On D List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)


Damaged Care (2002)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 5/20

DamagedCa
5/20: Here's a film that touches an important topic: health care, and it's called Damaged Care.

The story is about Dr. Linda Peeno who decided to be a whistleblower against the American managed healthcare industry that's more interested in profits than saving lives through rubber-stamped denials. If it sounds like The Rainmaker, yep...it does, but this time, I'm able to see what's happening on the other side. Facing Congress on May 30, 1996, Dr. Peeno made a confession:

"In the spring of 1987, as a physician, I denied a man a necessary operation that would have saved his life and thus caused his death. No person and no group has held me accountable for this because, in fact, what I did was I saved the company a half a million dollars for this. And furthermore, this particular act secured my reputation as a good medical director, and it ensured my advancement in the health care industry—in little more than a year, I went from making a few hundred dollars per week to an annual six-figure income."

If it sounds compelling, the film is even more so. It's also personal because Dr. Peeno shares the story of what happened with her family, especially when she was cheated on by her husband in the midst of this. Despite all, Dr. Peeno is a hero by risking everything she worked for and went against the grain because it felt morally right. Her crusade is also an example why people shouldn't look at data only but go beyond them to understand the full story.

Had Damaged Care been theatrically released, Laura Dern would have received an Oscar nomination. It may be the best performance of her career that's both touching and believable. I've quit plenty of jobs that paid very good money because I didn't agree with a lot of things I witnessed. So, seeing her character resign from high level jobs in the name of principle is refreshing.

All in all, it's too bad that Damaged Care is an obscure movie because it does have a lot to say about corruption in the HMO system.