Profits Before Patients

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My name is Wendell Potter and for twenty years I worked as a Senior Executive at health insurance companies, and I saw how they confuse their customers and dump the sick - all so they can satisfy their Wall Street investors.

I know from personal experience that Members of Congress and the Public have good reason to question the honesty and trustworthiness of the health insurance industry. Insurers make promises they have no intention of keeping, they flout regulations designed to protect consumers, and the make it nearly impossible to understand - or even obtain- the information we need.

Part 1
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-M10jDkmm0]YouTube - BILL MOYERS JOURNAL | Preview: Wendell Potter pt. 1 | PBS[/ame]

Part 2
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv1FwOCNoZ8&feature=channel]YouTube - BILL MOYERS JOURNAL | Preview: Wendell Potter pt 2 | PBS[/ame]

Full Interview
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QwX_soZ1GI&NR=1]YouTube - BILL MOYERS JOURNAL | Wendell Potter | PBS[/ame]


Testimony of Wendell Potter Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

 

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The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
38 Slovenia
39 Cuba
40 Brunei
41 New Zealand
42 Bahrain
43 Croatia
44 Qatar
45 Kuwait
46 Barbados
47 Thailand
48 Czech Republic
49 Malaysia
50 Poland

http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html

 

[AVG-JOE]

I reiterate; what do you want from your hired paper-pushers, Million Dollar Executives with Corporate Jets and gold plated eating utensils or modestly paid middle-class bureaucrats?

Social Security, managed by decently paid, middle class bureaucrats working directly for you, runs at an efficiency of less than 1% of FICA tax dollars for all overhead and administration, in spite of the involvement of congress. Dedicated taxes work for things like insurance.

-Joe