Wendell Potter's Blog, page 2

Wendell Potter Discusses ACA on MSNBC’s AM Joy with Joy-Ann Reid

The current administration persists in its campaign to turn public sentiment against the Affordable Care Act and move toward dismantling it. But is this a feasible goal, or even one that’s wanted by conservatives or liberals?

Wendell Potter joined a panel on MSNBC’s AM Joy on Saturday to discuss the Supreme Court and public battle that the Trump administration would have to initiate to end the Affordable Care Act, and the inevitable need for massive health care reform. …

High Cost Of Dental Education Is Behind Sharp Increase In Number Of U.S. “Dental Deserts.” Dental Therapists Are Beginning To Fill The Gap.

The number of people in the United States without access to dental care is increasing at an alarming rate. As a recent report by the U.S.Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) showed, almost 63 million people, more than one of every five U.S. residents, live in areas where few, if any, dentists practice. That’s up from 27 million in 2000.

One of the major reasons for the rapid growth of “dental deserts” across the country, especially in rural areas and …

USA Today Column: Take It From Me, Tweaks Won’t Fix Health Care

This column was originally published by USA Today on December 14, 2018.

Democrats have secured a 40-seat flip of the House of Representatives, based largely on a nationwide call for health care reform. Many Democrats, led by Brian Higgins of New York, are planning to use their newfound control of the House to work on a Medicare buy-in bill.

I spent 20 years as a health insurance executive before leaving my job as a vice president at Cigna. I can …

Touring The Midwest To Discuss Midterm Results and The Path To Health Care Reform

The following post comes from Dr. Ed Weisbart, a physician from St. Louis, MO and a member of the Missouri chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program. Dr. Weisbart arranged a Midwest tour with Wendell — and you can too. You can find out more about his organization on the PNHP Missouri website and Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter at @pnhpMO. Some edits have been made for clarity.

December 2018 began with one heck of …

People with An Agenda Have Lied About Canada’s Health Care System for Decades. I Used to Be One of Those People.

When I headed PR teams for health insurance companies, we convinced Americans that Canadians wait endlessly for medical care. We misled you.

In truth, all Canadians get the care they need when they need it. They might wait a little longer than some Americans for a few elective procedures, but millions of people in the United States don’t have access to care of any kind that they can afford.  In this country, we ratio care based on ability to pay. …

The Business Case For Medicare For All with Richard Master — The Potter Report Ep. 6

On the episode, Wendell and Joey discuss the struggles that business owners face to keep their employees insured, why the status quo can’t continue and the ways to move forward with founder and CEO of MCS Industries and executive producer of the documentary “Fix It,” Richard Master.

You can listen to the latest episode, “The Business Case for Medicare for All with Richard Master”, below, or follow the links to iTunes or Spotify.

After a short break for Wendell’s …

Big Pharma’s Greed and Manipulation Unpacked in New Film, DRUG$

A new film, opening on screens in Los Angeles and New York this week and available this weekend on Amazon Prime and YouTube, lays bare the unrelenting greed of the pharmaceutical industry and shows how more and more Americans are suffering as a result of that greed. 

DRUG$, a new documentary by Foxhound Productions, captures not only the constant quest for profits but also the deceptive tactics the industry uses to protect the status quo. 

I was one of several …

63 Million in U.S. Now Living in “Dental Deserts,” Twice as Many as in 2000, As Dentists Shun Rural Areas and Low-Income Communities

In Response, Several States and Tribal Communities Are Adding a Mid-Level Practitioner to the Dentist-Led Team

Since 2000, when U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher alerted the nation to a “silent epidemic” caused by a growing lack of access to oral health care, the number of people living in “dental deserts,”—officially recognized health professional shortage areas where few if any dentists practice—has more than doubled, an analysis of data compiled by the federal government shows.

The U.S. Health Resources and Services …

Michigan Lawmakers, Concerned About Growing Lack of Access to Dental Care in the State, May Soon Allow Dental Therapists to Practice

Michigan could become the next in a growing list of states to authorize the use of midlevel dental practitioners, called dental therapists, to improve access to oral health care in the state’s many underserved areas.

With support from both Democrats and Republicans, the Michigan Senate passed a bill last year to license and train dental therapists, but the House has not yet acted on the bill. That is expected to change soon as sponsors seek to move the legislation out …

The Number One Chronic Illness Among Our Children Will Surprise You

Eighteen years ago, then U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher alerted the country to an epidemic that was causing “needless pain and suffering, complications that devastate overall health and well-being, and financial and social costs that diminish the quality of life and burden American society.”

He wrote those words in a landmark May 25, 2000, report. It was entitled, “Oral Health in America: A Report of the U.S. Surgeon General.”

Yes, the Surgeon General’s report was talking about oral health.

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