Wendell Potter on The Healthcare Crisis

In a major blow to American healthcare, Congress has let the ACA subsidies expire. This means higher premiums and, as a result, fewer Americans enrolling. We are joined by Wendell Potter, former VP of Corporate Communications for Cigna turned whistleblower and healthcare reform advocate. Since 2009, Wendell has pulled back the curtain on how insurance giants game the system to prioritize profits over patients. Wendell shares the two stories demonstrating the inhumanity of the American healthcare system that pushed him to speak out. He also talks about the impact of the expiring subsidies and why it could be what he calls a "death spiral." But don't worry! Donald Trump has a plan... or at least concepts of a plan. Al and Wendell talk about the accomplishments of the ACA, while also acknowledging that Democrats should have done more to strengthen it during the Biden administration. Now with Trump and the Republicans in charge, any chance at meaningful reform is out the window. Plus, we revisit the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and why that struck a nerve with so many Americans. READ Wendell's substack, HEALTH CARE un-covered: SUPPORT THE SHOW BY VISITING OUR SPONSOR A smarter way to handle your shipping needs! Try ShipStation free for 60 days at and enter the code FRANKEN.

You can listen to Wendell Potter on The Healthcare Crisis online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Wendell Potter on The Healthcare Crisis is an episode from The Al Franken Podcast by Audioboom.

This episode is 48:58 long.

This episode was published on Jan 25, 2026.

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