CBS "Face the Nation" - Transcript: Delaying Affordable Care Act and Glitches in HealthCare.gov

Interview

BOB SCHIEFFER: I want to go now to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Senator, thank you for joining us. The person who has been--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-New Hampshire): Good morning.

BOB SCHIEFFER: --brought in to fix Obamacare and the website told reporters Friday that the problems would be fixed by November thirtieth. Do you still want them to extend the time that people have to enroll in this program?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, let me begin by saying that I support the Affordable Care Act. I voted for it. I think it's important that we make it work for the millions of Americans who haven't been able to get health insurance at a price they can afford. And that's my goal. It's to fix it. And as you said, Jeff Zients, the person who's been brought in to address the website concerns, has indicated that he hopes to have it up and running by the end of November. I hope that's accurate. Because we have-- and we're hearing from lots of constituents in New Hampshire that they want to enroll in health insurance, but they can't because of the problems with the website. The rollout has been a disaster. And so what I am proposing is that we extend the period in which people can enroll, so we can make sure we get as many people who want health insurance able to enroll and be able to be covered.

BOB SCHIEFFER: And what-- as I understand at what ten Democrats have signed on to your proposal. But I guess what I would say is it-- and I talked to the White House yesterday about this, and they-- they would not criticize you, but they said it's really not going to be necessary to extend that deadline. So I guess I'd ask you, do you-- do you have faith in them? Do you believe that that can actually happen?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, I hope that's accurate because my goal is to fix the Affordable Care Act, to make sure people can get that access to health care. Unlike a lot of the proposals that we have seen from people whose goal is to repeal it to make sure it doesn't work, I want it to work and that's why I think extending the enrollment period. We're already a month in to the marketplaces--

BOB SCHIEFFER: So--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: --and the website and people are not able to enroll.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. So I mean just to cut to the chase here. So you want to-- you want to go ahead and extend that deadline, whether they're able to meet the current deadline or not? You still think that is necessary.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Let me-- let me just--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Let me.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Am I right or wrong, right? I mean--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, yes. The law said that people were going to have six months to enroll.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Okay.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: That they would not have to be subject to penalties until the end of that period, and that's the concern. You know, I-- I've heard from people like Kyle up in Lancaster, New Hampshire, who said he's gone to the website with his wife every day since October the first, and they've still not been able to enroll, and so I don't want them to feel like they have to be penalized if they can't enroll because the system is not working.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Same question I asked Chairman Issa--do you still have faith in Secretary Sebelius? The President says he does.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, I think our number one goal at this point is to get the marketplaces working, to make sure the website's working, to make sure that the millions of people who want to enroll in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act can do that. And there's going to be plenty of time to place blame on who is responsible for whether it should have worked on day one or didn't work or whatever. But right now, everybody's goal should be, let's get this working. Let's make sure that people can get the health care they want and need.

BOB SCHIEFFER: So you're not ready to say whether or not Secretary Sebelius should leave?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: I think it's too early to start placing blame. I think we need to-- to get the marketplaces working. We need to get the website working and we all ought to be focused on how we make sure that the people who want health care in this country can get enrolled and be covered.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. One final question, again, the same question I asked

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, let me begin by saying that I support the Affordable Care Act. I voted for it. I think it's important that we make it work for the millions of Americans who haven't been able to get health insurance at a price they can afford. And that's my goal. It's to fix it. And as you said, Jeff Zients, the person who's been brought in to address the website concerns, has indicated that he hopes to have it up and running by the end of November. I hope that's accurate. Because we have-- and we're hearing from lots of constituents in New Hampshire that they want to enroll in health insurance, but they can't because of the problems with the website. The rollout has been a disaster. And so what I am proposing is that we extend the period in which people can enroll, so we can make sure we get as many people who want health insurance able to enroll and be able to be covered.

BOB SCHIEFFER: And what-- as I understand at what ten Democrats have signed on to your proposal. But I guess what I would say is it-- and I talked to the White House yesterday about this, and they-- they would not criticize you, but they said it's really not going to be necessary to extend that deadline. So I guess I'd ask you, do you-- do you have faith in them? Do you believe that that can actually happen?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, I hope that's accurate because my goal is to fix the Affordable Care Act, to make sure people can get that access to health care. Unlike a lot of the proposals that we have seen from people whose goal is to repeal it to make sure it doesn't work, I want it to work and that's why I think extending the enrollment period. We're already a month in to the marketplaces--

BOB SCHIEFFER: So--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: --and the website and people are not able to enroll.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. So I mean just to cut to the chase here. So you want to-- you want to go ahead and extend that deadline, whether they're able to meet the current deadline or not? You still think that is necessary.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Let me-- let me just--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Let me.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Am I right or wrong, right? I mean--

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, yes. The law said that people were going to have six months to enroll.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Okay.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: That they would not have to be subject to penalties until the end of that period, and that's the concern. You know, I-- I've heard from people like Kyle up in Lancaster, New Hampshire, who said he's gone to the website with his wife every day since October the first, and they've still not been able to enroll, and so I don't want them to feel like they have to be penalized if they can't enroll because the system is not working.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Same question I asked Chairman Issa--do you still have faith in Secretary Sebelius? The President says he does.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Well, I think our number one goal at this point is to get the marketplaces working, to make sure the website's working, to make sure that the millions of people who want to enroll in health insurance through the Affordable Care Act can do that. And there's going to be plenty of time to place blame on who is responsible for whether it should have worked on day one or didn't work or whatever. But right now, everybody's goal should be, let's get this working. Let's make sure that people can get the health care they want and need.

BOB SCHIEFFER: So you're not ready to say whether or not Secretary Sebelius should leave?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: I think it's too early to start placing blame. I think we need to-- to get the marketplaces working. We need to get the website working and we all ought to be focused on how we make sure that the people who want health care in this country can get enrolled and be covered.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. One final question, again, the same question I asked Chairman Issa--What about this hubbub over the German chancellor revealing that we have been tapping in and listening to her cell phone. Is it time to rein in the NSA or-- or what's your take on that?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: You know I'm not on the Intelligence Committee, so I haven't seen the classified information, but I think the revelations from Snowden and the secrets that have been revealed are doing significant damage to our bilateral relationships with Germany, with Mexico, with the other countries where the suggestion is that we've listened in. So I think we have repair work to do. And I think we have hard questions we need to ask of the NSA about what's really happening in this program.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. Well, Senator, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Thank you.

Chairman Issa--What about this hubbub over the German chancellor revealing that we have been tapping in and listening to her cell phone. Is it time to rein in the NSA or-- or what's your take on that?

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: You know I'm not on the Intelligence Committee, so I haven't seen the classified information, but I think the revelations from Snowden and the secrets that have been revealed are doing significant damage to our bilateral relationships with Germany, with Mexico, with the other countries where the suggestion is that we've listened in. So I think we have repair work to do. And I think we have hard questions we need to ask of the NSA about what's really happening in this program.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. Well, Senator, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

SENATOR JEANNE SHAHEEN: Thank you.

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