Why The Freedom Caucus Supports The Healthcare Bill | Morning Joe

THAT. T'S GET INTO SOME OF THE
THINGS HE'S TRYING TO GET DONE THAT HE HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO
YET. A DEAL TO OVERHAUL HEALTH CARE
POLICY IN AMERICA APPEARS TO BE GETTING A BIT CLOSER.
CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF THE FREEDOM CAUCUS CAME OUT IN
SUPPORT OF THE NEW AGREEMENT. THE NEW AMENDMENT IS AN ATTEMPT
TO APPEASE SOME CONSERVATIVES BY ALLOWING STATES TO GET A WAIVER
FOR REGULATIONS ON INSURANCE COMPANIES THAT PROTECT PATIENTS
LIKE COVERAGE FOR THOSE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS AND
SO-CALLED ESSENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS, WHICH INCLUDE THINGS
LIKE E.R. VISITS AND MATERNITY CARE.
STATES WOULD HAVE TO SHOW THAT PEOPLE WITH HIGH HEALTH CARE
COSTS WILL BE COVERED EITHER THROUGH A HIGH RISK POOL OR
FEDERAL COST-SHARING PROGRAM. JOINING US NOW, REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN JIM JORDAN OF OHIO, A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE HOUSE
FREEDOM CAUCUS AND SERVED AS ITS FIRST CHAIRMAN.
CONGRESSMAN JORDAN, GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US THIS MORNING.
>> IT'S GOOD TO BE WITH YOU ALL. >> SO YOU HAVE MOVED INTO YES ON
THIS VOTE. YOU CAN GET BEHIND IT.
IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE FULL REPEAL OF OBAMACARE THAT YOU
SOUGHT, THE REPEAL OF OBAMACARE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP PROMISED SO
WHY ARE YOU GETTING BEHIND THIS? >> IT GIVES SOME STATES TO OPT
OUT OF THE REGULATIONS DRIVING UP PREMIUMS.
YOU'RE RIGHT, THIS IS NOT FULL REPEAL, BUT I AM CONVINCED WE
HAVE MADE A BILL BETTER BECAUSE OF OUR ENGAGEMENT, BECAUSE WE
HELD OUT ON THIS BILL. I'M ALSO CONVINCED THAT IF
STATES GET THIS WAIVER, PREMIUMS WILL COME DOWN FOR THOSE
FAMILIES WHO HAPPEN TO BE IN THOSE STATES.
SO I THINK THIS IS THE BEST WE'RE GOING TO GET RIGHT NOW IN
THE HOUSE BUT WE'VE GOT MORE WORK TO DO.
SO LET'S SEE IF THIS -- AND AGAIN, YOU PREFACE IT BY SAYING
THIS APPEASES CONSERVATIVES. THE MOTIVATION IS TO BRING DOWN
PREMIUMS. IF THIS AMENDMENT GOES IN AND
STATES DO THE OPTION, I THINK PREMIUMS WILL COME DOWN FOR
FAMILIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAPPEN TO BE IN THOSE RESPECTIVE
STATES. >> CONGRESSMAN, WHAT HAS CHANGED
SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU FROM THE LAST PROPOSED BILL THAT DIDN'T
EVEN GET A VOTE TO THIS BILL? WHAT FLIPPED YOU?
>> WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN FOCUSED ON BRINGING DOWN PREMIUMS.
WE NOW HAVE WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE ABLE-BODIED
INDIVIDUALS IN THE MEDICAID EXPANSION POPULATION.
THE INITIAL DRAFT KEPT OBAMACARE TAX INCREASES FOR A WHILE.
WE GET RID OF THOSE TAX INCREASES AND WE'RE AT LEAST
GOING TO GIVE THE OPTION FOR SOME STATES WHO WILL GET THIS
WAIVER TO LOWER PREMIUMS. IN THE END WE SAID, LOOK, JUST
THE MAKEUP OF CONGRESS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THE
FULL REPEAL WE TOLD THE VOTERS. SO WE'VE GOT MORE WORK TO DO BUT
WE BELIEVE THIS IS THE BEST PLAN WE CAN GET OUT OF THE HOUSE
RIGHT NOW. WE'LL SEND IT TO THE SENATE AND
SOME OF OUR CONSERVATIVE COLLEAGUES WILL HAVE MORE WORK
TO DO TO ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH WHAT THE VOTERS SENT US HERE TO
DO. >> THE POLL NUMBERS IN OBAMACARE
ARE RISING AS THIS PROCESS UNFOLDS.
HOW IS IT THAT MORE AND MORE AMERICANS ARE COMING TO SUPPORT
THE OLD PROGRAM AS YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUE ARE DEBATING HOW TO
DISMANTLE THE PROGRAM? >> PART OF IT IS DRIVEN BY THE
LEGISLATION THAT WAS ROLLED OUT AND THE LACK OF PROCESS THAT WAS
EMPLOYED WITH THE BILL. YOU KNOW, THE BILL -- THE
AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT ONLY HAD 17% OF THE POPULATION
SUPPORTED IT, SO IT'S A GOOD THING WE DID ENGAGE AND TRY TO
MAKE THIS LEGISLATION BETTER. I THINK PART OF IT IS DRIVEN BY
THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET INTO
THESE DEBATES, THEY'RE PRETTY CONTENTIOUS SOMETIMES, BUT WHAT
WE TOLD THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WAS THAT WE WOULD GET RID OF THIS
LAW. EVERYONE KNOWS OBAMACARE HAS
BEEN A PROBLEM. ALL THE THINGS WE ARE INITIALLY
TOLD ABOUT THIS LAW THAT TURNED OUT TO BE FALSE, LIKE YOUR PLAN,
KEEP YOUR PLAN, LIKE YOUR DOCTOR, KEEP YOUR DOCTOR,
PREMIUMS WILL DECLINE, THAT WE WERE TOLD INITIALLY THE WEBSITE
WOULD WORK, THE WEBSITE WAS SECURE, ON AND ON AND ON.
