Transcripts For CSPAN Washington Journal 07072017 20170707

Insurance market. The remarks made at a motoring Club Rotary Club in kentucky shows a shift from the legislator. He raised the idea last week that they wanted to turn to the democrats. This is the first time he has explicitly raised the prospect of shoring of the Affordable Care act. Mitch mcconnell who pledged to eradicate the law known as obamacare root and branch, raised the prospect of working with democrats after a measure he had crafted behind closed doors. It would jettison the requirement that people prove they had health coverage, and would make deep, longterm cuts to the medicaid program. Listen to the coverage, local coverage, of the leaders remarks in his home state of kentucky. This is the abc affiliate with their coverage of his townhall meeting. Mitch mcconnell back into the bluegrass today. Onestop he made was at a Health Pavilion community center. Senator Mitch Mcconnell taken time to address the rim before accepting questions from the audience. One of the most pressing issues, the Gop Health Care bill. We are in a discussion amongst ourselves, senate republicans, about the way forward. I do not have the answer yet. Members of congress in their home states this week, but will reconvene on monday. Rand paul said today he is pitching a proposal to allow health plans across state lines. Senator mcconnell unsure whether the proposal could be included in the final version of the Republican Senate Health Care Bill. I think every republican is in favor, but the problem is whether it can be included from a parliamentary point of view and what we are trying to do. Of,ne thing he is sure repealing obamacare now and replacing it later will not be a viable option moving forward. The Health Insurance market is imploding, premiums are going up, deductibles are going up, so we need to solve the Current Crisis and i think repealing and then delaying the replacement does not work. Host the majority leader in the senate, no action is not an alternative. Mitch mcconnell saying raising the prospects that republicans could reach out to democrats to try to shore up the Affordable Care act if they do not have the votes from their own proposal. What is your message to senators as they prepare to come back next week and could hold a vote on a proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care act in the coming weeks . Monique, democrat. Good morning. Youre on the air. Caller good morning. I want to say that the republicans and democrats need to get it together. They need to Work Together to make this Affordable Care act playing this back and forth and he said she said game. Im getting really tired of my insurance went down under president obama. Im a district of columbia resident. Month,aying 250, 500 and it dropped down have to one. 128. T that have no access to the aca are suffering, because the republicans [indiscernible] for the people whose insurance premiums are high and they are paying high deductibles, that is your congressman and senators problem. They did not go to work for you, they went to work for their campaign. I am tired of it. The market people have got to get to by other get together and do some research and stop this. Cspan has done an amazing job on the Health Care Insurance question that a lot of us are suffering with. All you have to do is go to see spam, cspan, go to the history gallery, and see what our senators and congressmen have been talking about. It is not president obamas fault, it is not the majority of the democrats. The problem is the democrats desk republicans want to be aca to fail. Remember, i did not say obamacare because the aca is the same thing as obama care. They did to their own constituents on purpose, and i feel bad for those women who have to pay high premiums and high deductibles. It is not the president s fault. Im sorry. Host i will leave it there, and as i said you can follow along with his Health Care Debate from beginning to end on cspan. Org. There, find our archives beginning with the Affordable Care act debate under the Obama Administration to the debates that are happening now. Tennessee, independent, good morning. Caller good morning. My thoughts have been for a couple of years now that we should have a health care debit card that would work just like a , [indiscernible] if they have an illness the government should seven and help that, but give people a chance to manage their own Health Care Benefits and make things more efficient, more simple, and i think democrats would be on board without because we know democrats like food stamps just as well as anybody else does. Miss greta, i hope you have a great day and a good weekend. Same to you. Steve, democrat. Good morning. What is your message to the that at about considering this legislation . Good morning. Im a democrat, and i think that the democrat senators should not do anything. I would like to see the Health Care Bill passed by the thatlicans because i think the American People who voted for donald trump and the republicans need to suffer. They have to learn the hard way. Pass it, let the republican senators pass it, and the American People need to suffer, the trump voters, and they will learn