Wendell Potter speaking on healthcare in several TN cities this month

[Tanuki]

http://www.thcc2.org/events/WendellPotter

Wendell Potter, Tennessee native and nationally renowned author, whistleblower and health care advocate is doing a statewide tour to talk healthcare reform and what it would mean for Tennessee.

The former head of corporate communications for health insurer Cigna, quit his high-paying job in 2008 after a crisis of conscience over how our nation’s health care system kills Americans by the thousands annually -- including those close to his home of Kingsport, Tennessee.

Under the Affordable Care Act, 230,000 Tennesseans now have health insurance and one-third of the population with pre-existing conditions are protected from insurance discrimination. Despite these gains, 10% of working Tennesseans are uninsured and those with insurance struggle to pay high deductibles and other medical bills.

The public meeting will be a discussion about needed reforms to keep people safe and healthy in an era of high costs and declining employer insurance plans.

Mr. Potter explains, “The healthcare system is broken and employer-based insurance is on the decline. If we don’t start rethinking the way we deliver healthcare, Tennessee’s rural communities will continue to decline, medical debt will continue increasing, and the health of Tennesseans will never improve.”

Tennessee’s rural communities are facing the brunt of the healthcare crisis in the state. Having lost more rural hospitals per capita than any other state, rural residents have less access to physicians, emergency care, and end of life care.

Tennessee Health Care Campaign has hosted listening sessions in communities where rural hospitals have closed. Jacy Warrell, THCC Executive Director says, “The most striking thing listening to people in these communities is the constant state of fear residents live in because they don’t have adequate emergency care. It’s clear something has to change.”

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Tennessee Health Care Campaign (THCC) is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to advocate for access to affordable health care for all Tennesseans.

Wendell Potter President of the Business Initiative for Health Policy and Founder of Tarbell.org, an investigative journalism site monitoring healthy care policy and corruption.




From Memphis to Mountain City, Wendell Potter joins Tennessee Health Care Campaign on a statewide tour to discuss needed health care reform.

Memphis - TBD
Jackson - Tuesday, April 23, 11:30am - 12:30pm (RSVP Link)
Nashville - Tuesday, April 23, 4:45 - 5:45 (RSVP Link)
Nashville - Wednesday, April 24, 9am - 10am (RSVP Link)
Chattanooga - Wednesday, April 24, 6:00pm - 7:00pm (RSVP Link)
Huntsville - Thursday, April 24 11:00am - 1:00pm (RSVP Link)
Knoxville - TBD
Kingsport - TBD
Johnson City - TBD