Since appearing on Bill Moyers Journal three weeks ago, former Cigna Corporate Communications VP Wendell Potter has been labeled a healthcare whistleblower and a become a go-to source in articles about the reform debate.

In the past month, Potter’s name has appeared 154 times in the news, and in over 2,700 blog posts. The last time his name appeared in print so many times was in 2002 when Cigna was undergoing multiple rounds of layoffs.

This morning, columnist Stanley Crouch called him the “ammo for the elephant gun,” suggesting he is the best surrogate in the fight for healthcare reform. Ironically, Potter played a role in discrediting another surrogate for reform, “Sicko” filmmaker Michael Moore.

He explained to the St. Petersburg Times why the opposition to reform is gaining traction:

They’re using big PR firms to set up front groups to engage in activities that scare people away from reform. They’re warning of government takeover of the health care system, though nothing like that has been proposed. They’re saying a public plan is the slippery path to socialized medicine.

Potter is currently an independent consultant, and the Center for Media and Democracy’s Senior Fellow on health care.

You can catch part of the Moyers interview below, or visit PBS for the
interview and transcript. Keep an eye out for much more from this man in the coming weeks: