TL: How should journalists be covering this middle and last phase of the campaign?
WP: They should be looking at what insurers, drug companies, and organized medicine said during earlier reform efforts, and then report on how well they’ve delivered on those promises. Instead of just reporting costs estimates from the Congressional Budget Office about how much a certain plan will cost taxpayers, which is easy to do, they should write investigative and analytical pieces on the costs to society and the economy if reform is not enacted. Is reform an expense we can’t afford, or an investment we can’t afford not to make? What is the ROI—the return on investment?
Dear Trudy:
I posted extensive excerpts of this over at Kos. I cite you in opening sentence and include lots of links to your original along with exhortations to "read Trudy Lieberman's piece in full" and "give her the traffic.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/24/746491/-Former-Health-Insurance-Company-Flack-Tells-All
But it is lengthy excerpt and probably in violation of fair use... unless it is okay with you...? I will delete if you want me to.
Posted by Dr.SteveB on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 08:19 PM
I came over from dkos.
Thank oyu for this article.
I hope some journalists read it!!
Posted by quadmom on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 09:05 PM
Truly eye-opening!
Posted by Bill T on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 09:14 PM
Thanks for this. You asked all the questions I wanted to ask.
Posted by laura on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 09:26 PM
My plea to the President:
"Please, President Obama, interview Mr. Potter yourself on nation TV. After such an interview you would see public support for a vigorous public option explode and all your troubles passing meaningful reform melt like dew in a bright morning sun."
I just don't see why the President is not using his bully pulpit more vigorously in this regard.
Posted by Michael Murphy on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 09:26 PM
As someone priced out of a Cigna plan as I aged (and required more medical care), I can easily believe what he says.
My individual Cigna plan started at about $600 a month for the PPO, several years later and Cigna had rasied my rate to $1,000 a month for the HMO for just little ole me.
Why? Because they could, and yes, they finally priced me out of health insurance, and health care. I have six years to go to qualify for Medicare, and the possibility of a public option in health care.
That's it.
I have at least four more health insurance horror stories in my immediate family alone, including a stepbrother fired from his job after heart surgery. Later he was told in confidence that the insurance company had pressured his work to "fire the heart patient" -- or lose coverage for that small business, entirely.
Posted by Judy Brown on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 09:52 PM
Thank you for helping to expose the corruption of the health insurance industry, while our democratic senators are doing everything in their power to conceal it.
Posted by obsessed on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 10:09 PM
I came over from DKos as well, following the link in Dr.SteveB's diary.
Thank you for this interview! It's really quite amazing how the lust for money can drive out every other value. Thanks to Wendell Potter for breaking away from the industry & having the courage to speak out.
Posted by Positronicus on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 10:21 PM
Thanks for this. I'm sending the link to everyone I know
Posted by Lindy on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 10:26 PM
Thanks Trudy for this excellent reporting. I will be following your blog... Link came from Kos.
This is vital info. Also, have you read the book by David Berardinelli about the casualty insurance industry?
"From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves: the Dark Side of the Insurance Industry"... focusing on Allstate, among others.
It is EXCELLENT reading.. really required.. about the orchestrated plan to move $$ from policy holders to shareholders... all laid out in a McKinsey Co. Power Point presentation.
Here's a link talking about the book:
http://www.adlergiersch.com/personal-injury-articles/personal-injury-articles/from-good-hands-to-boxing-gloves-the-dark-side-of-insurance
Posted by caril on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 10:28 PM
i came over from dkos, as well. thank you so much for this terrific journalism. they should have you on the Newshour!
Posted by polar bear on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 10:34 PM
Thank you Trudy L. for this article; I found the link on DKos and will be recommending to friends and family that they come here to read the full interview.
Posted by Sheila Newbery on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 10:37 PM
Trudy,
Thank you for this informative interview ... I've sent the link on to my network. It is important that this type of information is part of the reform discussion
Posted by joyous on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 10:47 PM
I'm another kos visitor. Excellent piece. Do journalists read the CJR much these days?
Posted by lakeside on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 10:56 PM
I popped over here from kos. It really frustrates me how many elected officials vote based on who funds their campaigns. It's all about power for them instead of what is best for the people who elect them. We really need to publicize which congressional people are getting money from the insurance, pharma industries. We also need more in the media who will investigate on their own and not repeat 'talking points' given to them.
Posted by Renie on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 11:07 PM
Dear Trudy,
Came over at the behest of DrSteveB from DailyKos... and I would like to thank you for this article.. Glory Glory Hallelujah I hope Americans push reform down the throats of those corporate puppets, oft times referred to as "Congress". They better get on our side or they will have NO side at all.
Posted by DMcCoy on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 11:18 PM
Thanks to you Trudy and to Mr. Potter for exposing the scam private health insurance is! Now if ABC and NBC and CBS will cover this!
Posted by Sue, RN on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 11:27 PM
I am over from dKos, a nurse with adult kids.
