Welcome to you, Wendell Potter!
We need you and more like you.
Some years ago after having lingering health issues after an auto accident I made a decision to change careers, moving to the insurance and securities industry. How naive I was, but the education was quick. After struggling with all the required insurance and securities education and exams I foolishly thought I would be actually helping clients. When I started on the job I could not help but feel the SCORN for everyday people and their efforts to protect their families with insurance packages, establish retirement programs - potential clients were literally ignored. We were required to research obituaries, find out who owned substantial businesses, examine trust information in public records and find out who we could CONVINCE TO ROLL OVER THEIR WEALTH into our programs. When my first client came to me with $10,000 to establish a retirement account I was scoffed at by my manager and was told that wasn't the kind of client we would be dealing with. I can't tell you how devasted I was when I actually became aware how the insurance and securities industry really operates and what their true philosophy is. Within 6 months I left to go back to my business that I had started a few years earlier and worked very hard at re-establishing it.
After that hard lesson and returning to my own business for 5 years I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately I had had a solid - or so I thought - health insurance program for almost 10 years. During my treatment I was treated so badly I could not believe what they were doing to me - refusing to pay for my radiation after having sent me home in less than 24 hours with drain tubes and no one to help me since I live alone. Then they tried to cancel everything in the middle of the treatment by giving back all my premiums which certainly would not have covered all my treatment. I pleaded my case with out state insurance commission to no avail. I cashed in my retirement to pay my bills because the medical center harassed me causing me emotional distress. Ultimately I filed for bankruptcy and started from scratch in my life.
Some years later when I was dating a gentleman who was an independent insurance actuary I shared my experience with him. It was amazing! He knew exactly which insurance company that I was talking about even though I never mentioned who it was . He explained that they were only in this venture for the short term profits, made a lot of policyholders angry by refusing to pay claims, were sued successfully by all the states where they did business but not the one where I lived because that is where this investor group lived and were close friends of our governor. See why the insurance commission also gets involved?
The fraud and extortion in this industry is unbelieveable.
Currently I have a $450/mo premium and a $2,500 deductible for just myself. Of course there are many more details but surely you get the picture.
The irony of this all is that they continue to tell us that we need to 'take responsibility' - so why are we continueing to pay them our premiums? Mutual Insurance or some other NON-PROFIT SYSTEM is the way to go.
Steven P.
You either were one of those executives getting grossly overpaid(doubtful considering your broken english) or a conservative lemming just trying to stir the pot.Either way, you spell out exactly what is wrong with our current system,and excuse it by saying our government wouldnt employ smart enough Americans to handle a simple question??Funny.really.
As for the realists reading this,I enjoy and understand both sides of the argument,and each has points well worth debating.The one point the Insurance side of the argument wont let go of is protecting their profit,and that is just a shame.If any company large or small was operating at 2 to 3 % profit,they would be out of buisness.Id really love to see our government check the books of these insurance "health" providers to see how honest their balances truly are.
to get to the point,Our health system has been hijacked by the insurance Industry.I see it every day in my town,where one insurer owns 80% of the healthcare providing practices in the city,any new doctors or practices wishing to stay in the area are told " This is what you will make, this is how much we will pay you, and this is the practice you will be allowed to handle" and if they dont like it, hit the road.Our treatment,allthough more subtle, has been exactly the same,as the Insurer tells the Doctor" this is what we will allow you to treat that patient for, and this is how much we will pay you to do it" or the alternative " we ,the insurer , do not se the prescribed treatment for patientX,and will not cover any treatment for indicated symptoms"
Sounds like our insurance Industry has allready Socialized our Healthcare,only they dont want to let go of the authority ,meaning ability to welch profit, to a government that might do something about biases in treatment, cost, and even income for those who actually PROVIDE treatment, the fine medical professionals all over this country!!!
Ok....ok, Give me 3 examples of public businesses the government has run effectively? Do not include Medicare, Social Security, or Medicaid - these are all a no go that's a given. I want all of us to win in the healthcare scramble, but lets face it I cringe at the thought of more big government.
Respectfully yours,
Steve P. Tampa
<blockquote>...CEO salaries posted aren't different from professional athletes and actors. Why is it okay for them to collect rediculous salaries but not CEOs of corporations?</blockquote>
Professional athletics and movies are for entertainment. People choose to whether or not to spend disposable income to watch football and rent movies. But health care is a basic human necessity and should be regarded as a universal right; it doesn't belong in the for-profit sector.
People who supply health care should all be paid decently, but rock star pay for fat cats at the top of a too-tall hierarchy? Uh-uh, sorry.
It takes courage to switch sides and put the public interest first over one's own personal success working for the private health insurance industry. You did a great service today for America in exposing the problems with private insurance and you should be commended for such courage.
Forcing Americans to purchase a defective product is a huge mistake and cannot be morally or politically justified. We need a single payer, national health insurance plan for this country. Let's hope your testimony as an insider brings courage to other insiders who can shed light on the state of private insurance, their motives, and why they should not be allowed to control our health care system. Please speak up. Bravo!
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