An expose of bad businesses and their unethical practices

Sicko, the recent film by Michael Moore, has a bit to teach us about business ethics. Whether or not you agree with his conclusions, it must be admitted that he is asking some valid questions. As it transpires, the American system of health care is among the most expensive in the world but it is not among the best. As a result, a lot of people are paying a lot of money for health care that would be substandard in much of the world.

In many ways, the villains in this story are the insurance companies and the profit motive. How much money should be taken as profit when the goal of an industry is health? Is any profit too much? Are our medical needs being served by the paradigm of health-care-for-profit?

These are all excellent questions, and they make for good entertainment. But underlying the oohs and ahs is a very basic ethical question: should the profit motive be a major part of the health care system? Is it ethical for corporations to profit from illness and death? The film answers with a resounding “No!” That is not surprising. What is surprising is the number of people that it has converted to that view. Perhaps our health care ethics are about to be reshaped by peer pressure.