Wendell Potter @wendellpotter Twitter profile

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Wendell Potter

1 month

(6/6) In closing, if I was still an exec at @Cigna I'd probably be on a yacht celebrating another lucrative year. But, truth be told, uncovering this industry's shady maneuvers is WAY more rewarding. Read my analysis at HEALTH CARE un-covered below:

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Amid America's #COVID19 disaster, I must come clean about a lie I spread as a health insurance exec: We spent big $$ to push the idea that Canada's single-payer system was awful & the U.S. system much better. It was a lie & the nations' COVID responses prove it. The truth: (1/6)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

WORD TO THE WISE>> During this coronavirus crisis, keep an eye on every move of my old industry: health insurers. Behind the PR spin, they will be doing everything they can to deny care & maintain profits, while making it look like they’re heroes. Here’s what to look for: (1/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Lately I’ve noticed some Democratic politicians defending the current healthcare system by saying it preserves “choice” for Americans. As a former health insurance exec who helped draft this talking point, I need to come clean on its back story, and why it's wrong and a trap 1/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

You learn a lot about a healthcare system when a global crisis hits & different nations have different results. Canada’s single-payer system is saving lives. The U.S. profit-driven corporate model is failing. I'll regret slandering Canada's system for the rest of my life. (6/6)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Last night, @JoeBiden expressed concern over the potential cost of Medicare for All & the security of people’s health plans. I recognize these arguments because I helped craft them when I ran PR as an insurance exec. As a result, I feel obligated to set the record straight. (1/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Here’s the truth: Our industry PR & lobbying group, AHIP, supplied my colleagues & me with cherry-picked data & anecdotes to make people think Canadians wait endlessly for their care. It’s a lie & I’ll always regret the disservice I did to folks on both sides of the border. (3/6)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Remember, in Canada there are no co-pays, deductibles or co-insurance ever. Care is free at the point of service. And those laid off in Canada don’t face the worry of losing their health insurance. In the U.S., millions are losing their jobs & coverage, and scared to death. (5/6)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Canada's doing much better than the U.S. when it comes to #COVID19 testing & treatment. On a per capita basis, more Canadians are being tested & fewer getting sick & dying. This may shock Americans who still believe the lies I told about the Canadian health care system. (2/6)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

I read this morning that Mayor Pete plans to attack Medicare For All, for political gain in Nevada. This will thrill my old pals in the insurance industry, as Pete's plan preserves the very system that makes them huge profits while bankrupting & killing millions. Here's why. 1/7

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

In Canada, no one gets turned away from doctors due to lack of funds. In America, exorbitant bills are a defining feature of the system. What about quality of care? When it comes to #COVID19 , there's been ~ 21 deaths per 100,000 in Canada, versus 34 per 100,000 in the U.S. (4/6)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Tonight’s results in Nevada confirm something momentous that would have shocked me when I worked as a health insurance executive: Medicare for All is hugely popular & the winning position for Democrats. Between Iowa, New Hampshire and now Nevada, this is a fact. Here’s why: (1/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

BREAKING: As a former corporate exec who worked with McKinsey, I may be able to shed light on one of @petebuttigieg ’s unnamed McKinsey clients, and why it’s very significant in this campaign. (Note: I have not endorsed anyone in this race, nor do I intend to) 1/13

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As a former health insurance exec, I don’t think any story better illustrates my old industry’s racket than the one I’m about to tell you: Right now, as we enter the worst public health crisis of our lifetimes ( #COVID19 ), health insurers are still raking in record profits. (1/11)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

So if a politician tells you they oppose reforming the current healthcare system because they want to preserve "choice," either they don't know what they're talking about - or they're willfully ignoring the truth. I assure you, the insurance industry is delighted either way 11/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

NEW: I just got off the phone with doctors in Bergen County, New Jersey who told me their hospitals are saying doctors & nurses will be *disciplined* for wearing protective gear, including masks. This is dangerous and may be illegal. And their stories are alarming... (1/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

This pandemic will finally reveal how devastating insurers’ greed will be to so many of us. Tragically, some Americans will likely die because policymakers turned the keys of our healthcare system over to profit-driven insurance corporations. That has to finally end. (10/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