LET'S DO THE BEST WE CAN RIGHT NOW AND WE THINK WITH THIS
AMENDMENT THIS IS THE BEST WE'RE GOING TO GET.
LET'S PASS IT, MOVE IT OVER TO THE SENATE AND KEEP WORKING.
>> MARK HALPERIN HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU.
>> CONGRESSMAN, GOOD MORNING. HOW CLOSE ARE YOU NOW AS PART OF
SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO PASS THIS TO A MAJORITY AND WHEN DO YOU
THINK THE VOTE WOULD BE? >> I THINK WE'RE CLOSE.
YOU'D HAVE TO ASK THE WHIP TEAM AND THE LEADERSHIP BUT I THINK
WE'RE REAL CLOSE. WHEN THAT HAPPENS IS WHEN WE
HAVE THE VOTES, SO WE WILL SEE. I THINK WE'RE CLOSE TO GETTING
AN AGREEMENT AND WE CAN GET IT TO THE SENATE AND THE HOST OF
OTHER THINGS TO DEAL, WITH SECURING THE BORDER, REFORMING
THE TAX BILL. >> ARE YOU TROUBLED BY THE FACT
THAT THIS VOTE WILL TAKE PLACE WITHOUT AN ESTIMATE FROM CBO AND
MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC WON'T KNOW WHAT THIS BILL IS ABOUT?
>> LOOK, YOU CAN -- CBO HAS BEEN RIGHT MANY TIMES AND ALSO BEEN
WRONG SOMETIMES. I'M MORE FOCUSED ON WHAT THIS
LEGISLATION IS GOING TO DO FOR
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, BRINGING DOWN PREMIUMS FOR FAMILIES.
WE SHOULD KEEP WORKING TO FULLY REPEAL ALL OF OBAMACARE SO
THAT'S MY FOCUS. I HOPE WE GET A CBO SCORE, BUT
IF WE DON'T, LET'S GET FOCUSED ON THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO
AMERICAN FAMILIES. THAT'S WHERE I PUT MY EMPHASIS.
>> CONGRESSMAN, YOU AND THE GOVERNOR OF YOUR STATE, JOHN
KASICH, HAVE DISAGREED ADAMANTLY ON THE HEALTH CARE DEBATE
PARTICULARLY ABOUT MEDICAID EXPANSION WHICH HE SIGNED ON FOR
FOR THE STATE OF OHIO AND SAID IT'S CRITICAL TO MANY HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THOSE PEOPLE
THAT MIGHT NOT GET THAT COVERAGE?
>> WE'RE TRYING TO BRING BACK AFFORDABLE COVERAGE.
THIS IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOME OF US WHO BELIEVE SUCCESS
SHOULD BE BRINGING BACK AFFORDABLE COVERAGE IN THE
PRIVATE SECTOR WHERE PEOPLE CAN SHOP AND BUY THE POLICY THAT
FITS THEIR FAMILY'S NEEDS AND SIGNING UP FOR A GOVERNMENT
PROGRAM. I DEFINE SUCCESS AS LOWERING THE
PREMIUMS SO PEOPLE CAN CHOOSE THE PLAN THAT FITS THEIR NEEDS
AND FITS THEIR FAMILY. THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO BRING
BACK, AFFORDABLE INSURANCE, LOWER HEALTH CARE COSTS.
AND CHOICE FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES, NOT JUST SIGNING
PEOPLE UP FOR A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM.
>> CAN YOU GUARANTEE IF THIS BILL BECOMES LAW THAT THOSE
COVERED BY MEDICAID EXPANSION WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF AND
COVERED? THEY HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT
THIS MORNING? >> THE LAW ALLOWS FOR THE
MEDICAID EXPANSION TO CONTINUE. IT FLAT OUT DOES THAT.
NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING I AGREE WITH, BUT IT'S IN THE
LEGISLATION. WHAT WE CHOSE TO FOCUS ON IS THE
THINGS I SAID BEFORE, CONSERVATIVES ENGAGED IN THIS
DEBATE. WE GOT WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR
SOME OF THOSE SAME PEOPLE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, MARK.
WE ALSO HAVE TAX INCREASES UNDER OBAMACARE GOING RIGHT AWAY AND
NOW WE HAVE THE OPTION IN THIS BILL FOR STATES TO SEEK THAT
WAIVER AND LOWER PREMIUMS IN THEIR STATE.
THOSE ARE THREE GOOD THINGS THAT WILL HELP AMERICAN FAMILIES.
>> DO YOU THINK THIS GETS THROUGH BEFORE I LET YOU GO?
DO YOU THINK IT WILL PASS THE HOUSE?
>> I THINK IT WILL PASS

Why The Freedom Caucus Supports The Healthcare Bill | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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