A Segment of Money Driven Medicine will be shown in the Washington DC Area 1/28/09

If you live in or near Washington, D.C., Alex Gibney, director of "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" and "Taxi to the Dark Side, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2007, has produced a  90 minute documentary of my book, Money Driven Medicine. 

 

Alex is in the process of  finishing the film and is showing a piece of it at the "Families USA Conference, Health Action 2009" tomorrow evening Wed, January 28 in Washington D.C.  You do not have to be registered for the conference to attend this event. The conference is hosting an opening reception that begins at 7 p.m. The film will be shown at 8 p.m. at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. (1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW) along with another short film about a woman who has breast cancer.  

Comments

[Gail Nowacky]

Please let us know when it airs on PBS!!

[Maggie Mahar]

Darrell, Martha, Larry and
BBK--

Thank you very much for the kind remarks.

If you(or anyone else) is interested in showing the film, or getting DVDs, please e-mail me at Mahar@tcf.org.

It will be easier for me to keep a complete list if everyone makes contact there.

Alex Gibney made this film--and I'm helping. Neither of us is doing this to make money, but to get the word our there. (I'm sure Alex hopes to --and no doubt will--pay back the people who financed the film.

But I'm quite sure that he didn't decide to make a film of my book because he saw a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Nor do I. But the film might become part of the mix in the national debate on healthcare reform. This is our goal.

If you have seen any of Alex Gibney's films ("Smartest Guys in the Room," "Taxi to the Dark Side," which won best documentary in the 1997 Academy Award), you know that he makes movies that are riveting, and can make you laugh and cry.

That he could do that with my book- (Money-Driven Medicine) is extraordinary.

The book combines anecdotes with ideas and numbers, but Alex has taken it to another level- -taking it beyond words to visual images, fleshing the book out in spoken words and music.

Granted, there are things that a book can do that a film cannot do. But there are also many things that a film can do that a book cannot.

I have always been a writer, but I also have always loved films.

[BBK]

I echo the previous . . . would love a post on your thoughts regarding the stimulus's health impact

[Larry Kalb]

Maggie,

Please count me in on screenings in Washington State.

Wall Street Medicine is the number one driver in health care inflation.

When will DVDs be available for purchase?

Bellingham, WA

[Martha]

I am delighted that there is a documentary of this excellent book. Everywhere I look there are news stories confirming the truths in that book. I am also delighted that it is being shown on my birthday! (1/28), and wish I could be there. Please keep us posted on any screenings in the NYC area. Also, if a DVD comes available I would love to know about it. I don't know if I have the juice to sponser a screening but I would love to spread the word.

By the way, Maggie,what do you think of the stimulous package idea of offering Medicaid to anyone who is collecting unemployment?

[Darrell Wells]

Would like to learn more about arranging screenings and ALSO about purchasing DVD. 90 Minutes is a bit long for some meetings but would like to use with local health care coalitions and, perhsps, for employee orientations.

[Maggie Mahar]

Lisa & BBK

Lisa-- thanks!

BBK-- Yes I'm sure we can arrange something --please
e-mail me at mahar@tcf.org
thanks, Maggie

[Lisa Lindell]

Good luck tonight, Maggie...and congratulations. I'm sure we can do a screening here in Houston, will let you know.

[BBK]

I am a 2nd year med student down at NYU and coordinator of the Patient Advocacy Group here. We have allocated funds for dinner meetings/movie screenings in which 10-30 med students show . . . any chance of snagging a copy to show our student body?
Thanks again

[Maggie Mahar]

Dr, Rick--

Thanks very much.

You --and other HealthBat readrs--could help by sponsoring screening where you live.

Alex Gibney is an incredible film-maker and the film is riveting

If at all possble, I, and/or the director (Andy Fredericks) and/or
Alex Gibney would come to a screening..

We wouldn't be charging you for the film--so the screening would be free.

Alex Ginbey just wants to get the film out there, to as many people as possible, so that when it airs on television people will have heard about it and will see it-- not just because they happened to be watching HBO, PBS or whatever that evening, but because they acutally had heard about the film and had marked it on their calendar to see.

Anyone who wants to sponsor a screeing, please let me know at Mahar@tcf.rog.

These days, Alex tells me, people are having documentary parties in their homes.

The films also oould be shown at Medical Schools--perhaps as part of a course. (I find that med students are particularly interested in learning more about what's going on in our medical system, the problems, what they can do.

Hospitals, health advocacy groups, physician groups might want to do a screening. . .

I'll do everything I can to help. My goal is simply to get the information--and the knowledge-- out there.

[Dr. Rick Lippin]

Maggie

My heartfelt congratulations to you and gratitude to Alex Gibney

Moving your messages into other media like movies etc is important!

Let me know how/if I can help?

Rick Lippin

[Maggie Mahar]

BBK--

Thank you for the kind words about the book.

Spending three years writing a book is rather like throwing a note in a bottle into the sea--you really don't know if any will read it.

I can't tell you how good it is to know that the book is still finding readers three years after it came out.

There definitely will be one or more screenings in N.Y. --and in other cities.

I'll continue to keep HealthBeat readers informed in the "updates "
that you receive by e-mail as well as on the blog.

Ultimately the film will be on television (and available on DVD) but first, the producer wants to show it in places that will create interest . . .
healthcare conferences, film festivals . . . .

[BBK]

I would love to see this film, having just finished your book (found it well prepared and informative!) . . . any way to view this in the NYC area?