First, VP Biden suggested Medicare for All would cost an extra $35 trillion. That’s not right. A new peer-reviewed Yale study found that it would *save* U.S. taxpayers $450 billion annually by eliminating waste & industry greed. You can read it here👇(2/5)

Improving the prognosis of health care in the USA

Although health care expenditure per capita is higher in the USA than in any other country, more than 37 million Americans do not have health insurance, and 41 million more have inadequate access to...

www.thelancet.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

BREAKING: While America’s reeling from the #COVID19 crisis, my old industry - the private health insurance racket - is winning big. The proof? This morning, the nation's biggest insurer UnitedHealth Group, revealed its earnings for the last 3 months. The amount: $5 BILLION. (1/8)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

The truth, of course, is you have little "choice" in healthcare now. Most can’t keep their plan as long as they want, or visit any doctor or hospital. Some reforms, like Medicare For All, *would* let you. In other words, M4A actually offers more choice than the status quo. 10/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

It brings me no joy that my hunch that @petebuttigieg advised Blue Cross Blue Shield in the run-up to layoffs and rate hikes, was revealed to be right. Campaign spin aside, as a former insurance exec I know what that work really entails, and it is devastating. (1/7)

Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

BREAKING: As a former corporate exec who worked with McKinsey, I may be able to shed light on one of @petebuttigieg ’s unnamed McKinsey clients, and why it’s very significant in this campaign. (Note: I have not endorsed anyone in this race, nor do I intend to) 1/13

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Just a few months ago, some leading presidential candidates made preserving the current healthcare system a key part of their campaign. Their motto? “You can keep your plan if you like it.” As millions now lose their jobs & insurance with it, it's clear: They were wrong. (1/11)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Finally, having insurance doesn't make you secure if you get sick. You still have to deal with deductibles, surprise bills & claim denials. Regrettably I know first-hand. I hope @joebiden , a good man, doesn’t succumb to the spin of my old industry. Americans deserve better. /END.

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

VP Biden wants to keep the current system & add a public option. Sadly, this would cost taxpayers far more than Medicare for All. His plan would cap premiums at 8.5% of your income, while Medicare for All would charge just a 4% premium. That's less than half. (3/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As a health insurance PR guy, we knew one of the huge *vulnerabilities* of the current system was LACK of choice. In the current system, you can’t pick your own doc, specialist, or hospital without huge “out of network” bills. So we set out to muddy the issue of "choice." 3/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

The president said that insurers “have agreed to waive all copayments for coronavirus treatments.” Don’t count on that. Insurers’ biggest trade group (“AHIP”) said soon after Trump’s speech that what insurers would waive would be cost-sharing for testing. Not treatment. (2/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

The difference is, this time *Democrats* are the ones parroting the misleading “choice” talking point. And they're even using it as a weapon against each other. Back in my insurance PR days, this would have stunned me. I bet my old colleagues are thrilled, and celebrating. 9/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Another issue with @joebiden ’s plan: Despite my old industry’s spin, folks with corporate insurance plans have no security or choice. Unlike with Medicare for All, you can lose your health plan if you switch jobs, turn 26, lose a job or if your boss decides to change plans. (4/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Knowing we were losing the "choice" argument, my pals in the insurance industry spent millions on lobbying, ads and spin doctors -- all designed to gaslight Americans into thinking that reforming the status quo would somehow give them “less choice.” 6/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As a former insurance exec, let me tell you: The strategy of moving Americans into high deductible plans has paid off beautifully for shareholders & top execs. But it’s forcing millions of Americans to forego care, turn to GoFundMe or bankruptcy court due to awful bills. (9/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As I know firsthand, insurers intentionally deny coverage to Americans, to hoard their profits. The result is people dying and millions in medical bankruptcy. Pete’s plan protects and preserves this very system. Now we may know why. (13/13)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As industry insiders, we also knew most Americans have very little choice of their plan. Your company chooses an insurance provider and you get to pick from a few different plans offered by that one insurer, usually either a high deductible plan or a higher deductible plan 4/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

When I worked in the insurance industry, we were instructed to talk about “choice,” based on focus groups and people like Frank Luntz (who wrote the book on how the GOP should communicate with Americans). I used it all the time as an industry flack. But there was a problem. 2/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Remember: For-profit insurers are in the business to make a profit. Period. And they do better when you don’t need them or remember they exist. But when a crisis like this erupts, they get scared. Why? Because folks like you will see what they really do and don’t cover. (8/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

