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Last updated: 14 october, 2009 - 12:13 GMT

US Healthcare Whistleblower

Wendell Potter

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Wendell Potter may at first seem an unlikely supporter of President Obama's controversial healthcare reforms.

Some of the fiercest opposition to reform has come from America's powerful health-insurance industry. And until recently Wendell Potter was at the heart of the industry as Head of Corporate Communications for one of America's biggest healthcare insurers.

Now President Obama has scored an important victory in his battle to reform US healthcare, after months of bitter wrangling and intense lobbying. His draft bill to cut health costs and provide affordable health insurance is now to go before the Senate.

The news will be followed with keen interest by Wendell Potter.

Potter radically reformed his own thinking on healthcare. He became disillusioned by the industry's tactics, left his post and decided to speak out and blow the whistle on the healthcare industry.

In June he told a congressional committee that he believes insurers deliberately mislead the public and often drop some of the sickest patients to please their Wall Street investors.

He spoke to Lucy Ash and explained what caused his dramatic change of heart.

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