Michael Moore Documentary Rattles Health-Care Giants
Trade Groups on the Defensive; Pharma Companies Allege Bias

By Rich Thomaselli

Published: August 21, 2006
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The health-care industry is worried sick over "Sicko."
Pharmaceutical companies have told their employees not to talk to documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, whose next project, 'Sicko,' looks at health care in the U.S.
Pharmaceutical companies have told their employees not to talk to documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, whose next project, 'Sicko,' looks at health care in the U.S.
Photo Credit: AP

Few details have emerged about the 2007 documentary from Michael Moore, the filmmaker who ripped apart Detroit automakers with "Roger and Me" and now has his sights set on the $1.5 trillion pharmaceutical and health-care industry. But it's still enough to mobilize health-care trade groups who are trying to discredit the film.

No balance from Moore
"A review of America's health-care system should be balanced, thoughtful and well-researched to pin down what works and what needs to be improved," said Ken Johnson, senior VP for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. "You won't get that from Michael Moore."

Added a spokesman for one of the top 10 pharma companies: "We expect it will be one-sided and biased, just like his other documentaries."

Several other pharmaceutical makers did not return calls for comment. But Pfizer, AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline all advised their employees last year not to speak to Mr. Moore when he began his research for "Sicko." It is not known whether any HMOs or drug companies will appear in the film.

"We were approached, but declined," said a spokeswoman for a second top-10 drugmaker. "Frankly, as much as we felt like we wanted to get our message across, in the end we didn't want to subject ourselves to the editing process."

More

I went to the doctor a couple of years back for pain relief for surgery; my stomach couldn't take any more regular over-the-counter painkillers. My regular doctor was on holiday so I wound up going to a local clinic.

The doctor recommended Vioxx. I declined; none of the stories about Vioxx had yet surfaced but I'm more comfortable with things that have been on the market a while. The doctor was very insistent, to the point of aggressiveness, and refused to prescribe anything else.

I thanked her and walked out empty-handed. I walked out of the clinic and down the hall. She ran down the hall after me calling my name. She pressed about eight boxes of Vioxx samples into my hands.

They sat on my shelf unused until Vioxx started making headlines a few months later.

Pharmaceutical Company Budgets: Advertising versus research spending

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I spent last Wednesday night in a hospital's Emegency Care facility. They gave me an intravenous with Gravol and Demerol. Took urine, blood tests, and x-rays. The following morning had an ultra sound that the specialist recommended which revealed a small kidney stone that will pass by itself. I was discharged in the morning, given a prescription for Tylenol 3 and told take it at night, they recommended Advil during the day along with Gravol. Cost to me was $13.66 for the 30 Tylenols because we don't have insurance for prescription drugs, plus the gasoline to drive to the hospital and back home.

I often wondered what an overnight stay would cost in the United States, including tests, treatment received and doctor's fees. We don't dare travel south of the border without out-of-province insurance to get us quickly back home. That's $277/year for both of us which we get through our bank. It pays US rates over what similar treatment would cost, emergency care and two tickets for aircraft travel. There is a provision in the policy for our vehicle to also be returned.

We know my ovarian cancer treatments in 1971 would have bankrupted us had we lived in the United States. Our government sponsored health care covered all the costs and allowed us to be contributors for the last 35 years instead of becoming societal financial burdens. After all this time, this still isn't a private insurer that would give me a policy for Cancer regardless of its location. Once you've contracted it, you become a pariah to the insurance industry.