Doesn’t it always seem that when things get the darkest that the heroes appear? That only used to be in the funny papers; now it’s taking place in real life.

The darkness I refer to is where we Americans find ourselves at this moment in history. We are pandemic-shocked, staggering from job loss and wondering how we are going to meet the rent or mortgage.

And then we get the medical bill. In addition to incomprehensible medical codes and crippling charges we notice the even-more-unbelievable amounts of-nickles-and-dimes being extracted from us by our friendly insurance carriers.

Co-Insurance. Deductibles. Co-Pays. Oh, My.

Fact: millions of Americans lured into health plans with high deductibles, copayments and coinsurance are skipping doctor visits and walking away from the pharmacy counter without getting the help they need, sometimes even life-saving medications.

Fact: More than 40% of people who have coverage on the individual market and nearly 30% of people with coverage through their employers, are deemed underinsured according to the Commonwealth Fund. As there are no effective controls on the profit-hungry, these numbers will increase every year.

Fact: The out-of-pocket maximum for 2021 has increased to $8,550 for an individual and $17,100 for a family. When the Federal Reserves declares that four in ten Americans do not have enough in reserves to cover a $400 emergency – you KNOW that Americans at any moment will enter medical debt hell.

That’s the real life, taking place now.

It’s time for a hero – many heroes – to coalesce and fight back

Wendell Potter, America’s Favorite Whistleblower, is the Let’s Rethink This superhero (#3 in our series) to answer the call. If there is anyone well equipped to reveal how duplicitous and greedy the insurance industry is, it is a man who spent much of his professional career as a PR spin-Meister for his employers.

Wendell is a former health insurance company executive who became the industry’s worst nightmare. Wendell walked away from his job at Cigna, the big health insurance corporation, in 2008 after what he has described as a crisis of conscience. Now, Wendell is President of two organizations -- Business for Medicare for All and Medicare for All NOW -- working to end the employer-based health insurance system and guarantee health care for all Americans.

The New York Times called his first book – Deadly Spin – “a tour de force.” Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin called his most recent book – Nation on the Take — “a stirring guide for how we can work together to reclaim our democracy and reunify our country.”

Well, he’s at it again – that patient activism stuff – and this time featured as LRT’s Rethink Hero as drawn by our esteemed graphic novel artist, Vic Guiza. This time our superman is reaching out to bring others who are heroes in their own right to create a coalition to remove out-of-pocket (OOP) medical expenses from any healthcare billing.

We are talking about representatives from health care, business, patient groups, providers, social justice organizations and other influencers to raise awareness of the problem and educated the public as to why eliminating or substantially reducing OOP expenses is an essential step to improving the country’s health and economic wellbeing.

Wendell intends to formally announce the group’s formation and launch sometime within the next week or so.

They’re gonna be coming for you, Big Insurance. Isn’t that super?