Single Payer and Wall Street

The long debated concept of Single Payer Health Care in the US is beginning to boil. Recently Wendell Potter has spoken to Amy Goodman from Democracy Now and to Bill Moyers. Wendell Potter was head of corporate communications at CIGNA. He gives us some insight as to how insurance companies do business, and how what you hear from detractors of Single Payer are often slogans given birth to in insurance company board rooms. He explains how the industry and he personally crafted campaigns to scare the public away from a clear view of public health issues.

While Mr. Potters revelations will come as little surprise to the politically jaded, there is deeper substance to what he has told us. He speaks of the way the industry manages PR surrounding legislative reform, this is an insight into the workings of the machine. Capital interests control the political process. America has been sold to the highest bidder.


Note Max Bauccus point man on health care reform; who wont consider Single Payer an option, Max is a stellar example of the best government money can buy, Max is #1 when it comes to taking insurance company money.


Now lets take a look at the who's who of Obama contributors, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup ect ... Hmm Bank bailouts, insurance company bailouts, rising health care costs, insurance execs taking huge salary and bonuses, government officials taking large sums of money from insurance companies , Goldman Sachs backing an insurance firm. We are being taken to the cleaners by our government, insurance companies and Wall Street Bankers.


As Potter explains in his interview with Goodman " Back when Bill Clinton was president and he and Hillary Clinton were trying to reform the health care system, back in 1993, 95—on the average, 95 cents of every premium dollar was being spent to pay claims. Last year, it was down to just around 80 cents." Insurance companies know that the battle is on and they have been fighting hard to restrict the coming reforms to the industry. They are spending money in Washington to buy legislation and their executives are looting companies while they can, because they know the clock is ticking on their reign. Anything less than Single Payer is a fixed fight. There is a public mandate that is being ignored. Raise some hell.