thinking he was being chivalrous went and slapped CR! What a fucking infant! I used to love WS! Won’t ever watch one of his movies again!