MSNBC "The Ed Show" -Transcript

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SEN. JOHN BARRASSO ®, WYOMING: Great to be with you, Ed.

SCHULTZ: You bet. Senator, do you think that Anthem, which operates mostly in California and has jacked their rates up on consumers--do you think they should have to explain that to the American people?

BARRASSO: I think insurance companies should have to explain all their rate increases to the American people. That"s why I"m delighted that the president has called for an open meeting with Republicans and Democrats to come together to take a look at ways that we can actually help reform--you said health care and he said health insurance.

Fundamentally, we know that the system is flawed. And we need to improve the system, Ed. We need to do something. Doing nothing isn"t enough.

SCHULTZ: So you support Kathleen Sebelius and her call for transparency from that insurance company? Am I hearing that correctly?

BARRASSO: I want transparency. I want to have patient centered reform. I"m not going to defend insurance companies. We need to ask insurance companies every time they raise rates, this company or any company. The American people deserve explanations. They deserve explanations from elected representatives. They deserve explanations from insurance companies. You better believe it.

SCHULTZ: Senator, why won"t the Republican leadership go for the president"s proposal to bring in both Democratic and Republican leaders and have an open conversation about health care insurance reform in this country? Would you go along with that? And why are they not balking at that?

BARRASSO: I would go along with that. I think we need an open discussion. What we need to do between now and this meeting, Thursday, a week from now, after President"s Day, is have all of the members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, go home and have town hall meetings, listen to the people from their districts, and then come to that meeting with the president and say, Mr. President, this is what I heard.

What I"ve been hearing in Wyoming is people opposed to the bill that passed the Senate, that raises taxes and cut Medicare by a half a trillion dollars, and is going to increase premiums for people who have insurance. So I"d say even though the Democrats have been told, don"t have town hall meetings; we don"t want to start that up again; go home, trust the people, listen to them, and then come back to Washington with you best ideas, so we can get health care reform.

SCHULTZ: Senator, what would you say to someone in your state that comes up to you and says, I"ve got a preexisting condition and I can"t get health insurance. What would be your solution to that?

BARRASSO: Ed, there are about a million and a half of those people,

certainly those in Wyoming as well, Ed. We have a high risk pool in

Wyoming. It"s still too expensive. We need ways to help. There are 34

states that have high risk pools to help people with preexisting

conditions. I think, fundamentally, we have to help people with

preexisting conditions get coverage. That"s a big part of it. We need to

do that. We need to give people more choices and if they truly need help -

-

SCHULTZ: Senator, it"s not the cost. They will not be covered because they have a preexisting condition. And so whether they go across state lines or no matter what company they are dealing with, they can"t get insurance. What do you say to those people? I think that"s what the president really wants to hear the Republicans answer.

BARRASSO: Thirty four states, Ed, have high risk pools to deal with people with preexisting conditions. That means there"s 16 states that don"t have pools like that. We need to take the best ideas that work in each state and make sure that every state uses that for people with preexisting conditions. And you"re right, there are over a million and a half people that have preexisting conditions, and they need to be covered.

SCHULTZ: Where did the Republicans stand on anti-trust exemption?

Where do you stand on it?

BARRASSO: I think we ought to allow people to buy insurance across state lines and give those people the same tax breaks as the big companies have. That"s the way you cover about 12 million people that don"t have insurance right now. We need health care reform, Ed.

SCHULTZ: Can you go back and tell Leader McConnell that you really think it"s a good idea that we do this on television with the president and the Democratic leadership? Don"t the American people deserve that?

BARRASSO: I"ve asked for transparency for the last year. I"m delighted that the president finally, after finding himself really on the ropes here, has said, now we better invite in the other side.

SCHULTZ: But your leadership is saying no, we don"t want to do that.

It looks like a political ploy.

BARRASSO: I"m not going to be participating in a political ploy. I"m going to say we need health care reform. We need the American people engaged in this. And we need to have more transparency and openness and a sharing of ideas. But let"s have all members of Congress go home and have town halls next week, and then come back to Washington the following week, and share those ideas, which will make sure people have enough choices, for people that really need help--I"m talking about American citizens that really need help. We need to be able to help them and get better opportunities.

SCHULTZ: Wyoming Senator John Barrasso here with us on THE ED SHOW.

Thank you, senator. Appreciate your time.

BARRASSO: Thanks, Ed.

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