Not only does "Sicko" claim that there is an obvious answer to the issues of our health care system, but it fails to address the problems of the universal system which it praises. In this documentary, Michael Moore argues that a single-payer system would be the best solution to our health care problems. His film applauds the single-payer systems in countries such as Great Britain, France, Canada, and Cuba, but it ignores the major issues of these systems. 
   Moore fails to address the many health care-related problems in the countries that have socialized medicine. He does not mention the failure of the French System in 2003, when a major heat wave contributed to the deaths of over 13,000 people. Mr. Moore also ignores the fact that many patients with potentially life-threatening medical complications are sometimes forced to wait months before they can get treatment in a universal health care system. According to John Carvel of The Guardian, government statistics show that one in eight patients are forced to wait over a year for surgery in Great Britain. (The Guardian) A similar problem in Canada has compelled many Canadians to come to the US for surgery, since Canadians are not allowed to pay out-of-pocket for medical services covered by the universal system. In Canada, long waits for treatment are directly related to the shortage of doctors and limited use of new medical technology. According to the International Policy Network and Galen Institute, doctors in Canada are paid, on average, about 42% of the salaries of American doctors. (Galen)
   Despite the lessons that the US can learn from these universal systems, socialized medicine cannot be glorified as "utopian." Even Canada's Supreme Court has admitted to the problems of its own system. In 2005, Canada's Supreme Court ruled in a historic case that "access to a waiting list is not the same thing as access to health care." In a documentary praising the reofrm of health care in countries such as Canada, Mr. Moore conveniently fails to mention a major ruling in one of his praised systems. While Mr. Moore's documentary is noteworthy for its ability to stir the American public on the issue of health care reform, his documentary is largely a glossed over interpretation of the system.