|
Confirmed User
Industry Role:
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Rock Hill, SC
Posts: 5,370
|
Transcript continued
Quote:
BAIER: I understand what you're ? I know you don't like to talk about process, but there are a lot of questions in these 18,000 that talk about process.
OBAMA: I understand being ?
(CROSSTALK)
BAIER: And there are a lot of people around America that have a problem with this process.
OBAMA: Bret, I ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: You called it an ugly process just last month.
OBAMA: I've got to tell ? I've got to say to you, there are a lot more people who are concerned about the fact that they may be losing their house or going bankrupt because of health care.
BAIER: OK, so we have ?
OBAMA: And so ? so the ? look ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: Deem and passed, Senate reconciliation and we don't know exactly what's in the fix bill. Do you still think ?
OBAMA: No, we will ? by the time the vote has taken place, not only I will know what's in it, you'll know what's in it because it's going to be posted and everybody's going to be able to able to evaluate it on the merits.
But here's the thing, Bret, I mean, the reason that I think this conversation ends up being a little frustrating is because the focus entirely is on Washington process. And yes, I have said that is an ugly process. It was ugly when Republicans were in charge, it was ugly were in Democrats were in charge.
BAIER: This is one-sixth of the U.S. economy, though, sir. One-sixth.
OBAMA: And, Bret, let me tell you something, the fact of the matter is that for the vast majority of people, their health care is not going to change because right now they're getting a better deal. The only thing that is going to change for them is is that they're going to have more security under their insurance and they're going to have a better situation when it comes to if they lose their job, heaven forbid, or somebody gets sick with a preexisting condition, they'll have more security. But, so ? so ?
BAIER: So how can you ?
(CROSS TALK)
OBAMA: ? the notion that ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: ? guarantee that they're not going to ?
(CROSS TALK)
OBAMA: ? so but ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: ? they're going to be able to keep their doctor ?
(CROSS TALK)
OBAMA: Bret, you've got to let me finish my answers ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: Sir, I know you don't like to filibuster, but ?
OBAMA: Well, I'm trying to answer your question and you keep on interrupting. So let me be clear.
Now, you keep on repeating the notion that it's one-sixth of the economy. Yes, it's one-sixth of the economy, but we're not transforming one-sixth of the economy all in one fell swoop. What we're saying is is that for the vast majority of people who have health care, they're going to be able to keep it. But what we are saying is that we should have some basic protections from insurance company abuses and that in order for us to do that, we are going to have to make some changes in the status quo that we've been debating for a year.
This notion that this has been not transparent, that people don't know what's in the bill, everybody knows what's in the bill. I sat for seven hours with ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: Mr. President, you couldn't tell me what the special deals are that are in or not today.
OBAMA: I just told you what was in and what was not in.
BAIER: Is Connecticut in?
OBAMA: Connecticut ? what are you specifically referring to?
BAIER: The $100 million for the hospital? Is Montana in for the asbestos program? Is ? you know, listen, there are people ? this is real money, people are worried about this stuff.
OBAMA: And as I said before, this ? the final provisions are going to be posted for many days before this thing passes, but ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: Let me get to some of the specifics on substance not process.
OBAMA: The only thing ?
(CROSSTALK)
BAIER: (INAUDIBLE)
OBAMA: ? the only thing I want to say, just to close up, is that when you talk about one-sixth of the economy, this is one-sixth of the economy that right now is a huge drag on the economy. Now, we can fix this in a way that is sensible, that is centrist. I have rejected a whole bunch of provisions that the left wanted that are ? you know, they were very adamant about because I thought it would be too disruptive to the system. But what we can't do is perpetuate a system in which millions of people day in and day out are having an enormously tough time and small businesses are sending me letters constantly saying that they are seeing their premiums increase 40, 50 percent.
BAIER: Mr. President, you said Monday that you praised the Congressional Budget Office numerous times. You also said this, this proposal makes Medicare stronger ? and you just said it to me here ?
OBAMA: Right.
BAIER: ? it makes coverage better, it makes its finances more secure, and anyone who says otherwise is misinformed or is trying to misinform you.
OBAMA: Right.
BAIER: The CBO has said specifically that the $500 billion that you say that you're going to save from Medicare is not being spent in Medicare. That this bill spends it elsewhere outside of Medicare. So you can't have both.
OBAMA: Right.
BAIER: You either spend it on expenditures or you make Medicare more solvent. So which is it?
OBAMA: Here's what it does. On the one hand what you're doing is you're eliminating insurance subsidies within Medicare that aren't making anybody healthier but are fattening the profits of insurance companies. Everybody agrees that that is not a wise way to spend money. Now, most of those savings go right back into helping seniors, for example, closing the donut hole.
When the previous Congress passed the prescription drug bill, what they did was they left a situation which after seniors had spent a certain amount of money, suddenly they got no help and they were stuck with the bill. Now that's a pretty expensive proposition fixing that. It wasn't paid for at the time that that bill was passed. So that money goes back into Medicare, both to fix the donut hole, lower premiums.
All those things are important, but what's also happening is each year we're spending less on Medicare overall and as consequence, that lengthens the trust fund and it's availability for seniors.
BAIER: Your chief actuary for Medicare said this, that cuts in Medicare: "cannot be simultaneously used to finance other federal outlays and extend the trust fund." That's your guy.
OBAMA: No ? and what is absolutely true is that this will not solve our whole Medicare problem. We're still going to have to fix Medicare over the long term.
BAIER: But it's $38 trillion in the hole.
OBAMA: Absolutely, and that's the reason that we're going to have to ? that's the reason I put forward a fiscal commission based on Republicans and Democratic proposals, to make sure that we have a long-term fix for the system. The key is that this proposal doesn't weaken Medicare, it makes it stronger for seniors currently who are receiving it. It doesn?t solve that big structural problem, Bret. Nobody's claiming that this piece of legislation is going to solve every problem that's been there for decades. What it does do is make sure that the trust fund is not going to be going bankrupt in seven years, according to their accounting rules ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: So you don't buy ?
OBAMA: ? and in the meantime ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: ? the CBO or the actuary that you can't have it both ways?
OBAMA: No ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: That you can't spend the money twice?
OBAMA: ? no, what is absolutely true and what I do agree with is that you can't say that you are saving on Medicare and then spend the money twice. What you can say is that we are going to take these savings, put them back to make sure that seniors are getting help on the prescription drug bill instead of that money going to, for example, insurance reform, and ?
(CROSS TALK)
BAIER: And you call this deficit neutral, but you also set aside the doctor fix, more than $200 billion. People look at this and say, how can it be deficit neutral?
OBAMA: But the ? as you well know, the doctors problem, as you mentioned, the "doctors fix," is one that has been there four years now. That wasn't of our making, and that has nothing to do with my health care bill. If I was not proposing a health care bill, right ? let's assume that I had never proposed health care.
BAIER: But you wanted to change Washington, Mr. President. And now you're doing it the same way.
OBAMA: Bret, let me finish my ? my answers here. Now, if suddenly, you've got, over the last decade, a problem that's been built up. And the suggestion is somehow that, because that's not fixed within this bill, that that's a reason to vote against the bill, that doesn't make any sense. That's a problem that I inherited. That was a problem that should have been solved a long time ago. It's a problem that needs to be solved, but it's not created by my bill. And I don't think you would dispute that.
|
|