U.S. heatlh care for-profit system stinks. Health, and health care are different from marketing and selling widgets, or investment advice, or just about anything else in the free market. For each decision, for each account, every single one, people live and die by the decisions made in boardrooms, and on the advice of actuaries.
HEALTH CARE IS DIFFERENT, AND NEEDS A DIFFERENT SYSTEM THAN GARDEN VARIETY WIDGETS AND SERVICES, A DIFFERENT SYSTEM THAN THE FOR-PROFIT FREE MARKET SYSTEM.
Posted by PMA on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 11:30 PM
thanks, trudy, great article. am forwarding to my sister who worked for insurance companies prior to having a baby. she will concur on all points i expect.
should mention that i found my way here through dkos and drsteveb's diary.
Posted by sharon aka conchita on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 11:37 PM
Trudy, excellent article and it couldn't be more explicit in what journalists should be doing on this important issue. We'll see.
Came to you from DKos.
Posted by Bekah on Wed 24 Jun 2009 at 11:55 PM
I am a journalist, came here directly from DrSteveB's DKos diary, & also posted a link to this article with a group of fellow professional writers... I am delighted to see this discussion since, as an individual policy holder for 30+ years, I directly experienced much of what Potter described. I had to drop my individual coverage this past March due to its expense (over $800 for my policy&meds per month - w/a $2000 deductible) but I'm lucky enough to be age 65 in July. Medicare, here I come... with arms wide open.
My hope is that US citizens of every age will finally begin to have some secure health care options - starting with the 2009 Health Care legislation. But it won't be easy.
Posted by Lynwaz on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 12:31 AM
Outstanding article. I followed the link from Dailykos, too, and will look for your byline in the future. Thank you.
Posted by catherder on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 01:16 AM
Great interview, Trudy (came over from Kos). Sent link to Rachel Maddow with suggestion she get you and/or Wendell Potter on her show. This is major insight that needs to be broadcast wide for general public to understand what we're up against in this "healthcare reform" jazz. Major media won't touch it. Rachel's the gal to break the spell on the TV machine.
Reminds me of "The Insider" about Jeffrey Wigand, the whistle-blower on cigarettes.
Posted by Dissenta on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 02:12 AM
Thanks for this interview with Potter. Truth is good medicine! It seems the MSM would rather report on the most superficial, pre-packaged aspects of the health-care reform battle -- which the insurance industrial complex is especially good at providing. There should be a lot more emphasis given to the impact of the corporate profit motive on the health and lives of everyday Americans. Sending the link to your series to my local McClatchy rag.
Posted by CMYK on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 03:58 AM
I am DKOS # 7630 - my wife was fired in January 2009 from her 20 person unit BECAUSE she had Health Insurance! Two women were let go that day - the only two who had Health Insurance from her employer.
Posted by sen. bob on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 07:42 AM
I followed the link over from DKOS to read your article. Thank you for showing a new perspective on the health insurance industry.
Posted by dfwmom on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 08:36 AM
Trudy,
Thanks for this great interview. I came from DKos to give you props. Keep up the excellent investigative reporting!
Posted by majii on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 08:37 AM
Never would have found this without Dr.SteveB's DK link. Thanks. I'm tweeting the link!
Posted by Aaron Roland, M.D. on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 09:32 AM
another kos reader - great job, and thank you for the trutch. Here's hoping that Maddow (or at least Jon Stewart) pick you up....
Posted by anne on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 10:18 AM
I also came over from dKos.
Great job on a critical issue.
Thanks!
Posted by Fran on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 10:26 AM
Another kos reader who followed the link to read the whole article.
Thank You!
Although, reading it has made me ill! :-(
Posted by Jim on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 10:57 AM
Another dKos migrant. Excellent, enlightening and enraging interview...thank you and I, too, will continue to watch. Dissenta above had a good idea...get this series into Rachel's hands!
Posted by Heather in SFBay on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 11:45 AM
Another who was steered here by the Kos link - chiming in just so you know the benefit of the linkage.
Posted by Jay on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 12:36 PM
I followed one of DrSteveB's links from DailyKos to your article. Great article!!
Posted by cowalker on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 12:59 PM
"TL: How should journalists be covering this middle and last phase of the campaign?
WP: They should be looking at what insurers, drug companies, and organized medicine said during earlier reform efforts, and then report on how well they’ve delivered on those promises. Instead of just reporting costs estimates from the Congressional Budget Office about how much a certain plan will cost taxpayers, which is easy to do, they should write investigative and analytical pieces on the costs to society and the economy if reform is not enacted. Is reform an expense we can’t afford, or an investment we can’t afford not to make? What is the ROI—the return on investment? "
Let's not kid ourselves: Journalists will write what their bosses PAY them to write, and the corporate media stands to lose tens of billions in ad revenue should true health care reform ever become reality. The journalists of the corporate media have a vested interest in the Status Quo, and those of us on the side of reform should rightfully see them as enemies rather than allies in the fight.
Posted by drewfromct on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 01:31 PM
Thank you for this interview. I've wondered why so many newspapers and news organizations didn't dig into these insurance-practice issues--for example, after the instances presented in "Sicko." That seemed an easy introduction, but not much resulted, although the PBS programs NOW and Bill Moyers Journal did some in-depth looks.
