Before Michael Moore's documentary "SiCKO" hit movie theaters across the world, Stuart Browning, director of Freemarketcure.com films, had released a few short films himself on the American and Canadian health care systems that counter Moore's pro-government health care reform argument.
Now, Browning wants people to see the other side of the ongoing American health care system debate.
"These videos deal with rationing and healthcare shortages in the single payer health care system in Canada and are a counterweight to the propaganda of Michael Moore's "SICKO," says Browning.
Browning says his films target not only the American people, but also Moore's recent documentary.
Moore's film documents Americans who are insured, but who struggle to pay the high costs of treatment not covered by insurance companies. He cites the British, Canadian, French and Cuban health care systems as superior to the Americans system.
Moore makes the argument that U.S. insurance companies are a major stumbling block for patients receiving the treatment that is needed.
But, Browning says the film is propaganda and does not tell the other side of the story, which is more complicated than the picture Moore paints.
"A lot of people are intellectually shut down when they hear claims from people like Michael Moore," says Browning.
Browning says he hopes his website can play a major role in giving people the other side of the story.
The website currently plays three films–"The Lemon," "Brain Surgery" and "Two Women"–that reveal some of the problems that arise in the Canadian health care system, says Browning.
"Two Women" argues that although Canadian citizens are guaranteed free health care, it may take years to have an operation.
In the film, a Canadian woman suffers with a dysfunctional bladder which causes pain and sickness. She was told by Canadian health care physicians that she needed an operation that would implant a small device in the bladder to heal the pain.
To her amazement, the physicians also said it might take 3 years to have the operation done because the Canadian health care system only did 12 such operations a year, and she was number 32 on the waiting list.
"This is caused by rationing and the films also show that in a politicized system. It is not always the people's health that is the most important priority," says Browning.
Ultimately, the woman had to have her bladder removed due to severe pain and sickness.
