Former health insurance executive to testify against industry

[DrToast]

Washington, DC – Wendell Potter, a former health insurance industry insider, will testify before the full Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday June 24, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. EST, exposing the health insurance industry’s resistance to needed health care reform.

Mr. Potter spent more than 20 years as a public relations executive for two large health insurers - CIGNA and Humana - but left the industry after witnessing practices he felt harmed American health care consumers. To him, there was a heart-breaking discrepancy between Americans struggling to find affordable, comprehensive coverage and wealthy insurance executives who based their premium charges – and coverage decisions – on profits rather than people’s health care needs. He has decided to come forward in the hopes of stopping the health insurance industry from once again derailing meaningful reform.

He will testify about how big, for-profit insurers have hijacked our health care system and turned it into a giant ATM for Wall Street investors and how the industry is using its massive wealth and influence to determine what is (and is not) included in the legislation currently before Congress.

WHO: Wendell Potter, Former Health Insurance Executive (CIGNA and HUMANA Inc.) and Senior Fellow on Health Care with the Center for Media and Democracy, exposing the industry and telling Congress, “Don’t buy the hype.”

WHAT: Hearing on “Consumer Choices and Transparency in the Health Insurance Industry,”
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation

WHEN: Wednesday June 24, 2009 Hearing Start Time: 2:30 pm Press Pre-Set Time: 1:45 pm

WHERE: Room 253, Russell Senate Office Building

http://www.prwatch.org/node/8425

Thank you, Mr. Potter. :toast:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

1. Fuck YEAH! I wonder how much play this will get on the nightly clown fest we call the news

in this country.

[PretzelWarrior]

2. this is promising. Obama waits while all sides shoot their wad

then he and his allies start stomping all over the usual suspects and pours gasoline onto their crumpled bodies and then lights the match. No more opposition.

He will clearly show the normal Washington doing their status quo bullshit so all Americans can see this is exactly what they'd get if the powers that be were left to their own devices. Then he gets them mad, and they start railing against insurance and congresspeople and will get behind the obvious need for serious health care reform.

Should be fun to watch.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

4. Careful, PW

That's "chess playing" thinking there!

;-)

[KansDem]

5. "...start stomping all over the usual suspects..."

...pours gasoline onto their crumpled bodies and then lights the match.

Man, I hope they have their insurance card, picture I.D., and co-pay!

[Proud Liberal Dem]

3. I hope he is getting special protection

:scared:

This should be VERY interesting and Michael Moore's "Sicko" should be required viewing for anybody participating in the formulation of a new system. Too bad Moore can't get some TV stations to broadcast it.

[JimWis]

6. Thanks for the heads up. This is good news.

[Cha]

7. Thank Goodness! Obama

was trying to explain patiently to the mediawhores today that maybe the Insurance companies weren't perfect and could try harder.

[truedelphi]

10. What a breakthrough. He might even end up

"Urging" the insurance fraudsters to please deliver decent health care.

Just as he urged the banksters not to take such huge bonuses (We saw how that played out.)

[Cha]

11. It is a breakthrough and I love

how Obama is handling it.

[truedelphi]

21. I reserve the right to withhold my LOVE for any and all politicians until

They actually bring about real reform of the Health Care situation in this nation.

So far, all Obama has done is to allocate the last penny on Main Street over to his buddy's on Wall Street. That onerous record colors most of my thinking about this man.

[DJ13]

8. No small planes, dont drive anywhere alone, keep doors locked

Keep safe.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. Wear helmet even when sleeping, hire food taster, buy carbon monxide detector,

borrow watchdog, have friends and relatives sleepover, twitter every other minute.

[JerseygirlCT]

12. Terrific! nt

[Flying Dream Blues]

13. Wow, one honest voice in the wildnerness....nt

[Uncle Joe]

14. Kicked and recommended with one quibble.

"Mr. Potter spent more than 20 years as a public relations executive for two large health insurers - CIGNA and Humana - but left the industry after witnessing practices he felt harmed American health care consumers."

We're not health care "consumers," we're patients, we're citizens, we're the the American People.

Mindless locusts are consumers, maybe thinking of patients, the American People or citizens as only being consumers is a natural psychological self defense mechanism required to stay in that business for 20 years, but I believe that kind of mentality has adverse effects not just in the field of health care, but in all facet of society even going so far as threatening humanity's existence because of consumption's preeminence even to that of life on Earth.

[DrToast]

15. What's your problem with consumers?

Are you suggesting you don't consume anything?

[Uncle Joe]

17. I believe words matter, they have power and I'm suggesting we're more than our act of consumption.

If consumption is all we're about then consuming less; to save humanity for future generations, ie; global warming climate change as just one example, is anathema to our conscious/subconscious label or mindset.

[grantcart]

16. I hope he has excellent life insurance

[angstlessk]

18. Is it going to be streamed, and if so WERE IS THE LINK?

I put that in caps for anyone searching for a link if one is provided..I went to the site and found no link, but I did respond to a freeper over there!

[angstlessk]

19. found the LIVE WEBCAST LINK TO THIS HEARING

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.LiveStream

has not begun yet, so I do hope it is live streamed!

[flpoljunkie]

20. The hearing has now begun.