{{B}} What's Lacking in ' Sicko '?{{/B}}
When it comes to economic decisions, there are always trade-offs (取舍). Gain one thing and you lose something else. {{U}}(46) {{/U}}
The central argument of Michael Moore's movie "Sicko" - that the cure to the nation's health care problems is a single-payer system - is hardly novel and is certainly worth consideration, whether or not you agree with it. But in comparing the American system with single-payer plans of other countries - Britain, France, Canada and Cuba - Mr. Moore left out the trade-offs, characterizing those countries as health care paradises.
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Kurt Loder, the film critic who is best known as the anchor (主持人) of "MTV News," wrote a critique (批评) of the film for MTV's website. "'Sicko,'" he said, "does a real service" in portraying (描绘) victims of American insurance companies - like the people who died because their only treatment options were considered "experimental" and therefore not covered {{U}}(48) {{/U}}
When "governments attempt to regulate the balance between a limited supply of health care and an unlimited demand for it, they're inevitably forced to ration treatment," Mr. Loder asserted {{U}}(49) {{/U}} Mr. Loder cited the short film "Dead Meat," which presents anecdotes (轶事) of failure in the Canadian single-payer system. In its one-sidedness, "Dead Meat" might have made for a nice double feature with "Sicko," and left moviegoers with a more complete understanding of the complications of deciding on a health care system.
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This all makes an otherwise "emotionally compelling film not necessarily an intellectually satisfying one," wrote Darren Barefoot, a Canadian blogger (博客作者).
A Mr. Moore also decided to ignore problems in other countries, like France's high taxes and Britain's cash-short hospitals.
B But the film as a whole, he concluded, is "breathtakingly meretricious (似是而非的)," in large part because of its characterizations of other countries' health care
systems.
C The problems have been noticed - and criticism is coming not just from Mr. Moore's detractors (诋毁者).
D He ticked off a number of negative statistics to counter the positive ones offered by Mr. Moore.
E Health care is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness.
F This is particularly true in health care, a market in which scarce (稀罕的) goods are ridiculously expensive, but needed by everybody.