I agree it takes courage to publicly admit your error. Especially one of this importance. Please keep helping to lift the vail of secrets on this industry. United Health cares latest profit statement shows where the money goes, and it isnt the people paying the premiums and being denied coverage. Wake up people!
...are you working for Mr. Anonymous?
I wouldn't be surprised Wendell Potter if most of your detractors today had been your professional colleagues or acquaintances of yesterday. Don't you pay them any mind.
Anyone who believes that a for-profit Insurance company has its patient's welfare as priority one are either willfully ignorant or irreversibly naive or both.
It took you a while Wendell Potter to remember that your parents talk you right from wrong. You have much to atone for. But welcome back to the right side in any case. I know your parents would've been proud.
Mr Potter, as Michael Moore pointed out, is a hero, and perhaps one of the most important whistleblowers since Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon papers.
I am personally proud of Mr. Potter, his courage and resilience, to stand upfront, tell the truth, and face the might of a true evil industry, that would do anything to secure its profitable grip on America's healthcare.
This country could have been so much better with more like Mr Potter in our public sphere. He's a hero, and a fine example for anyone who wants to move away from the systematic destruction, caused by corporation, and to serve the interest of the public, in a democracy.
Thank you so much Wendell Potter.
Are you suggesting that Mr Potter's book was the reason the Health Care Act did not include a public option, or at least set us on the path to a national single-payer system? If so, you are mistaken, if not malicious. His 'apology' to the insurance industry is meant to be taken ironically. Unfortunately irony is lost on many people. He has no reason to be remorseful, and while Doctors Without Borders is a worthy group, I think Mr Potter has every right to keep the proceeds from sales of his book for himself. He earned it while doing work that benefits all Americans -- revealing the deceptive practices of big insurance, managed healthcare, drug and PR companies. Hell, I think Doctors Without Borders should send HIM money.
(That's ironical... **sigh** ... oh, what's the use...)
There is an epidemic of violations of public safety, fraud, and corruption laws that are directly related to labor law violations in government entities and US corporations. Ethics Commissions, AGs & IGs are unresponsive to labor violation complaints in workplaces and government, even when proof is submitted, tax dollars are misused, and there are rampant ethics, safety, and other compliance violations. The EEOC, OSHA, and State Divisions of Human Rights are underfunded and understaffed, thus their responses to these complaints are almost always delayed and insufficient.
Given that all government employees are required to report legal and ethical noncompliance, mandatory imparital investigations must be implemented without exception and accompanied by absolute prevention of unlawful retaliation against complaining employees. There must be a freeze on any termination of any complaining employee while a sound, impartial, unbiased and thorough investigation is completed, and even afterwards, retaliation against complainants must be prevented.
Violations of EEO, OSHA, public safety, retaliation protections, whistleblower protections, ADA, union-protections and fraud/corruption prevention laws must be classified as serious crimes that result in prosecution. There is extremely insufficient protection for employees who use apropriate channels to report noncompliance in both government and corporate workplaces.
Currently, legal compliance with US labor laws is essentially optional for corporate and government workplaces. Only employees who can afford lawyers have a chance of recourse. Most lawyers will not take cases on contingency, even if complaining employees can prove employer noncompliance with labor and other laws. When there is rare justice, it comes years later - often after unlawful termination and great damage to health, families, and finances.
Most legitimate employee complaints are dismissed by noncompliant employers and/or unions who unlawfully retaliate against these employees, terminate their employment and health coverage and pay them a small sum for which they are desperate and on which they are taxed. This money almost always comes with a gag order, the dismissal of the complaint with government authorities so there is never an investigation, and the continued employment of those guity of serial noncompliance and other violations of law, which remain unremediated.
Many General Counsel attorneys falsely believe their duty is to protect the corporation by any means instead of ensuring legal compliance and remediating noncompliance according to non-retaliation laws. GCs who knowingly cover up unlawful practices in corporations and government entities must be addressed by the criminal justice system and BAR associations given the enormous financial fraud perpetrated upon taxpayers and shareholders when significant funds are used to unlawfully retaliate against employees who exercise their rights to complain about noncompliance. When this occurs in government entities, it is intentional fraudulent misuse of taxpayer money; it is also a frequent occurence.
Furthermore, those who contribute to and/or enable unlawful retaliation by not reporting it need to be held accountable as well. Any of us who have been lucky enough to be able to afford legal counsel must help those who have not and must improve our current system.
These crimes are epidemic and do require deterrence in the form of large fines, improved processes for complaining employees, and guaranteed sound impartial investigations into unlawful practices, even when there are settlements with complaining employees. Gag orders need to be made unlawful, regardless of settlements with employees.
Please Sign this Petition @change: Demand Legal Compliance in US Workplaces http://chn.ge/bO31L8
Thank you,
Denise A. Romano, MA, EdM
http://www.WorkplaceCredibleActivist.wordpress.com/
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