An industry front group launched a campaign to achieve this very purpose. Its name: “My Care, My Choice.” Its job: Trick Americans into thinking they currently can choose any plan they want, and that their plan allows them to see any doctor. They've spent big in Iowa 7/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Another problem insurers like mine had on the “choice” issue: people with employer-based plans have very little choice to keep it. You can lose it if your company changes it, or you change jobs, or turn 26 or many other ways. This is a problem for defenders of the status quo 5/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Case in point: My old company Cigna says it will cover the cost of COVID-19 testing — but makes no mention of waiving copays or deductibles for *treatment*. Check out their carefully crafted wording here: (4/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

I'm often asked what made me quit the health insurance industry & become a whistleblower. A big turning point was the death of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan. She should be celebrating her 30th birthday today, but died after a tragic saga with my company. Here's her story: (1/7)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

This isn't the only time the industry made “choice” a big talking point in its scheme to fight health reform. Soon after Obamacare was passed, it created a front group called the Choice and Competition Coalition, to scare states away from creating exchanges with better plans 8/11

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

You can be sure Trump’s comment sent shockwaves through the industry. For many, treatment will be way more expensive than testing. If insurers let their enrollees (YOU) off the hook for out-of-pocket expenses related to treatment, their shareholders would be apoplectic. (3/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

If you’re upset that America’s disastrous healthcare system is bankrupting & killing millions — and want to invest in a command center that pushes the facts & destroys industry lies about Medicare for All — please consider supporting Medicare For All NOW:

Stand up for Medicare for ALL!

Chip in NOW

secure.actblue.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

I owe the American people an apology. Please don’t fall for this trick from the health insurance industry (and the politicians they generously fund) that I was partly responsible for.

Opinion | How the Health Insurance Industry (and I) Invented the ‘Choice’ Talking Point (Published...

It was always misleading. Now Democrats are repeating it.

www.nytimes.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Here’s another: UnitedHealthcare says “your health is important to [them]” and their top “priority.” But if you actually get this coronavirus, good luck with out of pocket costs (5/10)

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

We’re working with state and local health departments and the CDC to provide updates about coronavirus (COVID-19) and information on how to access care, resources and support.

www.uhc.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

One of the most-watched metrics for health insurance companies is called the “medical loss ratio.” The more insurers pay for care, the higher the ratio is. (It’s called the medical loss ratio because insurers consider it a loss when they pay a claim.) 6/10

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

In Nevada, two top candidates, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, both put deceptive ads on the air attacking Medicare for All. They campaigned explicitly against Medicare for All. And they lost by 30 points. (3/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Finally, for those interested in this gap between America and Canada on healthcare, I tried to spell it out a bit more in this video. Thank you for spreading this message. We need to break the U.S. free from the greed of the insurance industry.

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

IMPORTANT: Will be very interesting tomorrow when the nation’s biggest insurer UnitedHealthGroup announces its recent earnings. Why? As ER docs & other physicians risk their lives treating #COVID19 patients, UnitedHealth is playing games to rake in profits. Let me explain: (1/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Pete is fighting to preserve the role & profits of health insurance companies, spending huge sums on ads slamming plans to rein them in. I'll be watching to see if my former insurance colleagues send him big campaign checks. He’s probably one of their favorite candidates (12/13)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

3 years

As millions of Americans celebrated @potus 's inauguration, some of my former colleagues in the health insurance industry were quietly celebrating some news of their own: their *most profitable year ever*. That’s right: insurance companies made a fortune during a pandemic. (1/11)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

I’m profoundly saddened to see Pete Buttigieg base his campaign in SC on bashing Medicare for All (which he used to support). He’s resorted to misleading Americans on health care by using the insurance industry’s false talking points. I should know - I helped write them. (1/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As part of Obamacare, insurers have to spend at least 80-85% of premiums on health care. So most try to keep the ratio right at those levels. If it creeps up significantly, shareholders run for the exits. Why? When insurers pay more in claims, that’s less $ for profits. (7/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

My wording above may have been unclear, so I want to clarify: I’m not *currently* an insurance exec. I left in 2008 when I finally developed a conscience. Since then, my mission’s been to expose & reform this awful system. Please consider supporting @M4A_NOW so we can save lives.

