Wendell Potter
The Center for Health and Democracy's president, Wendell Potter is a leading advocate for health care reform in both the political arena and the marketplace. He is also the editor-in-chief of HEALTH CARE un-covered, which investigates and reports on health care corporations and insurance conglomerates. He frequently posts on X.
A New York Times bestselling author, Wendell returned to his first career of journalism after serving for two decades as head of communications for two of the country’s largest insurers, Cigna and Humana. He became an industry whistleblower when Congress was debating what became the Affordable Care Act. Wendell testifies before several Senate and House committees, pulling the curtains back on prevalent industry business practices that result in higher health care costs and a growing number of uninsured and underinsured Americans.
His first book, Deadly Spin, won numerous awards and is still used in journalism and health policy classes at universities across the country. He has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and many other publications, and has appeared frequently on CNN, NPR, MSNBC, Fox Business and other media outlets.
Rachel Madley, PhD
Executive Director
Rachel Madley, PhD is the Executive Director of the Center for Health and Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit that educates the public on structural barriers to affordable health care and advances policy reforms to lower costs and expand access to care. She advocates for health policy improvements by integrating rigorous policy analysis, deep insurance market expertise, and lived experience as a formerly uninsured and underinsured person with Type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Madley previously served as Health Policy Advisor to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, where she played a role in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which authorized Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and capped out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. In this role, she also advised on energy and environmental policy, gun violence prevention, and Social Security.
Prior to her work in Congress, Dr. Madley served in the Office of Legislation at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, providing technical assistance on proposed legislation and working directly with Members of Congress and staff on issues related to the agency’s regulatory and public health mission.
Dr. Madley received her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Columbia University, where her doctoral research, supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, focused on the genetic predisposition to autoimmunity. Her work identified differences in immune cell development in Type 1 diabetic immune systems using novel humanized models. During graduate school, she emerged as a national leader in Students for a National Health Program and Physicians for a National Health Program, drafting policy proposals, briefing legislators, and educating the public on the need for comprehensive health care reform.
Dr. Madley’s work has been featured in national media outlets including The New York Times, Newsweek, and Business Insider, as well as in peer-reviewed medical journals such as the Journal of Translational Autoimmunity.
Dr. Madley previously served as Health Policy Advisor to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, where she played a role in the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which authorized Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and capped out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. In this role, she also advised on energy and environmental policy, gun violence prevention, and Social Security.
Prior to her work in Congress, Dr. Madley served in the Office of Legislation at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, providing technical assistance on proposed legislation and working directly with Members of Congress and staff on issues related to the agency’s regulatory and public health mission.
Dr. Madley received her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Columbia University, where her doctoral research, supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, focused on the genetic predisposition to autoimmunity. Her work identified differences in immune cell development in Type 1 diabetic immune systems using novel humanized models. During graduate school, she emerged as a national leader in Students for a National Health Program and Physicians for a National Health Program, drafting policy proposals, briefing legislators, and educating the public on the need for comprehensive health care reform.
Dr. Madley’s work has been featured in national media outlets including The New York Times, Newsweek, and Business Insider, as well as in peer-reviewed medical journals such as the Journal of Translational Autoimmunity.
