Michael Moore. Most people either love him or hate him. But, whether you love him or hate him, or have no opinion about him, his latest documentary, Sicko, strikes a passionate chord with all Americans. Moore makes his point over and over again, using various scenarios inside and outside of the US, that healthcare is a right everywhere, it seems, except in the United States. On a rainy Fourth of July my husband and I grabbed the last two remaining seats in a theatre in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The packed theatre spoke to the gravity of the topic to its viewers. The clapping and cheering of the crowd to a non-responsive movie screen, at the end of the film, represented the passion of nearly everyone in that room about healthcare in the United States. And, as is usually true with any rally, we rally when we are faced with something bad, something negative, something we are unhappy about. Therein, lies the upside of bad things. In this case, the upside of Sicko and the American healthcare system was that it brought people together and will continue to bring people together to share the fight against a common enemy: the unjust, uncaring healthcare system in the United States.

After seeing the movie, the question we should all have is, “now what?” Unlike Al Gore’s Live Earth event, Moore does not leave us with any suggestions for how you and I can make a difference. Al Gore asked us to sign a commitment to a greener earth. He asked each of the over 2 billion viewers to do one thing to help make the earth greener: drive a hybrid vehicle, use corn-based E85 fuel or solar heat. Michael leaves us, in some cases, angrier about US healthcare than when we entered the theatre, but with no suggestions for how we, as individual Americans, can make a difference. Making a difference, isn’t this, after all, the American way? We pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and figure it out. Perhaps, this is just a difference in style between two very different people. Al Gore, who spent his life in politics, knows that the best way to move the government may be to move everyone around it. Michael Moore, on the other hand is there to shock the conscious of the American public, and, hopefully, the government, by showing us what we already know. Both causes are noble. They are both deserving of our attention.

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Sure, we all inherently believe that healthcare is or should be a right. No matter, in the US, the answer to the question, “is healthcare a right?”, depends on two things: first, who you are and second, whether you have completed the appropriate paperwork. In the US, our government only guarantees healthcare insurance benefits to certain classes of the population, namely the poor and the elderly. So one way to look at expanding the right to healthcare is to determine if more of us can be covered under Federal Government sponsored insurances. Here's who covers what. Medicare covers those who meet one of the following criteria:

1. Over the age of 64
2. On disability
3. Diagnosed with Renal Failure/ESRD and certain other diseases
4. A child of a disabled parent

In addition to economically needed, 35 states have Medicaid programs that provide coverage to additional groups. These are:

1. Pregnant women through a 60 day post-partum period
2. Children under age 18
3. Blind persons
4. Children under age 21 who are full time students
5. Caretaker relatives (relatives/legal guardians who live with and take care of children)
6. Women with breast or cervical cancer
7. Patients with tuberculosis
8. Individuals in need of long term care

It is important and helpful to have copies of all of your medical records for any visits you have had with healthcare providers. The records however, do not come to you, you must initiate the process. Some of the most frequently asked questions regarding requests for information listed below, may help you in this process

Who is authorized to sign to release of my medical record/health information?

The following people are authorized to sign for release of your health information:

• The patient


• Power of attorney if the patient is unable to sign


• Parent, if the patient is younger than age 18


• Parent and minor if the patient is 12 to 17 years of age and receiving psychiatric, alcohol, or drug treatment services


• Legal guardian


• Representative of the estate for deceased patients

• There is no charge for releasing copies of health information directly to other healthcare providers.


• Patients will be charged a fee for copies of their health information.


• To reduce the cost, patients should consider requesting specific information rather than a complete record.


• The fee for patients to access copies of their health information will be specific to each provider.

HRSA is the Health Resources and Services Administration. They are an agency of the Federal Government. The Federal government provides nationwide free-clinic care through the Health Services Resource Administration (http://ask.hrsa.gov/pc/ ). The locations for each of these clinics can be found at the link and most provide Primary Medical, Obstetrical and Gynecological, Dental, Mental Health and Substance Abuse services through the clinics. Many physicians who finish their residencies and have large loans to pay back will work for HRSA Clinics for a period of time and in addition to a salary, the Federal government will pay off all or a large portion of their medical school loan. So, in general, you will receive good quality care from well trained physicians at the HSRA clinics. To meet the Federal government’s definition of a clinic, the facility must meet the following test of physician participation: The medical services of the clinic are provided by a group of three or more physicians practicing medicine together; and a physician is present in the clinic at all times during hours of operation to perform medical services.