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

So, while many suffer serious illness or death -- and millions lose jobs & health insurance -- the industry sitting pretty in the United States right now is the health insurance industry. That perfectly sums up all you need to know about healthcare in America in 2020. (/END.)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

We know the health insurance industry & its lobbyists won’t quit trying to scare the public. But politicians who parrot their talking points do so at their own peril. It's now clear: Medicare For All is *the* winning position in the 2020 Dem primary. And opposing it is not. (5/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

3 years

As a former health insurance exec who quit the business, let me tell you: No one will be more excited about the new COVID package than my old friends in the corporate insurance industry. It would funnel $48 billion of taxpayer $ to them, after their most profitable year to date.

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

On @amjoyshow , I made the point with @JoyAnnReid that just because you have a “Cadillac health insurance plan” your union negotiated, it does not guarantee you access to the health care you need.

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

To an old health insurance exec, those are code words that translate roughly to cutting costs through layoffs, restructuring, and potentially denying health coverage to those in need. 5/13

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

. @GovMurphy , please immediately investigate this, and order a ban in New Jersey on such a dangerous practice. No hospital should threaten doctors and nurses with disciplinary action for wearing masks. This is not complicated. (3/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Judge Barrett says she'd base rulings about health insurance on how "the founders" might have intended. This might make sense if health insurance companies actually existed then. As a former insurance exec, here's why her approach is laughable when it comes to healthcare: (1/10)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

5 years

I can’t tell if @PeteButtigieg is campaigning for President or my old job at @Cigna . Mayor Pete, DM me if you want to know how insurance companies really operate.

Alex Thompson

@AlexThomp

5 years

Pete keep up the health care attacks on Warren this morning. “I have a lot of respect for Senator Warren but last night she was more specific about the number of selfies she’s taken than about how this plan is going to be funded.”

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As we wait for Iowa results, one winner is already clear: In last night's entrance polls, Medicare for All was backed by a whopping 6 in 10 Iowa caucus goers. Back when I was a health insurance exec, this literally would have been my worst nightmare. (1/5)

Most Iowa Democratic caucus-goers support a single-payer health-care plan

The wrangling around Medicare-for-all has been a defining issue throughout the Democratic presidential campaign and has led to repeated clashes at the debates.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

3 years

As a former health insurance exec, I can tell you my old colleagues are gearing up for the mother of all propaganda campaigns to keep @JoeBiden & Congress from enacting a public option (or any reform for that matter). Don’t believe me? Let's take a trip down memory lane... (1/7)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As someone actively involved in fighting for Obamacare a decade ago, it’s time for a confession. While much good came from it, the truth is it didn't achieve all we'd hoped. Millions more have insurance now, which is huge. But it's so costly many are barely able to use it. (1/11)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Over the last few days, I’ve been asked many times: If a new Supreme Court overturns Obamacare, what would that mean for most Americans? As a former health insurance executive, here’s the scary truth: (1/12)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

If indeed the @petebuttigieg client was Blue Cross, this report by the Attorney General of Michigan in 2007 has a lot to offer. The title: “Profits over People: The Drive to Privatize and Destroy the Social Mission of Blue Cross and Blue Shield” (9/13)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

A watershed moment in America: 16 states have voted in the Dem primary & been asked in exit/entrance polls about healthcare, and all 16 show majority support for replacing private health insurance with single-payer healthcare. As a former insurance exec my reaction is: wow. (1/5)

Blake Zeff

@blakezeff

4 years

As of today, Democrats in 16 states have voted & been asked in exit polls their view on replacing private health insurance with a single payer system. In all 16 states, more chose single payer. State-by-state numbers here 👇

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As Coronavirus dominates the news, there’s a fact that rarely gets noted but is staring us in the face: America’s for-profit health system will make this much worse by denying sick people care & making it unaffordable for many. As a former insurance exec, I know first-hand: (1/6)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

