Wendell Potter on The Healthcare Crisis (Al Franken podcast on YouTube)

In a major blow to American healthcare, Congress has let the ACA subsidies expire. This means higher premiums and, as a result, fewer Americans enrolling. We are joined by Wendell Potter, former VP of Corporate Communications for Cigna turned whistleblower and healthcare reform advocate. Since 2009, Wendell has pulled back the curtain on how insurance giants game the system to prioritize profits over patients.

Wendell shares the two stories demonstrating the inhumanity of the American healthcare system that pushed him to speak out. He also talks about the impact of the expiring subsidies and why it could be what he calls a "death spiral." But don't worry! Donald Trump has a plan... or at least concepts of a plan.

Al and Wendell talk about the accomplishments of the ACA, while also acknowledging that Democrats should have done more to strengthen it during the Biden administration. Now with Trump and the Republicans in charge, any chance at meaningful reform is out the window.

Plus, we revisit the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and why that struck a nerve with so many Americans. 

• READ Wendell's Substack, HEALTH CARE un-covered: https://healthcareuncovered.substack.com

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/MmXYc7aYBGs?si=5oNQ4WOMLoZEttza

Health care package included in stopgap funding bill

The health portion contains pharmaceutical benefit manager (PBM) industry reforms, extensions of Medicare telehealth flexibilities, reauthorizations of legislation to prevent pandemics and address the opioid crisis, payments to community health centers, a rollback of physician payment cuts and other policies. 

The inclusion of more than 500 pages of health provisions in a spending bill will likely infuriate some conservatives, who generally oppose omnibus legislation. But the health provisions show bipartisan agreement after significant back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats…

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5045169-health-care-package-pbms-funding-bill/