Posted by SB on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 01:37 PM
Your interview with Mr. Potter is very informative. Unfortunately, it confirms the worst fears implicit in what a person can deduce from profit motive and "free market" philosophy.
You've done a great service at a critical time. Thank you.
Posted by Jim Hill on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 01:52 PM
Trudy, thank you for this excellent piece of journalism.
Posted by Latham Stack on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 02:12 PM
Also a dkos blogger. Thank you for this eye opening interview similar to the one in Sicko. The insurance companies are engaging in extortion and these practices should be illegal. I heard Dr. Potter on the Thom Hartman show this morning. He was talking about how he would be flying in luxury around the country in corporate jets eating gourmet meals served on gold plated china and gold plated sliver by flight attendants. He as fully aware that his lavish lifestyle was being funded by us poor suckers/consumers--paying huge premiums only to get dropped whenever we become a liability due to the misfortune of getting sick. After witnessing the immensity of the health care catastrophe -- all those people needing basic services, his revelation turned him into an advocate for healthcare for all. Great reporting!
Posted by Resa Harrison on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 02:15 PM
Very informative article. Came from dkos also to read entire article. Will send a link to others i know. Thank you!
Posted by SA on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 03:02 PM
Thank you Trudy - I came over from DKos.
I also went to Center for Media and Democracy and thanked him for his courage. I share a common employer. Need I say more?
Posted by leighkidd on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 07:13 PM
Came over from Kos too. Great piece; great questions! thanks.
Posted by tolfoster on Thu 25 Jun 2009 at 10:17 PM
Congratulations. Great incisive questions and cheers to Mr. Potter for spelling it out.
Heres another topic, "the myth of HIT (health information technology) and electronic medical records as a panacea"
Posted by Dr. wilbur larch on Fri 26 Jun 2009 at 01:25 AM
This is an excellent piece. Very VERY good. Thank you for doing it. It's critical that those in Washington making the speedy decisions right now read this - and fast.
Posted by JoeG on Fri 26 Jun 2009 at 02:31 AM
I know this is a lot to ask, but it would be great to know specifics about what this guy did, such has who his media lackeys were, which politicians were most responsive to large donations, examples of his communications, etc. These kinds of things would provide real insight into how the industry operates.
It's very easy for Mr. Potter to say that he never knowingly provided inaccurate information and to speak generally about what techniques he thinks that the industry will use in the current debate, but much more difficult for him to incriminate himself.
Posted by RichardR on Mon 29 Jun 2009 at 03:21 AM
Mr. Potter's underlying point has been mostly missed by posters: our elected reps, employed by us to serve our best interests, do not, in fact, serve the best interest of the people. They fail, time and again, and most people blame someone else rather than hold their own rep accountable. They keep electing him/her because they get a birthday card, or because the rep says nice words at a local fundraiser at the local VFW hall, and kisses their kids. Pity us! We have only ourselves to blame. We shall continue to get what we elect!
Posted by DMatthews on Mon 29 Jun 2009 at 08:54 PM
Agreed, DMatthews. I am continually appalled at what I am not hearing in the reform debate, and that is insurance reform.
Although it's hard to get accurate figures (or straight answers) from insurance companies, best estimates are that only about 25 cents of the health care dollar actually go to health care. That's ridiculous. But it's easy to see why they (insurance companies) are so invested in the status quo.
Will a free market work? Maybe--if we go back to cash and barter, and leave third--and fourth--parties out of it.
Posted by IntransigentDoc on Tue 7 Jul 2009 at 01:38 AM
Great reporting. Thank you. And, perhaps we viewers owe you more for Bill Moyers featuring Wendell Potter tonight. It confirms what we all know implicitly from dealing with insurance companies when they scam you.
Posted by Becky Mouse on Fri 10 Jul 2009 at 11:54 PM
What I am not hearing is a discussion of how lawyers and over the top lawsuits have driven up the cost of health care and have also driven out providers that got tired of paying extortionist fees for insurance to protect them from the sharks of the legal system.
Posted by jack nunes on Tue 11 Aug 2009 at 01:50 AM
Great job indeed.
@Jack Nunes
No doubt that's a real factor, but not the whole story by a long shot. I submit the following fascinating report written in The New Yorker on the root causes of skyrocketing healthcare costs. The author, a surgeon, makes a strong case for the excessive focus on the overly corporate worldview of the healthcare industry being the biggest villain in this national tragedy.
The Cost Conundrum
What a Texas town can teach us about health care.
by Atul Gawande
June 1, 2009
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande
Posted by svend on Thu 13 Aug 2009 at 10:36 AM
You probably got my point, but I meant to write:
"The author, a surgeon, makes a strong case for the excessive focus on profits and the narrow corporate worldview of the healthcare industry being the biggest villains in this national tragedy."
Again, wonderful work.
Tx.
Posted by svend on Thu 13 Aug 2009 at 10:45 AM