While the impending economic devastation from COVID-19 is obvious, there’s a side effect that may be getting overlooked: As many get laid off, Americans are about to learn how irrational & irresponsible it is for so many to be dependent on employers for health insurance. (1/9)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Look, I live with huge regret knowing the system I worked for placed profits over Americans' health. I have no motive to want to reform the system that fed me well -- except to see Americans get the care they need. Pete's plan keeps the bad system going. I know this too well. 7/7

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

With these three state results in, we now see that Medicare for All is popular in the Midwest, Northeast, and the West, all with different, diverse populations. Medicare for All can win anywhere - as the primary's front-running campaign demonstrates. (4/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

JUST IN—While the nation’s largest health insurer, @UHC , is slashing many doctors’ pay up to 60% and kicking others out of network during #COVID19 , its CEO just grabbed a 233% raise. Nice reward for raking in record profits during a pandemic. #StopUHCgreed

CEO Pay Watch: UnitedHealth's David Wichmann made more than $52 million last year

Both David Wichmann, UnitedHealth Group's CEO, and Stephen Hemsley, its former CEO and executive chairman, made over $50 million in salary, bonus and stock option compensation.

www.startribune.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Why is this relevant to 2020? I’ll leave analysis of @petebuttigieg ’s transparency, or his potential role in rate hikes and layoffs, to political experts. What I can speak to is how this experience might lead him to defend and protect health insurance companies now. (11/13)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Entrance polls out of Nevada show 6 in 10 want a single-payer system. Entrance & exit polls from Iowa & New Hampshire found 6 in 10 voters in both states support Medicare for All. All this after millions were spent by my old industry trying to scare voters away from it. (2/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Important: You’ll notice @petebuttigieg describes his McKinsey insurance client as “a nonprofit” insurer. So that means it was a different kind of company, right? No. “Nonprofit” insurers behave just like “for-profits.” In fact, you might not be able to tell them apart (6/13)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Get ready to be outraged. The country’s big for-profit health insurers may actually be one of the huge winners from the pandemic. Among the few corporations to see big jumps in their stock price this week are Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna & Humana (where I used to work). (3/11)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Based on this article below, BCBS laid off hundreds of people and increased premiums dramatically not long after. Those premium increases likely led to a lot of people losing their insurance. (8/13)

Blue Cross seeks double-digit rate hikes, layoffs

www.crainsdetroit.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Speaking of how Pete sells his plan: It's completely different from Medicare For All, yet he borrows the popular branding & calls his plan "Medicare For All Who Want It." That's likely because polls show a huge majority of Dems want Medicare For All. That tells you something. 6/7

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

To boost corporate profits, the current system (high deductibles, denials of coverage, etc) is designed to keep you from getting care. By refusing to ban these toxins, Pete's plan is a godsend to my old industry. It's why they've given him more $ than any candidate but Trump. 2/7

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

3 years

I know @joebiden means well in reopening the enrollment period for ACA marketplaces, so more people can sign up for coverage. But as an expert in the health insurance industry, I have a big concern: many people who sign up for these plans won’t be able to use them. Here’s why:

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is a “non-profit” health insurer, that fits the description of the @petebuttigieg client. Its financials in 2007 were not great, which is when execs call in firms like McKinsey to come up with tactics to right the ship. 7/13

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

5 years

Medicare for All is really the only thing that can ensure you’ll never lose or switch your insurance again.

Bob Herman

@bobjherman

5 years

Millions of Americans lose or switch their job-based health insurance every month because they quit, get laid off, are fired, or retire.

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Hospital physicians tell me this is happening across the state. Nurses worry they could be fired if they wear protective gear, but worry if they don’t they’re putting themselves & patients at risk. It comes as NJ has an explosion in COVID cases, particularly Bergen County. (2/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Now what does this have to do with @petebuttigieg ? In his description of his McKinsey work, he says he worked in Michigan at a “health insurance provider... performing analytical work... identifying savings in administration and overhead costs.” 4/13

My Time at McKinsey

I give authorization to McKinsey to release the full list of clients I was assigned to serve.

medium.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Another problem for consumers: Medicare for All enrolls everyone in a single insurance pool, giving the gov't leverage to negotiate lower costs with providers & facilities. Pete's public option only covers *some*, meaning a smaller insurance pool & higher costs. 3/7

