An Insider’s View of America’s Broken Healthcare System

I was part of the problem. A crisis of conscience caused me to leave.

Photo by Markus Winkler on pexels

For a long time, I believed I had the best job in the world. As head of communications at the BlueCross BlueShield affiliate in my state, I was well paid for the simple pleasure of telling uplifting stories.

I wrote about our company’s generous donations to the needy and the good deeds of our in-house charity serving at-risk children. I worked with local reporters to share examples of how we were providing “access to affordable, quality care” and “making our state an even better place to live and work.”

The constant drumbeat of heartwarming tales cast a wide glow — a continual reminder of our company’s commitment to keeping residents healthy and safe. It all felt wonderful.

But as my career progressed, I noticed our culture of community service fading.

Throughout the company, everyone began to feel pressure to spend less on our members’ claims. While our customer service department shrank, our legal department swelled. Even our internal language changed: Doctors became “providers” and our customers became “policyholders.” I was beginning to realize that my number-one responsibility wasn’t to enhance my company’s reputation. It was to…