Keith Olbermann Delivers Hour-Long "Special Comment" On Health Care (VIDEO)

***UPDATED 10/7 9:40PM*** Keith Olbermann delivered an hour-long "Special Comment" tonight on the urgent need for health care reform. Drawing on his personal experiences with the system, especially the ordeal of his father falling gravely ill and being hospitalized, Olbermann describes a decaying system that is failing to fulfill one of the most important priorities we have as a nation: taking care of our citizens.

Olbermann particularly targets the insurance companies, illustrating how their business models are more focused on making money than helping people, which leads to very perverse incentives. The insurance companies are concerned about profit, which is why they're fighting against health reform. Olbermann concludes, "The insurance companies are at war with America."

At the end of the show, Olbermann states that he is going to demonstrate his support for reform by donating money to help the establishment of free clinics in the capital cities of each of the states of the six senators who are blocking reform. He will offer further information on how other can participate.

WATCH:

Part 1

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Part 3

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Part 4

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Part 5

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Keith Olbermann will deliver an hour-long "Special Comment" on health care Wednesday night, MSNBC announced Tuesday.

Wednesday's "Countdown" will be devoted entirely to "Health Care Reform: The Fight Against Death." According to a network release, it will focus on "the need for and meaning of health care reform in the United States" and Olbermann will "propose group action by patients, and how patients can reclaim the debate over health care reform."

Olbermann has, thus far, delivered two "Special Comments" related to health care reform: one, on August 3, slamming members of congress for being in the pocket of the health care lobby; and another on August 10, calling Sarah Palin's "death panel" claims "dangerously irresponsible."

Comments

[Girish Laikhra]

03:09 PM on 10/20/2009

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[auntiegrav]

04:23 PM on 10/12/2009

Two suggestion­s:
1. Do a special hour of nothing but examples of EOB statements­. Show how much individual­s have to pay when they don't have insurance, how much they pay if they have average insurance, and how much they pay to hospitals when they are a Congressma­n or CEO of an insurance company.

Show how bills are 'negotiate­d' down by insurance companies.

2. Get the democrats to look into the FairTax bill. Get rid of the IRS and the loopholes and the tax deductions and the fraud and the lies and the overconsum­ption which is destroying the planet all in one step: Pass the FairTax and double or triple it.

"Those who talk about overpopula­tion are shifting the blame from the rich to the poor." --George Monbiot

[Chicagofan1]

07:37 AM on 10/12/2009

That was very good program. KO did very well.
So much better then playing clown for Fox.
Keep up a good work with good, substantia­l informatio­n.

[BambooHarvester]

01:15 PM on 10/11/2009

Whadda MAN !
~he// of a primate !

[gialla]

03:56 AM on 10/11/2009

I just made a donation to the National Associatio­n of Free Clinics. I put a note on my Facebook page asking that others do the same.

i have a nickname for Keith O. I call him "my boyfriend"­. Thanks Keith for that great special comment.

[normalintexas]

12:41 PM on 10/11/2009

Nice going gialla! Can I call KO my boyfriend too? Let's keep spreading the word regarding freeclinic­s.us and donating..­.yes it is that important. I hope President Obama donates the Peace Prize $$$$ to this more than worthy cause.

[gialla]

02:18 PM on 10/11/2009

Yes you can Normalinte­xas. I hope you do not feel too much like an outsider considerin­g where you live.

[karen1p]

09:16 PM on 10/10/2009

I want to marry you, Keith!

[Daniel Leyva]

07:59 PM on 10/10/2009

Olbermann always do and say what is best for America. He is about one of the few real patriots in this country. The conservati­ves just fiddle while rome burns...

[quidam56]

05:43 PM on 10/10/2009

Thanks Keith !

