GOP Senator Bill Cassidy On Health Bill: I Don't Like The Process | Morning Joe

ARE TELLING YOU HOW TOLL LIVE AND WHAT CHOICE TO MAKE.
I THINK THERE'S A NATURAL HUMAN TENDENCY TO REBEL AGAINST THAT.
>> JOINING US NOW, REPUBLICAN SENATOR BILL CASSIDY OF
LOUISIANA. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING ON
THE SHOW THIS MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING.
>> BEFORE WE GET TO HEALTH CARE, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE REPUBLICAN
TAKEAWAYS ARE FROM THE BIG WIN LAST NIGHT IN GEORGIA?
>> I THINK STEVE'S POINTS WERE RIGHT ON.
I ALSO THINK THAT THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES TO BE A CENTER
RIGHT. THEY DON'T WANT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO.
SOMEBODY MENTIONED OUTSIDERS. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS THE
THE ULTIMATE OUTSIDER. AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE KIND
OF SICK OF THAT. AND SO, WHEN BERNIE SANDERS
SAYS, ENDORSES THE FELLOW, THAT'S THE EPITOME OF TELL YOU
HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIVES. AGAIN, DON'T WANT THAT.
>> ALL RIGHT. LET'S MOVE ON TO HEALTH CARE.
HAVE YOU SEEN THE BILL? >> NO, WE'VE DISCUSSED IT IN
GREAT DETAIL, BUT I HAVE SEEN WRITING ON A PIECE OF PAPER, I
HAVE NOT. >> OKAY.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE IF YOU WERE TO SEE IT?
>> YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORT TO STABILIZE THE INDIVIDUAL
MARKET. OBVIOUSLY, BEFORE PRESIDENT
TRUMP TOOK OFFICE, ABOUT 11 STATES WERE IN A SO-CALLED DEATH
SPIRAL IN THE INDIVIDUAL MARKET. SINCE, OTHERS HAVE JOINED.
YOU CAN ARGUE WHY, AND AT THIS POINT, THE PERSON PAYING $40,000
FOR INSURANCE DOESN'T CARE. THEY JUST WANT IT FIXED.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORT TO THAT.
AND THERE IS A LOT OF CONSIDERATION ON WHAT WE DO WITH
MEDICAID, AS WELL. >> I GUESS, IT'S HARD TO ASK IF
YOU'RE SATISFIED WITH IT, WHEN YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT.
DO YOU THINK YOU'LL GET A CHANCE TO SEE IT AND REALLY READ THE
WHOLE THING, TO BE ABLE TO REALLY SAY WHETHER OR NOT THIS
IS SATISFACTORY? >> IF I DON'T GET TO READ IT, I
DON'T VOTE FOR IT. IF I DON'T GET TO STUDY IT, I
DON'T VOTE FOR IT. IT'S JUST A QUESTION -- WE HAVE
A PRETTY DETAILED DISCUSSION AS TO WHAT WE WISH TO DO.
I'M NOT DEFENDING THE PROCESS. I DON'T LIKE THE PROCESS.
BUT THAT SAID, I CAN SIT AROUND AND COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PROCESS
OR DIG IN AND TRY TO MAKE IT BETTER.
>> SENATOR, IT'S WILLIE GEIST. GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS MORNING.
THERE ARE A LOT OF REPUBLICANS, NOT JUST DEMOCRATS, WHO ARE
WORRIED ABOUT THE ROLLBACK OF MEDICAID EXPANSION.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT, WHAT MIGHT BE INSIDE THE BILL FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY ENJOYING THE BENEFITS AND ARE
WORRIED THEY WON'T BE COVERED IF THIS BECOMES LAW?
>> THERE'S A COUPLE OF WAYS THAT CAN GO.
LET ME GIVE THE BETTER WAY. ONE THING THAT IS NOT FULLY
APPRECIATED IS THAT THE CURRENT MEDICAID EXPANSION IS NOT
SUSTAINABLE FOR STATES. STATES WILL BE PICKING UP 10% OF
THAT EXPENSE IN 2020. FOR CALIFORNIA, THAT WILL BE
$2.2 BILLION A YEAR. MY STATE, $310 MILLION, MUCH
SMALLER STATE. YOU CAN GO AROUND THE NATION.
THE STATES THAT EXPANDED CANNOT AFFORD THEIR 10%.
THERE'S SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE FOR
BOTH THE STATE TAXPAYER AND THE FEDERAL.
WE'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF THE PATIENT.
I'M A DOC. WE'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF THE
PATIENT. AND THAT'S THE SWEET SPOT WE'RE
SEARCHING MORE. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEONE
JOHN KASICH IN OHIO WHO SAYS,
YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN MY
STATE? >> KASICH HAS RECOMMENDED IN
PRIVATE, MAYBE NOT IN PUBLIC, ROLLING BACK THAT 138 FEDERAL
POVERTY LEVEL TO 100%. BUT WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO IF YOU
DO THAT IS FOR THE CREDITS TO GO FOR FOLKS GETTING THEIR
INSURANCE THROUGH THE EXCHANGE. IT HAS TO BE MORE GENEROUS.
SO THERE'S NOT A BIG CLIFF COMING OFF OF 100%.
