Wendell Potter, A Health Insurance Exec Turned Whistleblower, On Blowing Up Our System

On today's episode, we tackle a topic that sparks more fear, frustration, and mistrust than perhaps any other: health insurance. From denied claims to endless bureaucratic red tape and the dread of sky-high out-of-pocket costs, it's no wonder so many Americans feel trapped. While more people are covered than ever before, many are still skipping doctor visits, avoiding exams, and forgoing prescription refills due to the financial burden. The raw emotion was on full display in the shocking response to the murder of the United Healthcare CEO. Today, we sit down with Wendell Potter, a former health industry insider turned whistleblower who walked away from his high-paying job to fight for reform in the very industry he once served. In today's divisive conversation about making America healthier, is fixing healthcare the one thing we can all agree on?

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek

Guest:

Wendell Potter, former health insurance executive at Cigna; president of the Center for Health and Democracy

Sources:

I Was a Health Insurance Executive. What I Saw Made Me Quit

nytimes.com/2024/12/18/opinion/health-insurance-united-ceo-shooting.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/opinion/health-insurance-united-ceo-shooting.html

In US, Inability to Pay For Care, Medicine Hits New High
gallup.com/poll/658148/inability-pay-care-medicine-hits-new-high.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://news.gallup.com/poll/658148/inability-pay-care-medicine-hits-new-high.aspx

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