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

The bottom line: Americans are getting sick & dying, and doctors risking their lives to save them, in this crisis. Meanwhile, health insurance companies are denying coverage & squeezing doctors to generate record profits. That’s the story of healthcare in America today. (/END.)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Those of us who knew about McKinsey’s involvement at our insurance corporation knew it would lead to “cost cutting.” That’s consultant talk for laying off workers, offshoring, and hiking rates. The McKinsey efforts would have code names because it had to be kept secret. (3/13)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

If that's the case, @realdonaldtrump should immediately intervene & prohibit public hospitals from being able to threaten their staff for wearing protective equipment during this crisis, including gloves and masks. This is urgent and common sense. And it will save lives. (5/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

If it wasn’t Blue Cross, it would have to be another big insurer to be able to afford McKinsey. They don’t come cheap. As I recall, my company paid them a monthly retainer of $50K. And paid more for big special projects with code names. (10/13)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Also: Under plans like Pete's, uninsured Americans would be automatically enrolled in the public plan, and they could face a $7,000 tax increase at the end of the year. Medicare For All covers you entirely. 4/7

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

As a former health insurance exec, I’m worried for folks this week. If history is any guide, a lot of you visited the ER between Christmas and New Year's - which means soon you just might get a big “surprise” bill from your insurer, and it won’t be pretty. Let me explain (1/11)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

I honestly wanted to vomit when I read this press release from UnitedHealth disclosing how huge its windfall profits over the last 3 months have been, while millions of Americans lost their jobs & health insurance & over 100k lost their lives. (1/9)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

. @abbydphillip : “Mayor Buttigieg, you're selling your plan as Medicare for all who want it, yet it'd automatically enroll uninsured Americans into a public option even if they don't want it & force them to pay for it. How's that truth in advertising?” 5/7

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Investors clearly believe insurers will make a killing, with one Wall Street analyst boosting Cigna to “strong buy.” As medical claims skyrocket how on earth is this possible? A toxic combination of skimping on coverage for COVID19 treatments & raising next year's premiums (4/11)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

The bottom line (that I know too well as a former health insurance exec) is this: The current system is built to deny people medical care and sock them with huge bills. Pete's health care plan protects this system. Now we have a clearer understanding of why. (7/7)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Just like Iowa, 6 in 10 NH Democratic voters tonight said they want Medicare For All. The truth about healthcare in America is becoming undeniable. This former insurance exec is stunned — and delighted.

Jeff Stein

@JStein_WaPo

4 years

🚨WAPO EXIT POLL: 6 in 10 New Hampshire Democratic primary voters support eliminating all private health insurance in favor of a single-payer plan for everyone. 57 percent agreed with that position in Iowa, too Per @EmGusk @sfcpoll

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

This is all music to investors' ears, who are rushing to buy these stocks. When the market closed today, the Dow was up 2.39%. By comparison: *Cigna: Up 6.5%. *UnitedHealthcare: Up 6.67%. *Anthem: Up 9.93%. *Humana: Up 14.92%. It’s high times for the insurance racket. (10/11)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

When I was a health insurance exec, my CFO had McKinsey on retainer. Every year or so, especially when one division or another wasn't making enough profit, McKinsey would be brought in to "assess" current operations. (2/13)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Bernie Sanders is right. Subsidizing COBRA would lead to massive profits for insurers while leaving tens of millions uninsured or underinsured

Opinion | Here’s How to Cover Uninsured Americans During the Pandemic

Empowering Medicare to cover our health needs is comprehensive and cost-effective.

www.politico.com

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

Unreal. The private health insurance industry (where I once worked) is making record profits during a deadly pandemic... but it's not enough! They're so hungry to protect their billions they're now launching a war to stop Joe Biden's public option. Here's their absurd plan: (1/9)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

I've heard other hospitals nationwide are enforcing this policy, too. Who knows how rampant it is? Some internal documents we obtained suggest certain federal restrictions by the CDC may be guiding this decision. (4/5)

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Wendell Potter

@wendellpotter

4 years

How do health insurers continue to see huge profits during this crisis? "If medical claims start to rise uncontrollably," @bobjherman reports, "they'll increase everyone’s premiums next year." Humana CEO Brian Kane put it more opaquely: “We would price for this for 2021.” (7/11)

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