MSNBC "The ED Show" - Transcript

Interview

MSNBC "The ED Show" - Transcript

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

For more, let me turn to Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming; he is also a doctor. I‘ve cooled off since the last time you and got into it, Senator.

So we‘ll start but let‘s make one ground rule here tonight. Don‘t tell me that—don‘t tell me that a government agent is going to get between me and my doctor. Let‘s just put that off limits for this conversation.

Now, I want to point out, today, the president was speaking to school kids and a kid got up and asked him this question. Here‘s the question from the school kid. Here it is.

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SEAN, STUDENT: Hi, my name is Sean. And my question is currently 36 countries have universal health coverage, Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been paid for by the United States. Why can‘t the United States have universal health coverage?

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SCHULTZ: Senator, I‘d like you to answer that question.

SEN. JOHN BARRASSO, ® WYOMING: Well, you take a look at universal health coverage. People come to the United States for health care if they can afford it. People come here because our survival rates for cancer are the highest in the world. People come here because we have the highest quality of care. And we need to do more to get the cost down for insurance cost, for American families, for small businesses. We need to get the cost of care down.

But this is still the best place...

SCHULTZ: Now, how do we do that?

BARRASSO: ...well, you could do a couple of things.

One, is you were starting to talk about insurance companies and the lack of competition in North Dakota, Ed. The reality is that people ought to be able to shop across state lines to buy health insurance. They‘ve got to do it just the way we do it—you see ads for Geico and other insurance companies, why not for health insurance?

But President Obama when he was in the senate voted against that. Why should we penalize people who buy their own insurance?

SCHULTZ: Senator you‘re telling us or you‘re telling our audience tonight that it is against the law for state employees or should I say residents of some states to go buy insurance in other states. Right, is that right?

BARRASSO: That‘s correct Ed.

SCHULTZ: Senator that‘s not true.

BARRASSO: You can‘t shop across state line...

SHULTZ: Senator, simply that is not true. That is not true; you can get health insurance where you want in this country.

BARRASSO: No you can‘t—you can‘t shop around. If you‘re living in Maine and you‘re a 30-year-old man it‘s going to cost you $725 for your health insurance because of the—Ed but if you‘re a 30-year-old man that‘s healthy in New Hampshire it‘s only going to be $222. Those young men in Maine want to buy health insurance in New Hampshire and they‘re blocked from doing it.

They have to pay $500 a month more, $6,000 a year more because of the Maine plan compared to New Hampshire plan.

SCHULTZ: Ok.

BARRASSO: ...people would love to be able to shop around and look and see what they want to buy and what they don‘t want to buy. You can‘t do that now in this country Ed.

SCHULTZ: I know that‘s not true but for the sake of moving the conversation on, is there anything that you would go along with, with a government-run insurance plan when the American people want it? The American people want it. Why not just let the president have what he wants? If you like your insurance, you can keep it. What‘s wrong with that?

BARRASSO: I don‘t believe that is what the American people want. And I‘ve been having town hall meetings, five different states; lots of meetings listening to people. And I‘ll tell you, people show up because they are absolutely concerned about their future, their health future, also the future of the country.

As James Carville said, it‘s the economy stupid. People are worried about this incredible amount of spending, the incredible amount of debt. All of these government takeovers...

SCHULTZ: But they‘re also worried...

BARRASSO: And I think that the government—go ahead, Ed.

SCHULTZ: But senator they‘re also worried about pre-existing conditions.

BARRASSO: Yes.

SCHULTZ: Now, are you willing to tell us tonight that this reform that‘s going to take place is going to have insurance companies all of a sudden get down on bended knee and say, gosh, we‘ve been making a mistake, we‘re going to take everybody who‘s got a pre-existing condition, because Obama wants us to.

Do you really think that‘s going to happen? It‘s not going to happen.

BARRASSO: If you can shop across state lines they should.

But if you take a look at this 1,000-page bill, Ed, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services says don‘t be distracted by the details. You had Representative Conyers on earlier that said, read the bill, why should I read the bill? It takes two days two lawyers to explain it to me.

SCHULTZ: Well now senator...

BARRASSO: You need to know what‘s in the bill.

SCHULTZ: And senator, you‘re a medical doctor.

BARRASSO: One of your previous guests said, Maxine Waters, you saw it from the Representative of Congress, I don‘t think the American people want a universal plan, if a plan where you have Canadian or British health care.

SCHULTZ: Sure they do. Absolutely they do. And those folks north of the border are very happy. Now, as far as reading the bill—it was your colleague, it was your colleague Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma said, he wasn‘t going to read it because he wasn‘t going to vote for it anyway.

So I mean, we‘re getting—but wait a minute. You are a medical doctor. Now, I know that you‘ve read books that are over 1,000 pages long. So I mean, this is what you guys in the Congress are paid to do is to read the bills.

And it shouldn‘t take you—you ought to be able to go on vacation for three days. You just had a month. And go down there and read the bill. So I can‘t accept you saying, well, it‘s too long, we can‘t read it. You know that Senator?

BARRASSO: Well, that‘s what you guest Representative Conyers said. I say people ought to read the bills because the detail is in the bills. Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services says don‘t be distracted by the details.

This is a personal thing for every American.

SCHULTZ: And you bet it is.

BARRASSO: Their lives are at stake. And you better believe that they want to know what the details are of the bill and they are going to be distracted by the details. And that‘s why I‘m hoping that people vote “b” on your question tonight. I hope people will check “b” that the president ought to be specific with his plan. Because that‘s what I think the American people want to hear.

And that‘s certainly what I want to hear.

SCHULTZ: Senator John Barrasso, great to have you with us tonight. I appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

BARRASSO: Thanks, Ed.

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