MUST SEE: Bill Moyer Has A Great Piece On How The Health Industry Controls The Media & Politicians

In the piece, Bill Moyer goes over how the GOP and the Healthcare industry are coordinating efforts to block or weaken President Obama's efforts to reform the healthcare industry, as well as introduce a public option. The efforts are documented in internal industry and GOP memos, which contain familiar GOP talking points:

Frank Lutz Memo:

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM116_luntz.html

Alex Castellano Memo:

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM41_gop_health_care_strategy_memo.html

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I would encourage everyone to watch the segment, as Bill Moyer also covers the industries concerted response to Michael Moore's documentary Sicko, as well as reviews confidential memos by the healthcare industry that show the industries lobbying strategy. In particular, Moyer discusses Max Bacaus's close ties to the healthcare insurance industry, and the impact it has on his review of healthcare legislation:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/profile.html

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In his first extended television interview since leaving the health insurance industry, Wendell Potter tells Bill Moyers why he left his successful career as the head of Public Relations for CIGNA, one of the nation's largest insurers, and decided to speak out against the industry. "I didn't intend to , until it became really clear to me that the industry is resorting to the same tactics they've used over the years, and particularly back in the early '90s, when they were leading the effort to kill the Clinton plan."
Potter began his trip from health care spokesperson to reform advocate while back home in Tennessee. Potter attended a "health care expedition," a makeshift health clinic set up at a fairgrounds, and he tells Bill Moyers, "It was absolutely stunning. When I walked through the fairground gates, I saw hundreds of people lined up, in the rain. It was raining that day. Lined up, waiting to get care, in animal stalls. Animal stalls."

Looking back over his long career, Potter sees an industry corrupted by Wall Street expectations and greed. According to Potter, insurers have every incentive to deny coverage — every dollar they don't pay out to a claim is a dollar they can add to their profits, and Wall Street investors demand they pay out less every year. Under these conditions, Potter says, "You don't think about individual people. You think about the numbers, and whether or not you're going to meet Wall Street's expectations."

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