The Truman Show: Different Perspectives On Health Care

1120 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The need for universal health care

Different Perspectives on Health Care While The Truman Show is a fiction, comedy film, it holds an important lesson for real life. The film follows Truman Burbank, who is unaware his “real” life is actually a television show influenced by a number of actors and people behind the scenes. Viewers are intrigued by this movie’s premise, but many people do not realize that real world systems operate behind the scenes in their own lives. Conflict theory discusses how conflict is inevitable and is a result of an imbalance in power and access to resources. Therefore, the people who have the power and assets remain firmly in control of others who are powerless and lack resources. This thought perspective, which began with Karl Marx, relates to countless …show more content…

Contradictory opinions occur because both countries’ systems have distinct similarities and differences. Both systems have a national basis, but Canada’s system, called Medicare, has a different healthcare plan for each individual province or territory whereas the American system has a single marketplace. Canadians do not pay premiums or co-payments unlike Americans, but they fund the healthcare system through taxes to the Canada Health Transfer (Government of Canada-(a), 2016). In fact, in the Huffington Post Canada, Nadeem Esmail (2013) states, “In 2013, a typical Canadian family of four can expect to pay $11,320 for public health care insurance.” This insurance coverage does not pay for preventive, mental health, or home-based care. Furthermore, supplemental insurance may be needed to pay for prescriptions. The ACA covers more services than the Canadian health groups, which are called ministries, and offers consumers more options for healthcare coverage. Medicare in Canada is the only primary insurance for citizens and residents, but an advantage of Medicare compared to ACA is that eligible individuals can apply for coverage at any time. Coverage is also transferrable to the other Canadian provinces and territories except for Quebec (Government of Canada-(a), 2016; Government of Canada-(b), 2016). Nonetheless, patients may have to wait weeks before obtaining specialty medical consultation and treatment, which may not be the most technologically advanced (Barua, 2015; Esmail, 2013). The ACA of the United States and the Medicare program of Canada align and diverge in different ways. Both Secretary Clinton and President-Elect Trump shared their vision for health care during the presidential race. While Mr. Trump won the election, the policies of both individuals would have their respective effects on current healthcare policies

Show More
Related

  • Universal Health Care in Canada

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    The health care system in Canada today is a combination of sources which depends on the services and the person being treated. 97% of Canadians are covered by Medicare which covers hospital and physician services. Medicare is funded at a governmental and provincial level. People of First Nation and Inuit descent are covered by the federal government. Members of the armed forces, veterans, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are also covered by the federal government. Several services such as dental care, residential care, and pharmaceutical are not covered. The 13 provinces have different approaches to health care; therefore, it is often said that Canada has 13 healthcare systems (Johnson & Stoskopf, 2010). The access to advanced medical technology and treatment, the cost of healthcare, and the overall health of Canadians fares well in comparison with other countries such as the United States.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Canada's Health Care System

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Canadian Dermatologist who once worked in the United States breaks down the pros and cons of Canada’s health care system and explains why he thinks the Canadian system is superior to America’s. Canada runs a single payer health care system, which means that health care is controlled by the government rather than private insurance companies. One of the main pros of the Canadian health care system is that everyone is insured. He says that in the province of Ontario, the Ministry of Health insures all of its citizens, all important health needs such as physician visits, home nursing and physical therapy are covered. Since every resident is covered under the government plan the problem of patients being turned away due to lacking medical coverage

    Read More

  • Conflict Theory and the Movie Glory Road

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Conflict theory starts by emphasizing that conflict within society is the normal way of life and that the changing aspects can be understood by identifying the sources of conflict and power. Conflict theory argues that society is thick with conflict and that society does not work within equality; inequalities are expected to exist such as the haves having more power than have-nots. The unequal scattering of resources creates a social arrangement or class structure, which designates social structure and influences the functioning of society. According to Steven Tepper, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Vanderbilt University, “Cultural conflict and moral regulation can serve to demarcate acceptable and unacceptable behavior, high- and low-status lifestyles, in- and outgroup membership, and reputable and disreputable values and beliefs” (Tepper 278).

    Read More

  • Canada Healthcare System vs. The United States Healthcare Systems

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    Neighboring countries, the United States and Canada, have close ties to one another, share the same language and have many of the same fundamental and religious beliefs. It is an interesting debt that provides a superior healthcare system. In order to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the two systems, this paper will review four important structural and functional elements of each system. 1. Who receives healthcare coverage?

    Read More

  • Truman's Artificial World

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Truman comes out of his house we realise that through the use of an extreme long shot and low angle shot that the houses are perfectly the same and white picket fences represent that we are in 1950’s America culture. The way that Truman dresses also indicates that he is of a middle class world. The most important feature about this film is that Truman does not know that he has been filmed and also is surrounded by actors who formulate the Truman Show. The thin...