their lesson. Host as you probably know, there are 50 to republicans, so Mitch Mcconnell can only afford 52 republicans, senator mcconnell can only afford to lose two votes, upon which my pencil have to be the tiebreaking those mike pence will have to be the tiebreaking vote for this to pass. Caller thats why im saying. The people who voted for trump need to learn their lesson. Y cannot vote republican. They will harm you. If it does pass an end up working with democrats, that is good. Is for theeference Republican Trump voters to learn their lesson. Host ok, steve. At mcconnell suggestion, that they may have to work with democrats, the Washington Post says that he and his colleagues might have to try to bolster the insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care act. That suggestion is that odds with republican talking points that they are beyond repair. The market places were built for access to do not have a portable coverage through a job, and at last count, over 10 million americans had health care purchased through those exchanges. More than eight in 10 customers bought planned the federal subsidies the law provides. Scott, new york, independent. Open to the conversation. Caller good morning. I would like to first make a comment that two years ago, almost three years ago to this day, look it up on your cspan archives, scott from new york called and everybody was laughing at donald trump and is the only republican that, for some reason, could be Hillary Clinton. Two years later, guess what happened. Anyways, im actually going to run for mayor this year, i will not get many votes but i get a voice of my town and council meetings. For the past month and a half, ever since this past through the fore, when tom reed voted the Health Care Bill in the house, i have been trying to get our Council Members to get a petition going because years ago, as i Pay Attention in life, in my little town they put all of their eggs in the medical department. We lost all the factories, and he kind of industry around, even small businesses, kmart is closing down pretty soon, and ,hey have built up medical medical this, medical that, medical transit board transit. Cut out 20 some Million People on their Health Insurance, do you know what that is going to cause . Laser major loss of medical jobs and the politicians do not even realize this. Nobody pays attention. All you humans out there, we need to unite. Pay attention. Host to your point about donald trump winning and you predicting pat toomey their republican anator from pennsylvania had explanation as to why republicans are not on the same page. He said he did not expect donald trump to win. I think most my colleagues did not, so we did not expect to be in this situation. Texas,o to republican, good morning. Good morning. What do you think about Mitch Mcconnell saying if they do not have their votes for a republican proposal, they might have to work with democrats . Caller hello . Host you are on the air, what do you think about that . Caller my name is john. I think theyll should Work Together, even though i am a republican. I do not think we need the government taking care of us. Since obamacare went in effect, the prices went up, and the premiums did, but the covered wentent down coverages down. I had to go by coverage myself, i was selfemployed at the time, and once i bought at the premiums went up 107 month. If i can do it, anyone else can do it. But what i am saying is that the people need to if the government would pass this republican program, then the Insurance Companies would compete, which would bring the prices down. The government needs to get out of our business. I dont understand these democrats that i have been listening to on your show here that think obamacare is so great and everything else. As far as that councilman or whoever he was in new york, maybe they should continue bringing jobs in those cities rather than counting on the medical people . And they could get insurance is to bring their prices down. Nots not a brain it does take a brainiac to figure all this out. John in texas, a republican. Throughout the days washington journal as we talk to all of you and you send your message to the senators about what you want care, weo on health will go into some senators home states, senators who will be key to any vote and talk to political reform orders local reporters from those states about what is happening with the Affordable Care act in those states. The first one is the state of maine. Kevin miller joining us, good morning, sir. Inc. You for being with us. Think for having me. Host thank you for being with us. Guest thanks for having me. There is talks of will run for governor. What has she said all along, remind our viewers who do not know, and what is she saying now that she is home to the fourth of july recess . Senator collins is been critical of the Affordable Care act for some time. She did not vote for it when it was up in the senate. But what she has been saying is that it needs to be changed, it needs to be tweaked and improved. She is one of the first senators to come out in opposition to the republican plan, one of the first republican senators to come out in opposition to the republican