From Wendell Potter (formerly of CIGNA), an apology for destroyed lives

By NYCeve (Eve Gittelson)

Wendell Potter spent most of his professional life spinning tales on behalf of his employer, the health insurance giant, CIGNA.

Several years ago, Mr. Potter had an epiphany, and left this massive killing denial machine. Now he works for the Center for Media and Democracy and has become an outspoken advocate for healthcare reform.

Mr. Potter is not a garden variety advocate. By speaking out, and subjecting the industry to the withering scrutiny of an insider, he provides the most intimate look yet of for-profit insurance which is at the epicenter of the U.S. healthcare system.

As you listen to this courageous man, remember that denial of healthcare, denial of claims, denial of benefits, and denial of service, is critical to maintaining a robust bottom line. This is what Wall Street investors demand, and it’s the glue which binds together our for-profit system.

Potter’s recent blog post on the Center for Media and Democracy web site, seems to me, to be among the most profound indictments I’ve seen of the for-profit insurance industry. Yet despite reform, it will remain at the center of the revamped U.S. healthcare system.

You need to wonder about our dysfunctional political system, and the corrupting influence of money in politics when you read stuff like this. Recognize that a day after we have “reform”, the American people will still be in the death grip of this industry.

Even with a public option, for-profit insurance stays in place.

I would like to begin by apologizing to all of you for the role I played 15 years ago in cheating you out of a reformed health care system. Had it not been for greedy insurance companies and other special interests, and their army of lobbyists and spin-doctors like I used to be, we wouldn’t be here today.

I’m ashamed that I let myself get caught up in deceitful and dishonest PR campaigns that worked so well, hundreds of thousands of our citizens have died, and millions of others have lost their homes and been forced into bankruptcy, so that a very few corporate executives and their Wall Street masters could become obscenely rich.

The political class has been well briefed by Mr. Potter and others. Yet despite his dire warnings about the egregious behavior of his former employer, our government continues to center reform around this discredited industry. Indeed, the individual mandate will amount to a government sanctioned transfer of American wealth, from middle class families to the pockets of for-profit insurers.

Mr. Potter warns, but those we elect to do our business, ignore him.

But It was only during the last few years of my career that I came to realize the full scope of the harm my colleagues and I had caused, and the lengths that insurance companies will go to increase their profits at the expense of working families.

As I told the Senate Commerce Committee two months ago, the higher up the corporate ladder I climbed, the more I could see how insurance companies confuse their customers and dump the sick – all so they can satisfy those Wall Street masters.

I described for the senators how insurers make promises they have no intention of keeping, how they flout regulations designed to protect consumers, and how they make it nearly impossible to understand — or even to obtain - information consumers need.

I also told the Committee how the industry has conducted duplicitous and well-financed PR and lobbying campaigns every time Congress has tried to reform our health care system - and how its current behind-scenes-efforts may well shape reform in a way that benefits Wall Street far more than average Americans.

As we head to the final rounds of this historic struggle, the end game, if you will in the battle for healthcare, keep Wendell Potter’s admonitions square in your mind. When you hear elected officials talk about “death panels”, also remember these are talking points manufactured and distributed by the well-oiled PR spin meisters hired to replace Mr. Potter.

The status quo stays in place as long as the insurance industry is able to distract the attention of the American people from the urgent realities facing the country. Tragically, the media has been a willing enabler.

“Video Wallpaper”

The eruption of anger at town-hall meetings on health care, while real and palpable, became an endless loop on television. The louder the voices, the fiercer the confrontation, the more it became video wallpaper, obscuring the substantive arguments in favor of what producers love most: conflict.

As a postscript, I should add that I’ll be interviewing Wendell Potter on Thursday, when I attend Congressman Bill Pascrell’s town hall in Montclair New Jersey.

4 comments

pinsocal on September 03, 2009 at 9:08 PM says:

as i watched the dems lose control of their town hall meetings, i thought about cleaning the mucked-up message, then weaving the strands into a narrative that people could recognize.

1. if you lived out your life expectancy [avg 77.8 years for americans], what would be your chances of getting cancer [excluding skin cancer]?

*if a male, your chances would be 1 in 2, or 50-50
*if a female, your chances would be 1 in 3, or 30-70

2. now, how certain are you that your health insurance plan will............

*completely cover your cancer treatments
*partially cover your cancer treatments
*deny your treatment[s]
*drop you
*btw, do you have any idea how much cancer treatments cost? i do. i'm a cancer survivor.

3. do you have a back-up financial plan to pay for your treatments?

*digging into your personal or family wealth
*tapping your home equity
*selling your business / farm
*stealing from your children's college funds
*btw, do you know that a family declares personal bankruptcy every 30 secs b/c of insurmountable medical bills?

having woven the narrative from 'i like my plan' security to mild anxiety, i would hit them with the public option.

the public option is not taxpayer-funded: emphasize that the public option requires payment of premiums. the consumer, not the government, makes this choice.

the public option keeps quality high: a greater proportion goes directly to patient health care.

the public option is affordable b/c it drives costs down: not one dollar goes to shareholders [wall street investors] or high-salaried executives. the administrative costs [paper-pushing] should be similar to those of medicare, about 2-4%, whereas private health care plans range from 20% [hmo] to 40% [ppo and high-end].

nb: in the 'how bad it's gotten' category.........los angeles county has fewer hospital beds per capita than did new orleans during katrina.

i'm so glad that the obama admin finally got rid of the silo coalition. now we need to wonder if the wh has deleted the public option.

Pamela on September 05, 2009 at 9:11 PM says:

Pinsocal, I so agree with you. I wrote the White House today, pretty much declaring the same points.
WE NEED THE PUBLIC OPTION!
WHY ARE WE NOT MARCHING ON WASHINGTON!!!
I wrote Moveon.org about this very issue.
LET'S GET GOING!

Wendy Fleet on September 07, 2009 at 12:28 AM says:

I am devoted to the brave whistleblower Wendell Potter. I so long to get material like this to President Obama who has Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina whispering into his ear. (Messina was Max Baucus's Chief of Staff!)

Wendell's mind & heart were changed after he saw helpless & desperate sick people being treated in horse stalls at a fairgrounds at a RAM (Remote Access Medical, originally designed for 3rd world countries) in Virginia when he visited his brother in Tennessee nearby.

This shook him severely. But the final tipping point came when he was on Cigna's corporate jet being served luncheon on gold-rimmed plates with gold-plated forks and knives. Like an icepick in the eye, it struck him that these gold-rimmed plates and the luxury jet came out of premiums of people who were being rescinded or purged or ended up getting healthcare in horse stalls.

What courage it takes to actually give up a hugely lucrative job when you have a big mortgage and kids in college and all your friends are in 'the business.' Wendell is my hero. Wendell and Ed Schultz of The Ed Show ("I'm willing to lose friends over public option.") and Dr. Dean -- who should be writing Prez O's 09.09.09 speech: 2 sentences -- "I say, as LBJ did of Medicare, I will fight for public option as long as I have breath in my body." And "Let the Republicans filibluster."

And you, nyceve, who fight and fight.

Pamela on September 09, 2009 at 5:11 AM says:

This might not be concievable, but these insurance conglomerates ask people to pay outrageous premiums, to insure that they have coverage, then are often - denied coverage. All the while the insurance companies are squandering money they recieve from premiums for campaign contributions, ridiculous ceo salaries, golden parachutes, fabulous business retreats, lobbying, lobbying, lobbying. This money should go back into the pot to pay for peoples healthcare. Can't the people file a class action lawsuit against them for misuse of funds? They use weaker excuses than that, to deny coverage to their consumers.