‘Sicko’ and the Presidential Race

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: May 29, 2007
‘Sicko’ and the Race
By Katharine Q. Seelye

The presidential race was consumed last week with discussion of the immigration bill and financing of the Iraq war. This week, health care may take center stage, with Senator Barack Obama planning to release his long-awaited health care proposal today.

Mr. Obama, the Illinois Democrat, will unveil his plan in the first caucus state, Iowa, and will outline how he wants to reduce the costs of health care and expand coverage to more people. He has already said that he would pay for his proposals by repealing President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

The announcement comes amid growing buzz that Michael Moore’s film indictment of the health care industry, “Sicko,” could spill over to the presidential campaign and give even more visibility to a subject that tops Americans’ list of concerns, along with immigration and the war in Iraq. The film is set for release on June 29.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who is leading in the polls for the Democratic presidential nomination, is lavishly praised in the early part of the film for her advocacy of universal health care 14 years ago when she was first lady. But Mr. Moore goes on to criticize her as failing to follow through and points out that she is now one of the biggest recipients of money from the health-care industry.

In an address last week, Mrs. Clinton took on the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries and called for measures to reduce health care costs.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/sicko-and-the-race/