plan. Back in january, she floated her own plan with editor bill cassidy of louisiana senator bill cassidy of louisiana. Since she has been back in the state, senator collins does not do a lot of town halls. But she participated in a parade, a very wellknown parade here in maine over the weekend was notuly 4 holiday, i there because unfortunately we had a State Government shutdown at the time we were all covering , but from all the reports that we have seen and from what senator collins said, she said that people were really encouraging her to stand her ground against the Health Care Bill, and were thanking her for her position and her criticism of it so far. Host and the Editorial Board for the Portland Press herald, senate should fight healthcare bill senator collins should fight the healthcare bill, standing her ground. What exact changes is she asking for in order to be a guess vote . Yes vote . Guest her big concerns right now seem to be focused a lot on the impact to medicaid, the cuts and the spending caps. Maine is a rural state and we are also an old state. Speaking how we are the oldest state in the country. About one in five Main Residence had on medicaid or their insurance, so she has really ofd this is a big concern her, even though maines governor not under expand did not expand obamacare medicaid under obamacare. But that has been her top concern. In maine andre also nationally the number of people that could be dropped from medicaid rolls or from the insurance rolls. And of course she has also talked about her concerns about the impact on rural hospitals, in large, sparsely populated states, hospitals are struggling financially. Republican,erate she is concerned about the proposed cuts to planned parenthood. Those are a lot of the concerns that she has raised so far that would like to see changed. And what about planned parenthood, because she also has some concerns with that organization and the cuts to funding to them. Do they play a role in the state of maine . Guest they are certainly here. They are a Major Health Care in Womens Health and abortion services. Senator collins has been a very consistent supporter of planned parenthood, so that is not as big of a issue. I think theyre pleased with their stance on this, obviously. Host lets listen to what the senator had to say. She was interviewed by cnn while she was in maine during this fourth of july recess. Here she is. What i have been hearing the entire recess is people telling me to be strong, that they have a lot of concerns about the Health Care Bill in the senate. They want me to keep working on it, but they do not want me to support it in its current form. Unless the bill is dramatically changed. Kevin millar, she wants dramatic changes. As i mentioned at the top, she is considering a run for governor in 2018. And howely is this is that impacting her view on this legislation . Guest i am sure it is factoring in. She isors that potentially running for governor have been swirling for some time. She has basically said that she is considering and. Senatority is that collins is immensely popular in and that popularity extends beyond republicans. She has the popular been popular in independents and some democrats because she is moderate. The popularity seems to have taken a hit since the last election, even though she did not support President Trump. She has deported a few of his supported a few of his nominees, like jeff sessions, but it still seems like she is fairly popular. Was a lot of pressure before she toounced that she was going oppose the senate bill. We saw the same things in maine as we see elsewhere in terms of protest and rallies and people outside of her office, and whenever she went somewhere yellinguld be protests at her to oppose the bill. Miller, political reporter with the Portland Press herald. Thank you for your time. Guest thank you for having me. Host that is the perspective that of maine, and we will be Touching Base with political reporters in a number of states across the country this morning as we continue to talk to all of you about what you think senators should be doing on health care. Kevin, massachusetts, independent caller. Caller hi. Personally, i dont care for obamacare. We are stuck here, monday care, tuesday care. Basically, as long as there is greed by the Insurance Companies, and this management, incompetence, and corruption, it does not matter. It will be the same old same old. That is all i got a say all i got to say. Host kevin, how do you get your insurance . Caller i actually get it through my wife. Veteran. A host so you get some benefits through the Veterans Affairs department . Caller yes maam. Host and how does your wife get . Through her employer . Caller yes maam. Host what do think about this proposal looking run this by you in the New York Times this morning. Bigger debate over health costs leaves a subsidy out of the fray. It is reported that republican senators are working to fix their troubled healthcare bill, and there is one giant Health Current subsidy Health Insurance subsidy known as talking about, bigger than the affordableat care act. The beneficiaries, everyone who gets Health Insurance through a job, including members of congress. