John Q

John Q is a 2002 movie starring Denzel Washington as John Quincy Archibald, a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and then finds out he can not receive a transplant because insurance won't cover it.

Related Topics:
2002 - Denzel Washington - Heart - Transplant

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John is a factory worker in a mining town in Illinois. His income is $18,000 a year (this can be seen during the part of the movie where he fills out the medical form). His wife, Denise (Kimberly Elise) , works as a grocery store clerk.

Related Topics:
Illinois - Kimberly Elise

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On a Sunday afternoon, John's son Michael (Daniel E. Smith) is playing baseball with the local Little League. As he is running the bases, he suddenly collapses on the field. He is taken to (the fictional) Hope Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. It is discovered that he has fallen into heart failure; his blood pressure is 68/34. Dr. Raymond Turner, who is played by James Woods, is assigned as Michael's doctor. Dr. Turner explains to John and Denise that Michael's heart is useless; he will need a transplant, or else he will die.

Related Topics:
Sunday - Daniel E. Smith - Chicago, Illinois - Blood pressure - James Woods

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A transplant costs $250,000. Naturally, John and Denise cannot afford it. John's insurance plan has recently changed to an HMO. The representative from his union tells John that an HMO is a less expensive policy, but there are some restrictions, one being that there is a minimum catastrophic coverage payout limit of $20,000. Denise does not have any benefits from her job.

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John and Denise make every effort to raise the money. They must make a down payment of $75,000 in order to put Michael's name on the donor's list to receive a new heart. They liquidate everything they own, and hold fund raisers in their church. They contact Children's State Services and Medicaid to no avail. Denise is told that the hospital is going to release Michael, and his family will simply have to take him home and watch him die. John is livid.

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On the morning of Saturday, September 29, 2001, John enters the hospital with a gun hidden under his jacket. (The date of the incident is revealed on the fax machine in the hospital.) As he walks in, Dr. Turner is in the hallway, having a casual conversation with an ex-patient of his, a rich man who has just received a heart transplant. The family is overjoyed and jokes with Dr. Turner about the success of the operation, which drives John into a frenzy.

Related Topics:
Saturday - September 29 - 2001

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John asks Dr. Turner to enter the next room, where he points the gun at the physician's head and orders him to give his son a new heart. They enter the emergency room, and he holds the hospital at gunpoint, threatening to kill the hostages if his son does not get the operation.

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An ambulance arrives at the hospital, and the paramedics become aware of the situation, and they notify police. After a three-hour standoff, John eventually surrenders. However, there is still no heart available. He threatens to commit suicide, so his heart can be used to save his son. As he holds the gun to his own head, a woman is killed in a car accident miles away, who happens to have the same blood type as Michael. He is given the operation, and gratefully both father and son live, although John is sentenced to jail for three to five years for his criminal action.

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A protest against the policies and hidden procedures of many of today's insurance companies, John Q also stars James Woods, Anne Heche, Ray Liotta, and Robert Duvall, among others.

Related Topics:
James Woods - Anne Heche - Ray Liotta - Robert Duvall

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The movie was shot in Toronto, Canada.

Related Topics:
Toronto - Canada

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