    Read More

  • Examples Of Anti-Utopia In The Truman Show

    181 Words  | 1 Pages

    One of the most important elements to anti-utopia is the one individual who, over time, wakes up and starts to understand how he or she is being controlled. Despite their eventual epiphany, the main protagonist displays compliance to or even ignorance to their overseeing power in the outset of the narrative. Many readers may ask why the subject does not recognize the evident citizen suppression devised by the ruling body when there are many instances revealing it. In the film The Truman Show, one man, Truman Burbank, is the star of a television show that requires him to be ignorant to his entrapment in civil prison of a company-generated town. A character named Christof, the show’s director, was asked why the beautifully orchestrated plan had

    Read More

  • The Truman Show vs. the Giver

    1576 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the major differences between the film and the novel is the depiction of the delusional image of reality. However, it still manages to bring forth the dystopian image of both their Utopian societies. In The Truman Show, life is a real life play in an environment that provides comfortable lifestyle and happiness at the cost of reality. The producer of The Truman Show, Christof states, “We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented”. This message is the underlying theme in the story and as such, will foreshadow Truman’s acceptance of a delusional reality in the film. Meanwhile, in the film everyone except for Truman is acting and not living an authentic life. There is no sense of “real”; no real affinity, no secrecy, and no faith, all of which Truman is blindly unawar...

    Read More

  • Health Care Reform Implementation Of The State Of Ohio

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States (U.S.) has a health care system that is much different than any other health care system in the world (Nies & McEwen, 2015). It is frequently recognized as one with most recent technological inventions, but at the same time is often criticized for being overly expensive (Nies & McEwen, 2015). In 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.) This plan was implemented in an attempt to make preventative care more affordable and accessible for all uninsured Americans (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.). Under the law, the new Patient’s Bill of Rights gives consumers the power to be in charge of their health care choices. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d.).

    Read More

  • Canadas Health Care

    1240 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Canadian Alliance Party’s plan is to make several policy developments to benefit Canada’s health care. They believe it will serve the security and well-being of all Canadians. The last party involved in this issue is the NDP Party who indicate that they are fighting hard for a better health care system in our economy. The NDP Party states that the income of a family should not dictate the quality of health care. Canada’s health care system is gradually growing to be a major concern in today’s society, providing Canadians with the standard of care they deserve.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Existentialism In The Truman Show

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine what it would be like to live in a "Perfect" world. "The Truman Show" is a movie where Truman Burbank is born and raised in a television set. His family and friends are all actors. His life is all being controlled and directed by Christof. He is being recorded and watched by millions of people 24/7. This movie is also known to give examples of existentialism such as, existence precedes essence, Truman being given a purpose by Chirstof, , fear, Truman comes to the realization and goes mad, and freedom, when Truman makes his own decisions.

    Read More

  • The Truman Show Analysis

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Truman displays great zeal for life like a lunatic, but he discovers that his life was not real. He then goes on, with the same, undying fanaticism to investigate the living hell that was once his happy life. In his methods, he embodies the Socratic virtues of courage and temperance as he lunges forth like a great tiger somewhere in Africa. He then finds wisdom by realizing the truth, and deciding to leave the comfortable fake-world for the uncertain real world. The cast lacks the courage and the wisdom to tell Truman the truth, the director has all three but in all the wrong ways, and the audience lacks the wisdom to know that by not watching the show they free Truman, lacks the temperance for indulging on the show every day, and lacks the courage to do something more productive with their lives in the time they spend watching the Truman Show. The audience chooses to live in that world over their own, and some grow enough obsession to delude themselves by favoring Truman’s world and living as if they are on the

    Read More

  • Creation Myth In The Film 'The Truman Show'

    541 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Truman Show” directed by Peter Weir is a movie depicting Truman Burbank, the main character, played by Jim Carrey who does not realize his every move from birth is being captured by hidden cameras as part of a 24/7 television show. Christof, the creator of the show, literally controls Truman’s world and mind which essentially has given him a false sense of reality. “The Truman Show” is a creation myth. “Creation myths are stories about the creation or re-creation of the cosmos, the world, the gods, and man.” (Dr. Gill, Canvas) It will now be explained how “The Truman Show” resembles a creation myth.

    Read More

  • Essay On Canada Health

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Canadian healthcare system is a socialized system that offers universal coverage to all Canadians at a cost, it is not for free. It is publicly funded and administered on a provincial basis. This means that each province collects money for healthcare from taxes. On average, each Canadian pays about $6,000-$9,000 per year- which is not that much different from the American private healthcare. The federal government collects the taxes then distributes money to each province based on the needs. The major requirement of the Canada Health Act is that all provinces, which do get federal money to deliver healthcare, have transparency and accountability, be universal and portable. This means that a Canadian living in one province can move to another province and still have the same medical coverage. The type of medical services provided is left to each province. While most of the basic health care is covered, plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons and certain other rehabilitation services are not covered. It is important to know that in this system there are often very long delays to get surgery or to see

    Read More

  • Truman Show Mise En Scene Analysis

    1935 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thus, when he saw a light fall from the sky and he heard the director’s voice on the radio, Truman began to become suspicious. He remembered Lauren, an actress who had told him that it was just a TV show and so, he went to find her. He travelled across the sea, talked to Christof and then climbed a flight of stairs in the sky, escaping into the outside world. Unbeknownst to him, Truman Burbank's whole life has been the subject of a hugely popular 24-hour-per-day television show entitled “The Truman Show” (Propagandee, 2012).

    Read More

  • Criticism In The Truman Show By Peter Weir

    1656 Words  | 4 Pages

    What The Truman Show really questions is our control over our lives and identities. How do the messages from dominant entities (the media, Hollywood, trusted world leaders) affect our thoughts and how our identities are shaped? To what extend do they dictate what we do, how we live and how we interact with others? We may think we are in control, but how much of that control is a façade?

    Read More

More about The Truman Show: Different Perspectives On Health Care

Open Document