Rep. Ami Bera: This Was A Bad Vote | Hardball

STEPHANIE GOSS. WE'LL BE BACK TO CHECK IN LATER
AS THE PRESIDENT MAKES HIS ARRIVAL.
NOW TO THE HOUSE VOTE TO REPEAL OBAMACARE.
I'M JOINED BY STEVE RATNER, AN CHECK ADVISER TO PRESIDENT
OBAMA. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
CONGRESSMAN, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, THIS VOTE?
I NOTICE THAT REPUBLICANS SQUEAKED IT TODAY.
THEY ONLY HAD ONE EXTRA VOTE. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S 20 REPUBLICANS
DIDN'T WANT TO VOTE FOR IT AND A LOT MORE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE NOT
VOTED FOR IT. YOU HAD DID YOU SEE IT AS A
POLITICAL MOVE TODAY? >> AS A DOCTOR, A LOT OF THEM
KNEW THIS WAS A BAD BILL THAT WAS GOING TO HURT PATIENTS AND
CONSTITUENTS. THERE WAS A LOT OF ARM TWISTING
GOING ON. THIS WAS A BAD VOTE.
AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO HURT A LOT OF PATIENTS.
>> WHEN YOU'RE DOWN ON THE FLOOR, CAN YOU TELL THE PRESSURE
ON REPUBLICANS TO GET UP TO THE 217?
>> YEAH, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THAT LOOK OF ENTHUSIASM ON THEIR
FACE, PARTICULARLY THROUGHOUT THIS WEEK AS YOU SAW THEM KIND
OF TWIST ARMS AND WHIP THE VOTE HERE.
SO, AGAIN, I THINK A LOT OF THEM KNOW THIS WAS A VERY DIFFICULT
VOTE THAT'S GOING TO HURT A LOT OF THEIR OWN CONSTITUENTS.
>> LET ME GO TO STEVE. STEVE, I UNDERSTAND YOU'VE GOT A
REALLY GOOD ANALYSIS OF WHO THE WINNERS AND LOSERS ARE TO PUT IT
BLUNTLY UNDER THIS BILL. >> I DON'T THINK THERE ARE A LOT
OF WINNERS. I THINK THERE ARE A FAIR NUMBER
OF LOSERS. FIRST OF ALL, LET'S GO BACK TO
THE ORIGINAL BILL, WHICH INCLUDED MASSIVE CUTS IN
MEDICAID, MASSIVE CUTS IN SUBSIDIES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
ABOVE THE MEDICAID LEVEL BUT NOT REALLY ABLE TO PAY FOR
THEMSELVES, AND THEN THE NEW BILL ADDED TO THAT THE ABILITY
OF STATES TO GET OUT OF THE TEN BASIC REQUIREMENTS AS WELL AS TO
GET OUT OF THE REQUIREMENT THAT INSURERS CHARGE PEOPLE WITH
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS THE SAME AS PEOPLE WITHOUT THEM.
SO I CAN'T THINK OF MANY WINNERS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF LOSERS. >> HERE'S A CHART PUT OUT BY THE
CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS, A PROGRESSIVE THINK TANK.
IT SHOWS HOW MUCH MORE A YEAR SOME WITH CERTAIN
PRE-CONDITIONS, EXISTING CONDITIONS, MIGHT HAVE TO PAY
COMPARED TO A HEALTHY 40-YEAR-OLD PERSON.
FOR EXAMPLE, SOMEONE WITH METASTATIC CANCER WOULD PAY MORE
THAN $140,000 A YEAR. SOME WITH DEPRESSION WOULD PAY
AN EXTRA $8,500. SOMEONE WITH ASTHMA WOULD PAY
MORE THAN $4,000 MORE. I THINK DIABETES IS ABOUT
$5,000, WHICH MATTERS TO ME. THESE ARE REAL DIFFERENCES.
IN OTHER WORDS, THEY'VE BEEN THROWING THOSE PEOPLE INTO A
HIGH RISK POOL WHERE THEY'D HAVE TO PAY A LOT MORE.
>> YEAH, AND WE'VE TRIED HIGH RISK POOLS BEFORE AND THEY NEVER
WORK. WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS FOLKS
CAN'T GET THE HEALTH CARE THEY NEED.
THEY END UP ON WAITING LISTS. HOW DO YOU TELL SOMEONE WITH
CANCER, OH, YOU'VE GOT TO GO ON A WAITING LIST?
THAT'S WHY WE TOOK THE APPROACH WE DID WITH THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT, GUARANTEEING COVERAGE. THIS IS GOING TO TAKE HEALTH