IF WE CAN DO THAT, AND AGAIN, WE DON'T KNOW THE SIZE OF THOSE
CREDITS, YET. I DON'T, AT LEAST.
THEN YOU CAN ACTUALLY TRANSITION PEOPLE AND MAKE THE PROGRAM
SUSTAINABLE FOR THE STATE TAXPAYER AND THE FEDERAL
TAXPAYER. >> ARE YOU COMFORTABLE AS A
SENATOR AND AS A PHYSICIAN THAT ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT
FROM MEDICAID RIGHT NOW, WHOSE HEALTH CARE IS TAKEN CARE OF BY
MEDICAID, THAT THEY'LL BE OKAY? THERE WON'T BE SOME BIG GAP IN
THE MIDDLE AS THEY TRANSITION IF THIS BECOMES LAW?
>> PUT IT THIS WAY. I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT.
I'VE NOT SEEN WRITING ON A PIECE OF PAPER.
BUT THAT'S WHAT I'M HOPING FOR. LET ME MENTION ONE THING.
SOMETHING IN THE PATIENT FREEDOM ACT, SOMETHING SUSAN COLLINS AND
FOUR OTHER REPUBLICAN SENATORS PUT UP, ALLOWS SOMETHING CALLED
AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT. SOMEBODY WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR A
PROGRAM IS ENROLLED UNLESS THEY CHOOSE NOT TO BE.
I ASKED TOM PRICE YESTERDAY, COULD THEY PUT THROUGH AT WAIVER
PROCESS THE STATE APPLIED AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPROVED
FOR AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT INTO MEDICAID?
HE SAID, YES, HE THINKS HE HAS THAT AUTHORITY.
THINK ABOUT THAT. THE MENTALLY ILL PATIENT LIVING
BENEATH THE PARK BENCH WHO CURRENTLY IS NEVER ENROLLED, BUT
IF HE IS ENROLLED COULD GET THE MEDICATION TO PUT HIM BACK INTO
SOCIETY COULD BE ENROLLED THROUGH A PROCESS SUCH AS THIS,
MAKING HIM AUTOMATICALLY ELIGIBLE FOR THE MEDICATIONS HE
NEEDS FOR WHOLENESS. IN THAT CASE, THIS WOULD BE AN
IMPROVEMENT OVER STATUS QUO. >> SENATOR, IT'S STEVE KORNACKI.
IN THE RUN-UP TO THAT SPECIAL ELECTION IN GEORGIA YESTERDAY,
THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK THAT IF THE DEMOCRAT WON THAT RACE, YOU
MIGHT HAVE SOME WAVERING REPUBLICANS LOOKING AT THIS
HEALTH CARE BILL, WHETHER IF IT WAS IN THE SENATE OR WENT BACK
TO THE HOUSE, WHO LOOKED AT IT AND SAID, MAYBE WE BETTER THINK
TWICE BEFORE MOVING FORWARD ON THIS.
NOW THAT THE REPUBLICAN HAS ACTUALLY WON THAT RACE BY FOUR
POINTS LAST NIGHT, WHAT EFFECT DO YOU THINK THAT'S GOING TO
HAVE ON YOUR COLLEAGUES AS THEY CONSIDER THE POLITICS OF THIS
BILL? >> I THINK A BIGGER EFFECT THAN
THAT IS THE FACT THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS BOTH BEEN IN A LUNCH
WITH SENATORS AND TWEETS AND INTERVIEWS SAID THAT HE THINKS
THE SENATE BILL SHOULD BE MORE GENEROUS.
DURING THE CAMPAIGN, HE SAID HE WANTED ALL COVERED, CARING FOR
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, ELIMINATING MANDATES, BUT
LOWERING PREMIUMS. IF WE CAN ACHIEVE PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S GOALS, HIS CONTRACT WITH THE VOTER, WE WILL HAVE ACHIEVED
A LOT. I THINK THE PRESIDENT'S TRYING
TO SUPPORT THAT EFFORT RIGHT NOW.
>> SENATOR CASSIDY, BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, I WANT TO ASK YOU
ABOUT YOUR FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, CONGRESSMAN STEVE SCALISE, AND
IF YOU CAN SHARE ANYTHING ABOUT HOW HE'S DOING TODAY?
>> I'VE JUST HEARD KIND OF THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE STAFF WHO
KNOW EACH OTHER, HE'S TWEETING, HE'S TALKING.
HIS BRAIN IS WORKING. YOU GOT A SENSE THAT HE WAS IN
SHOCK, AS A MEDICAL TERM, IN SHOCK WITH LOW BLOOD PRESSURE,
WHEN HE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL. HIS BRAIN IS WORKING
WONDERFULLY. HE'S TALKING TO HIS FAMILY.
THE DOCTORS ARE JUST KIND OF FLABBERGASTED HOW QUICKLY HE'S
IMPROVED. PRAYERS ARE WORKING.
THOUGHTS GOING OUT ARE APPRECIATED.
WE'RE ALL FOR SCALISE. >> WELL, THAT IS GREAT NEWS.
PLEASE

GOP Senator Bill Cassidy On Health Bill: I Don't Like The Process | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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