Health insurance reform continues to be the issue I’m hearing about most from my constituents. This Wednesday, at 2:00 p.m., I’ll be taking advantage of an opportunity to talk with a man who has seen firsthand how health insurance companies operate.
Wendell Potter worked for CIGNA for over 15 years, including as their chief corporate spokesman. He saw there the worst practices of an industry that makes its money by not providing health care to its customers. In June, he testified to the Senate about these practices, and now I have a chance to talk to him and share his essential perspective on this critical issue.
Millions of Americans, including over 20,000 hard working men and women from Buffalo, Rochester, and Niagara Falls, have lost their jobs in this recession. Added to the financial hardship of losing part or all of a family’s income is the newly found fear that a single illness or injury could be devastating. Individual insurance is often prohibitively expensive, especially for the unemployed. Even worse, any existing conditions may block you from receiving any new insurance, whether it is on the individual market or offered with a new job.
The health insurance industry tactics also harm small businesses, the engine of our economy. Small businesses lack the negotiating power to ensure low rates and protect their employees from predatory practices. When an employee needs medical care, often the insurance company will pass those costs on to the employer. This places small business owners in the agonizing position of choosing between firing a recently ill or injured employee, or taking on costs that could lead to more layoffs in an already difficult economy.
It’s no surprise that with these tactics, health insurers charging the average family over one thousand dollars a month can pocket enough profit to pay their CEOs millions of dollars. It’s also no surprise that they would spend over a million dollars a day to defend their profits, enough money every day to fund a year of cancer treatment for dozens of patients. As Speaker Pelosi has noted before, this industry is determined to kill our plan to make coverage more affordable and more accessible.
I’m eager to hear from Mr. Potter about these and other insurance industry tactics, and how they impact Western New York and the whole country. I encourage my constituents to reach out to me about this meeting and to continue to talk to me about how health insurance reform affects their lives.
Wendell Potter was on The Rachel Maddow Show last night:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
Crossposted at http://www.louise.house.gov. My staff is working to broadcast the event online, and I'll be sure to update this diary and my site once the stream is available.
I also wanted to take this chance to respond to some of your comments about town halls. Town halls are an American tradition and I'm eager to hear from all of my constituents, no matter their views. However, I am concerned with the safety of these events, especially in light of the fact that some of those who are intent on causing disruptions are now making death threats and others are showing up with guns.
I hope that this violent trend will end soon so that we can have an honest dialog in person, in a safe and open environment. In the meantime, I look forward to the tele-town halls I have planned for later this month. These events help me communicate with my constituents, including many who might have difficulties reaching the locations of traditional town halls.