CARE AWAY OR MAKE IT UNAFFORDABLE FOR MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS. >> THIS IDEA THAT FOR
$8 BILLION -- IT SEEMS A LOT OF MONEY, BUT IT'S OVER FIVE YEARS,
WHICH IS $1.5 BILLION A YEAR. THEY SAY -- I THINK IT IS A
BAND-AID ON THIS BILL. SO A WEEK AGO OR TWO WEEKS AGO,
THIS BILL WOULD NEVER PASS. THEY PUT THE BAND-AID ON IT AND
SAID WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THIS SUBSIDY.
WE'RE GOING TO WRITE A CHECK FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO
COVER THOSE PEOPLE, BUT NOBODY BELIEVES THE $1.5 BILLION A YEAR
WILL COVER ALL THE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY'S HEALTH INSURANCE
COSTS, MEDICINES, PILLS, DOCTORS, HOSPITALIZATION.
ALL OF THAT IS GOING TO BE COVERED FOR ABOUT $1.5 BILLION A
YEAR. NOBODY BELIEVES THAT.
>> I DON'T KNOW ANY HEALTH CARE EXPERT OR ECONOMIST THAT
BELIEVES THAT. THAT'S A DROP IN THE BUCKET FOR
WHAT'S NEEDED, AND I BET STEVE WOULD AGREE WITH THAT.
>> LET'S GO ALONG WITH THAT NUMBER BECAUSE IT LOOKED TO ME
AS A PALIATIVE AS A DOCTOR MIGHT SAY.
>> IT'S SUBMITTED IT WOULD COST ANYWHERE FROM $200 BILLION TO
$330 BILLION TO PROVIDE THESE HIGH-RISK POOLS THAT ARE
ADEQUATE TO COVER EVERYBODY. THE HOUSE BILL INCLUDED BEFORE
THE $8 BILLION, INCLUDED $130 BILLION TOWARD A VARIETY OF
THINGS, THANNING ONE OF THEM. THEN $8 BILLION WAS ADDED.
THE POINT IS THEY'RE UP TO $200 BILLION SHORT OF WHAT WOULD
BE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IN THE HIGH-RISK CATEGORY WITH
THE PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS GOT COVERAGE.
SO THE $8 BILLION, AS YOU SURMISED, IS A COMPLETE DROP IN
THE BUCKET. >> I COULD TELL THAT BECAUSE I
SAW THE ANALYSIS OF WHAT HAD BEEN SPENT BEFORE TO COVER THESE
HIGH RISK PATIENTS. THE BILL IS SURE TO FACE A
TOUGHER CHALLENGE WHEN IT HEADS TO THE SENATE.
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM TWEETED TODAY, A BILL, FINALIZED
YESTERDAY, HAS NOT BEEN SCORED. AMENDMENTS NOT ALLOWED.
THREE HOURS FINAL DEBATE. SHOULD BE VIEWED WITH CAUTION.
HERE'S SENATOR BOB CORKER THIS MORNING.
>> IS THERE ANY CHANCE IF IT PASSES THE HOUSE TODAY, IS THERE
ANY CHANCE FOR AN UP OR DOWN VOTE IN THE SENATE ON THE BILL
AS WRITTEN TO GET IT QUICKLY PASSED AND MOVE QUICKLY PAST THE
ISSUE FOR REPUBLICANS? >> NO.
>> ZERO? >> IT'S JUST THAT'S NOT THE WAY
IT'S GOING TO WORK. PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANT TO
IMPROVE IT. I DON'T SEE ANY WAY THAT IT GOES
BACK IN THE FORM THAT IT COMES. >> WELL, YOU KNOW, CONGRESSMAN,
HERE'S THE PROBLEM IF YOU'RE A REPUBLICAN AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
ONE OF THESE LOBBYISTS TRYING TO GET THIS THROUGH.
YOU KNOW YOU PASSED THIS WITH ONE VOTE TO SPEAR.
YOU HAD TO BEG THE FREEDOM CAUCUS PEOPLE.
YOU HAD TO TAKE THE MODERATE REPUBLICANS FROM A LOT OF
VULNERABLE SEATS IN PENNSYLVANIA LIKE BARLETTA, WHO WAS GOING TO
RUN AGAINST BOB CASEY FOR THE SENATE.
A LOT OF THESE GUYS FACE REAL PROBLEMS, SO YOU SQUEEZE THEM.
NOW HAVING SAID TO THEM, THIS IS AS BAD AS IT'S GOING TO GET, YOU
TAKE IT OVER TO THE SENATE. THE SENATE IS MUCH LESS RIGHT
WING. THE BILL COMES B

Rep. Ami Bera: This Was A Bad Vote | Hardball | MSNBC

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