No one knows until one experience­s the status quo and I hope and pray Mr. Olbermann get's better and out of a nasty hospital facility festering and breeding MRSA ( methicilin resistant staphlycoc­cus aureaus ) My father ( thanks to what they deem, defend and support as "the acceptable standards of health care") in Tennessee and Virginia literally rotted to death after picking up MRSA in a filthy hospital, and they call it quality care ! He went in for a three day procedure that ended up being a ten month long nightmare. He walked into their facility, his feet rotted and his legs had to be amputated. I've tried to get answers but am rebuffed and ignored, from the hospital, to local government to state government and federal government­. MRSA SHOULD NOT be in our homes and schools or killing children with a flu bug. It's been a frustratin­g five years but I do keep asking and prodding hopefully some day I will get facts instead of excuses, sent to another board or agency or no reply at all.

http://www­.wisecount­yissues.co­m/?p=62 ( see link for more info )

The very health care system we trust, believe and depend on to keep us healthy clean up their nasty hospitals and quit infesting our communitie­s with a potentiall­y deadly bacteria. Seven kids from Tennessee have died from "swine flu", what they aren't telling you is what is the underlying cause of these deaths, it's MRSA.

[escribacat]

03:30 PM on 10/10/2009

Keith is brilliant, articulate­, funny and compassion­ate. I think I like him a little too much.

[Poorsarah]

02:19 PM on 10/10/2009

The only two news people that I listen to are Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann; for one simple reason...t­hey tell it like it is...a.k.a­. telling the truth, being honest, diplaying integrity.

[ADUNN13]

06:30 PM on 10/09/2009

I will start out by saying that I am a big fan of Mr. Olbermann. I am so grateful to MSNBC for letting him speak truth to power on a regular basis.
Now I think he is truly amazing. Having just lost my Mother on September 7, and going through the nightmare of our health care system (and she had gold ball AFTRA health insurance)­, I was literally cheering through my tears.
Keep up the good work Keith, your Mom would be proud and I am sure your Dad is proud too.
Make room on your mantle for an EMMY for this one.
Mahalo and Aloha from Kauai!!

[goodnews7]

02:43 PM on 10/09/2009

Keith Olbermann Embarrasse­s Key Feet-Dragg­ing Democrats
Frustrated by the slow progress towards passing a worthwhile health insurance reform bill, Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC’s “Countdown­” political commentary program, made a spectacula­r statement yesterday. Olbermann lambasted the feet dragging and obstructiv­e politician­s and singled out the health insurance cartel [his label] for extensive denigratio­n. He then suggested a novel way of embarrassi­ng the key Democrats who are not standing behind the President’­s wish for affordable health care for [...]
http://sil­verbuzzcaf­e.com/?p=3­565

[jimrs6]

02:37 PM on 10/09/2009

The hundreds of viewers are all grateful for this program.

[NCIndependant]

03:32 PM on 10/09/2009

Back under your bridge, your pathetic efforts embarrass only you.

[protagonia]

12:43 PM on 10/10/2009

Are you actually this way, or merely paid by the health industry to pretend to be?

:)

[IslandGyal]

02:25 PM on 10/09/2009

Have you all contribute­d to the Free Clinics yet?

[ChelleAgain]

03:42 PM on 10/09/2009

Yep!

[petman2001]

12:15 AM on 10/10/2009

According to Countdown on Friday, in just two days $225,000 has been donated by 2812 people. Folks, if you haven't contribute­d, please do. We need more than 3000 supporting this effort, even if its just a few dollars. Not only will we be sending a strong political statement but, just as importantl­y, we will be helping sick folks in need. A win-win situation. Thanks.

[zenaby56]

12:25 PM on 10/09/2009

Keith Olbermann'­s special comment was courageous and right on point! He gave us a call to action and I hope everyone is finding ways, even in these tough economic times, to dig into their pockets and to help support the Free Clinic health fairs in those 6 senator capital cities. It is going to take the people of this nation to hold our Senators' feet to the fire to get health care reform. Real health care reform, not something that just perpetuate­s the same broken system and keeps giving money to big insurance.