Bill Moyers conducted an interview with a man by the name of Wendell Potter who, for 15 years rose to be the head of corporate communications for Cigna—one of the nations largest and most successful health insurance companies.
Mr. Potter recently left Cigna after a distinguished career there after having had a crisis of conscience. He no longer felt that what he was doing was the right thing and set out to let Americans know about how the industry really works.
The interview is eye-opening and, frankly, jarring in its frankness. You can find it here but note that it’s over 30 minutes long:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/watch.html
Much of what he said didn’t come as a surprise to me as I’d been experience some of what he mentioned. For example, he finds the argument that government-run healthcare would come between you and your doctor to be a questionable one. Why? Because, as he clearly points out, that your employer or insurance provider are the ones that are far more likely to make changes in your current plan or provider that will force you to see a new doctor. I’ve had this happen several times in my career as my employer shuffled from one plan to the next trying to stay ahead of costs on their end.
Do watch it if you get the opporunity.
