Amazing Grace and Sicko

Last night I watched Sicko, Michael Moore's funny, disturbing, sad, important movie about the corrupt US healthcare system.

The facts which even CNN agrees are mostly accurate include:

• There are nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance.
• 18,000 Americans will die this year simply because they're uninsured.
• The US spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product on healthcare than any other country (nearly $7,000 per person).
• The US is ranked #37 as a health system by the WHO.
• The British, Canadians, and French all live longer than we do.
• There are four times as many health care lobbyists as there are members of Congress.

It's that final fact that makes hope hard. How do the people and their leaders find and trust the right information in such an environment? I'm not sure, but I'm glad Larry Lessig will be actively seeking a solution despite knowing the odds:

I do this with no illusions. I am 99.9% confident that the problem I turn to will continue to exist when this 10 year term is over. But the certainty of failure is sometimes a reason to try. That's true in this case.

I find that inspiring. I'm reminded of remembering Amazing Grace and Chuck after the fall of the wall. As grace reminds us, sometimes the lost are found.