A definition of “choice”

Wendell Potter was once a part of the health care insurance industry and describes himself as a “reformed insurance propagandist.” He’s annoyed with Democratic politicians defending the current insurance systems, saying it preserves “choice.” But he helped draft that talking point and he came clean in a Twitter thread.

That talking point was developed because the current system has a lack of choice – one can’t pick just any doctor without huge “out of network” bills. In addition, employers offer only “high deductible” or “higher deductible” plans. A lack of choice there too.

So the goal was to muddy the definition of choice, to get people to believe that any reforms at all would be “less choice.” There was even a campaign “My Care, My Choice” to mislead people to think they had a lot of choice within their restrictive plans.

Potter is annoyed with Democrats because they are using “choice” against each other – a cause for celebration among his old colleagues. But plans such as Medicare for All do expand choice – if every patient and every doctor is in the system and there is no “out of network” then one can choose any doctor.

Potter concludes:

So if a politician tells you they oppose reforming the current healthcare system because they want to preserve "choice," either they don't know what they're talking about - or they're willfully ignoring the truth. I assure you, the insurance industry is delighted either way.