MSNBC "The Rachel Maddow Show" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Lauren Underwood

Interview

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MADDOW:  In the middle of everything else going on in our politics right now, the White House announced late last night that they want to take away health care from tens of millions of Americans.  The Trump Justice Department now says they will no longer defend any part of the Affordable Care Act, any part of Obamacare in the courts.  They want to kill the whole thing. 
 
Ending that law will throw 21 million Americans off their health insurance, 21 million.  Ending that law will mean that another 133 million Americans can be thrown off their coverage or denied coverage because they have a pre-existing condition of some kind.  Ending that law means that young Americans will no longer be able to stay on their parents` health plan until the age of 26. 
 
I mean, this stuff is popular, right?  Are you on Medicare?  You know someone on Medicare getting your diabetes checks for free because that`s part of preventive care.  Let`s get rid of that. 
 
I mean, getting rid of this law is going to come with very big human and political costs.  You can tell that, partly, from the way Democrats campaigned more on saving health care than on anything else and thereby won control of Congress last year.  You can also tell As the Trump administration was trying to haul the Affordable Care Act out back of the barn. 
 
While Trump and the Republicans were figuring out a new approach to try to kill it, House Democrats were simultaneously announcing their own plan to strengthen Obamacare, to make the coverage better and more affordable for more people.  Democrats ran on this last year more than they ran on anything else.  They won on this.  And now they are working on this and the Trump administration has just gotten more aggressive against the Affordable Care Act, against health insurance coverage that people have been enjoying in this country now for years than they have ever been before. 
 
Joining us now is Congresswoman Lauren Underwood.  She`s a registered nurse.  She`s a newly elected member of Congress.  She`s a Democrat from Illinois.  She ran strongly on support for the Affordable Care Act. 
 
Congresswoman Underwood, it`s real pleasure to have you here.  Thank you for making time for us tonight. 
 
REP. LAUREN UNDERWOOD (D), ILLINOIS:  Thank you so much. 
 
MADDOW:  So, you are one of the new members of Congress who really ran explicitly on saving and strengthening Obamacare.  Last year before you were sworn in, there was this federal judge in Texas who struck down the Affordable Care Act.  That ruling was appealed.  Now, the Justice Department is agreeing with that Texas judge. 
 
What`s your reaction to this move by the Trump administration and how serious do you think it is? 
 
UNDERWOOD:  I think that the Trump administration just can`t take a hint.  You are absolutely correct, Rachel, in that the American people clearly spoke in the November elections when they sent me and my colleagues here to protect our health care coverage and to make it more affordable.  Their actions last night were uncalled for and they`re really alarming because we know that this touches the lives of so many Americans around the country who are counting on this really important health care coverage to live healthy, well lives. 
 
MADDOW:  You, Congresswoman, are not from a super blue state, you`re not from a place that -- where Democrats really don`t have to compete.  You are from a purple district.  You flipped your seat from red to blue. 
 
I wonder when you were campaigning on this issue, when you were doing the shoe leather work it took to win this seat how much this was something that your potential constituents, your now constituents raised with you, whether the worries about health care, whether concerns about health care and health care costs were something that your district wanted to put front and center. 
 
UNDERWOOD:  The people across Northern Illinois know that we fought to save our health care coverage in the summer of 2017.  It was because of our activism and our outreach and our continued advocacy that we even have the Affordable Care Act that remains the law of the land today. 
 
As I was campaigning, I heard from so many families that their drug prices were too high, their premium prices were too high, that they were sacrificing to pay their premium and they couldn`t afford to use their coverage, they couldn`t afford to go and see a provider.  I had a dental hygienist from a town called Oswego in Illinois tell me she had to decide between heat and health care this winter.  And that her teenage son was really struggling with that type of decision because he knew how important health care was for his mom`s health and his own with pre-existing conditions.
 
And so, these are vital protections that the American people count on every day.  And the idea that it could just be unilaterally taken away by a presidential administration that is choosing not to defend an existing law on the books that benefits, as you said, millions of Americans, 21 million Americans have coverage thanks to the ACA, but the consumer protections extend to the whole country, right?  Hundreds of millions of Americans take advantage of these pre-existing condition protections, keeping their kids on their health insurance plans, and having the benefit of preventive care, free screenings and vaccinations, the contraceptive coverage. 
 
All these aspects of the Affordable Care Act that are incredibly popular that now are under threat because the Justice Department is not defending the law. 
 
However, House Democrats from the very first day that we were sworn in in January, we voted to protect and defend this law. 
 
MADDOW:  I know, Congresswoman, one of the reasons I want to talk to you tonight is I know as part of that House Democratic effort to not just save Obamacare but actually to expand on it and strengthen it, these issues that Democrats have been trying to roll out while the Trump administration is coming great guns the other direction.  I know that you actually have a bill that`s part of that and I know a lot of freshmen members of Congress don`t get anywhere near legislation that has a chance of passing.  You have been right up there on stuff Democrats have made a priority. 
 
Can you just tell us what your part of that bill is -- with what`s that about? 
 
UNDERWOOD:  So, today, we unveiled a package that will improve on the Affordable Care Act.  My bill HR-1868 would allow for Americans who need access to the advanced premium tax credits, to be able to qualify for those so they can have more affordable health insurance coverage.  No American under this bill would pay more than 8.5 percent of their total income on premium prices.  So, that would lower premium prices for 10 million Americans and allow an additional 9 million folks to be able to get access to coverage. 
 
So, we`re talking nearly 20 million people who are impacted by this change in our bill. 
 
MADDOW:  Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Democrat of Illinois, freshman member of Congress -- I really appreciate your time tonight.  And as always, any time you want to come back on the show, and let us know what you`re up to.  We`d be happy to have you back here.  I`m really happy to have you here.
 
UNDERWOOD:  Thank you so much, Rachel.  Really appreciate it. 

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