Ex-Blue Cross Spokesman Says Health Insurance "Worst Product In American History"

The following article was produced by The Raw Story.

Teaming with the liberal Brave New Films, a former Blue Cross pitchman is now pitching against Blue Cross.

Andy Cobb, who once tried to sell Floridians on a Blue Cross health insurance plan, says he's fed up with the industry.

"I was a spokesman for BlueCross and Blueshield of Florida," Cobb says. "Call me a spokesjerk. People who make money for buying things you don't need. And we're telling you lies."

"They, by which I mean I, make money by standing in the way of reform," Cobb says in the ad, which appears as a spoof of something like a freecreditreport.com ad. "It's time for change."

"That's why I'm calling on leaders from the spokesjerk industry," Cobb continues. "The freecreditreport.com guy. The Shamwow dude. And Senator Bill Nelson, recipient of big money from insurance companies -- to lead us. To walk away from their cash cows and tell American people the truth.

"And us spokesjerks, we'll be fine," Cobb adds. "There's plenty of room in entertainment for people who tried to sell you the worst product in American history. Private health insurance."

WATCH: Andy Cobb: Health Insurance "Worst Product In American History"

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Comments

[Cassandrawept]

Hey! What did the Shamwow guy ever do to you?

At least he is selling you something that works.

And he didn't pay off a bunch of politicians to make you buy his product.

So, lay off the Shamwow guy.

[DoTheMath]

It's no wonder the insurance industry is fighting reform so hard. They've got the perfect scam: selling nothing for big bucks.

[kassandrasduplex]

Why do you think they are fighting healthcare "reform" so bad? Because a professional public relations liar told you so? They (the insurance lobby) have inserted LEGAL FINES into this bill which go into effect if you FAIL to BUY their PRIVATE FOR-PROFIT HMO garbage. You will be forced by the government to give your money to an HMO (instead of a tax to support democratic quality single payer Medicare-type coverage).

[iblogleft]

Great angle :-)

[dfranz]

What ever were they thinking when the removed antitrust regulation on these people? It has given them a free liscense to rob the American People blind. While sipping on their wine, those monthly checks just keep rolling in just in time to be sent out as bonuses for the executives and lobbyist payments to the millionaire congressional glad handers.

it is indecent to make profit off the wellbeing of the American public while denying claims and declaring pre-existing conditions. It is criminal to allow them to continue doing it.

[MadeandBakedintheUSA]

This is CLEVER!

[lesterbud]

OK, I got this great business I'll cut you in on..

First, I collect a bunch of money from people that need to get medical care.

Second, I keep the money and invest it.

Third, I can legally drop people from the plan if they start costing too much.

Fourth, any dollar I can keep from paying out, I get to keep.

Pretty cool eh?
No capital investment.
No product at all.
Exemption from anti-trust laws.
No positive incentive to actually provide the service I purport to provide.
Just need a blind eye to justice and a deaf ear to suffering - then just rake in the bucks!

[DoTheMath]

Perfect. And if anyone complains, we'll call them socialists.

[NHGranite]

No, even worse, we'll call them granma killers

[macbabe]

I was a Blue Cross Claims Examiner once upon a time too and we could only approved so many claims per week and the rest were denied or moved to the next week and looked at again if warranted, and that was 30 years ago!!! ... so I can imagine what it's like now and I am sure it's even worse!

[oldpol2]

Thanks for speaking up!

[Samalabear]

Okay, I'm confused. Obama said a couple of months ago that health insurance companies "provide an important service." It was the funniest line in his speech before Congress. He didn't bother to expand what that service might be, but I would suspect it's campaign finance.

That's rhetorical by the way, and totally sarcastic.

[LHoney]

Maybe he meant by employing Americans. That's the only service i can think of that they really provide.

[Rmath]

I hope this guy has a bodyguard.

[SocialistBoy]

Tell me about it!! I have had two bankruptcies, due to medical bills, and I have BCBS of Tx. Really a sad state/s we are in!!

A DIOS
Amigos
+ + +

[whiskeytangofoxtrot451]

But . . . but . . . but. . .

We have the greatest healthcare system in the world! Glenn Beck said it, so it must be true!

[lesterbud]

Beck meant that HE and HIS family have the best health care money can buy.

In fact, you don't see too many multi-millionaires complaining about their care do you.
But even us good income folks get hit hard with huge premiums, high deductibles and big co-pays.

Not hard for Beck to find a couple $k's to cover his deductible, let alone $45 for a co-pay. He probably pays less than 1% of his income toward health care.

I pay over 10%.

My brother, self employed with family, pays close to 25%.

[whiskeytangofoxtrot451]

Actually, the funniest thing was, before he came to Fox and started proclaiming how great our health care system is, when he was recovering from botched hemorrhoid surgery, he sung a much different tune about our health care system. He used to complain about how horrible it was. He changed his mind right about the time Obama got the health care reform ball rolling. Which I'm sure is just a total coincidence.

[BlueOnBlue]

With health care insurance, you make a bet that you WILL get sick. If you don't get sick, they win. If you do get sick. Hey, you're sick!

Yep. Good product.

[LemonMeringue]

What Beck REALLY things about our health care system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX1rLv_hNeI

[lightningbolt]

Health insurance companies have declared war on us. Maybe we need to go protest in mass at their headquarters, and if the still don't listen, we should destroy their headquarters. This is a life and death situation, and if the government won't enforce the law, the people should take it into their own hands.

[Samalabear]

People have been doing that and getting arrested, too. You need to hang out at Common Dreams and other sites, like PNHP, to get this info. The MSM simply doesn't broadcast it. People have also protested at Pelosi's office and Lieberman's in the last week for a robust public option and been arrested. Interestingly when people protested at Boehner's office to show him that there were Americans who wanted a strong public option they weren't arrested. It's really crazy.

[lightningbolt]

I do remember reading about the protesters at Wellpoint getting arrested. The problem is that there aren't enough protesters. If more people showed up at the protests, the police would have a very hard time arresting everyone.

[MyrtleJune]

I dont' care what his jerk thinks or does. I DO care what he DID do and it seemed to work just fine. After all look at the POS health care bill they're going to be voting on. Good job jerk!!!