OUT OF CONTROL SPENDERS TURN TO MONEY DETOX,
AIRING ON "20/20," FRIDAY, JULY 31 ON ABC
Plus: Convicted Murderer Phil Spector's Fourth Wife, Rachelle, Speaks to Chris Connelly
John Stossel on Healthcare
Close to 200 pairs of shoes, closetfuls of expensive jeans, stacks of cosmetics and fragrance candles, 100 tubes of lip gloss�32-year-old Nicki's shopping addiction was spinning out of control. Not only did she rack up a $38,000 credit card debt, for years she committed financial infidelity, lying to her husband about her spending. "I can deal with the fact that maybe I'm hurting myself. But the fact that I'm hurting my husband and my kids for something that they didn't even do, that they have no control over, that makes me pretty sick," she tells JuJu Chang. With nowhere else to turn, Nikki agreed to attend the only live-in week-long money treatment center in the country, located in Tennessee, joining eight other over-spenders from all over the country, each at their wits' end financially. Can a week of therapeutic exercises, role playing, meditation and group therapy lead to the root of the problem and then change the behavior? "20/20" cameras are there to find out, FRIDAY, JULY 31 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
And: There's nothing ordinary about Phil Spector. The legendary music producer wore wigs, brandished guns, made millions transforming rock 'n' roll with a big sound, then was convicted of murdering an aspiring starlet in his home. So what kind of woman would vow to stay with him "till death do us part"? That would be Rachelle Spector, the fourth Mrs. Spector, who speaks candidly to ABC News Contributing Correspondent Chris Connelly.
Plus: President Obama has been selling his plan for universal healthcare for everyone. But John Stossel says that what often sounds like a great idea has unintended consequences. Is insurance even a good thing? As Stossel questions: "Imagine what your life would be like if insurance paid for other things you buy. What if you had grocery insurance? You wouldn't care what things cost. Why use coupons? Why look for sales? I'll just buy�everything. My insurance company's paying." That increases costs, says Stossel: "When bills are paid with �other people's money,' costs skyrocket."
Many experts find apt comparisons to what may happen if government offers health insurance like Canada's single payer healthcare system. Canadian doctor David Gratzer, author of The Cure, thought the Canadian system was great until he started treating patients. "People line up for care, some of them die, that's what happens� You want to see your neurologist because of your stress headache? No problem! You just have to wait six months. You want an MRI? No problem! Free as the air! You just gotta wait six months," Dr. Gratzer tells Stossel.
"20/20" is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan is executive producer.
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