Michael Moore’s documentary about the American health care non-system, “Sicko,” was barely into the theaters before some of our journalist brethren began an effort, with the silent thanks of insurance companies, to talk us out of the notion of universal, publicly financed heath care.

For example, the Washington Post/CNN Media Critic Howard Kurtz, who keeps reminding me he’s no A.J. Liebling, told his television audience on June 24 that Moore is “pushing government-run health care which no presidential candidate supports.” Well, for one thing, so what? Does the idea have merit and is it worth examining? Maybe it’s worth supporting.

But the fact is that Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich, of Ohio, though not a leading contender, supports H.R. 676, the U.S. National Health Insurance Act. Sponsored by Rep. John Conyers and 75 colleagues, and hundreds of labor organizations, it would provide Medicare for every American.

On the June 22 CBS Evening News reporter Jeff Greenfield’s critical commentary on “Sicko” suggested that “Americans are just different,” and not apt to support a publicly financed government run health care system. Never mind that government-run Medicare is one of the most popular government programs among all Americans. Said Greenfield (while Kucinich’s face appeared on the screen with Moore), “no one, Democrat or Republican has come close to advocating the kind of government run national health system Michael Moore proposes.”

If you don’t count Kucinich (and why shouldn’t you?), at the recent Democratic forum on health care in Las Vegas, every candidate advocated some form of universal health care with some part–or all–paid for by taxpayers. John Edwards was the first to propose a universal system with a combination of public and private financing; every other candidate followed. Sen. Hillary Clinton has been the most reluctant to commit to Medicare for All, but her position is evolving. Most prominently, Sen. Barack Obama’s far-reaching public-private proposal, which is mostly public, is close to that of Yale’s Jacob S. Hacker, whose plan is called “Health Care For America.” And Hacker, among other advocates, has endorsed Obama’s plan.

Greenfield might have mentioned that none of the Republicans support even the concept of Universal Health Care and most have supported Bush administration actions to undermine Medicare. But had they done some basic reporting Greenfield and Kurtz and other “Sicko” critics would have come across broad support for the message of “Sicko”: that private health insurance doesn’t serve the sick. Aside from Hacker’s work, Jonathan Cohn’s book, “Sick,” former HMO head Dr. Robert Gumbiner’s, “Curing Our Sick Health Care System,” and Dr. Marcia Angell have carefully documented the sickness of the American health care system and the possible cures.

“Sicko” is a powerful pice of journalism that puts pundits to shame. Why aren’t these reporters doing some reporting? Do Greenfield and Kurtz know of the Physicians for National Health and the fact that thousands of the nation’s doctors support a government-run health care system. Have they investigated the broad array of organizations, including businesses that are beginning to favor universal government sponsored health care?

And who says Americans are different and won’t support such a system? A May Opinion Research poll for CNN found that 64 percent of respondents said the government should provide a national health insurance program for all Americans even if it would require higher taxes. Another survey for Catholic Healthcare West found 72 percent agreed that “the time has come for universal health care,” and 63 percent agreed with the statement that “we need universal health care in America, even if it means increasing taxes.”

I have written extensively about this issue for Newsday, which is why I’m critical of experts who know not whereof they speak. Perhaps they’ll take a moment from their Paris Hilton coverage to read the Conyers bill. It has more support than you’d expect. And the generous wages and insurance packages folks like Kurtz and Greenfield have, which influence their thinking, may not be as safe as they think. Ask Michael Moore.