Jun 13, 2007 2:56 am US/Eastern
Michael Moore Premieres 'SiCKO' In Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CBS News) ―
The California Nurses Association and state lawmakers brought filmmaker Michael Moore to Sacramento Tuesday to premiere his new movie "SiCKO" and to rally support for a universal healthcare bill making its way through the Capitol.
Sacramento will host one of only four premieres of Moore's new documentary "SiCKO", a tongue-in-cheek criticism of healthcare in America.
"SiCKO" which opens on June 29 is already creating a stir and has prompted a federal investigation.
Moore says his criticism of the Bush administration may have prompted the federal probe into his trip to Cuba for his health care documentary. He says the government may try to confiscate part of that film.
Moore says the group went to Cuba only after failing to gain admittance to the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay - where, he claims, al Qaeda suspects receive better medical care than millions of Americans.
Attorney David Boies says in his letter to a Treasury Department division that Moore may have been targeted because of his harsh indictment of President Bush in such works as "Fahrenheit 9/11."
Boies is requesting information on who participated in making the decision to send Moore a letter saying he was under investigation for possible violations of the US trade embargo restricting travel to Cuba.
Moore went to Cuba in March to obtain health care for three ailing 9-11 rescue workers. He claims in "SiCKO" that the U.S. government had left the workers to fend for themselves against ailments that resulted from their work at ground zero.
The Cuba segment of the film has drawn most of the attention, but occupies relatively little screen time. Much of "SiCKO" consists of moving testimony from Americans who have suffered at the hands of insurance companies, drug firms and HMOs. That includes a mother whose daughter died because the nearest hospital could not treat her, and a man who was told the cost of reattaching his two severed fingers would be $60,000 for the middle finger and $12,000 for the ring finger.
Several interview subjects died before the film was completed.
"It was pretty somber working on this film," Moore said. "We just kept thinking, the only reason this person is dying is because they hold American citizenship. If they lived in Canada or Britain or France, they'd have a chance."
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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