Michael Moore Eyes Governor Bredesen's TennCare Axe

This is Day #3 of the occupation of the Governor’s office by the sick and disabled heroes, and their advocates, who are determined to stop Governor’s Bredesen’s TennCare axe.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore has taken note of the of the Governor’s TennCare axe and the efforts of its victims to disarm the Governor and save the lives of the countless Tennesseans who depend upon TennCare for their health and for their lives.

Moore has published a story about the struggle to save TennCare on his website and linked it to its source: Sharon Cobb’s blog. Sharon met with Moore last October and discussed her concerns about the state's health care system. Since then, Sharon has produced a provocative documentary about the Governor’s efforts to rob Tennesseans of health care coverage and about the fear and dread felt by those who will suffer at the hands of the Governor.

A copy of Sharon Cobb's documentary is in Michael Moore's hands.

It should come as no surprise that Moore is interested in the Governor’s plan to terminate health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of sick, disabled, elderly and poor Tennesseans. After all, the fearless political commentator is currently working on a film that looks at America’s health care system. According to Moore, the American system is “inferior to that of much poorer nations.” It is a system that “benefits the few at the expense of the many."

Numerous studies back up Moore’s assertion. The most common measures of the health of a nation, or the quality of a health care system, are infant mortality and life expectancy rates. On these measures, the U.S. does worse than many other nations, including the much poorer nation of Cuba.

According to one proposed scenario, Moore’s new documentary, Sicko, will end with “Moore sailing to Cuba with ailing Americans to take advantage of that country's free healthcare.”

Local activists wonder if Moore’s interest in the plight of the hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans who are about to suffer the excruciating pain of the Governor’s TennCare axe means the filmmaker is coming Tennessee.

Thanks to Governor Bredesen, Tennessee is a very good place to come if you’re looking for folks whose lives can be saved by making a trip to Cuba.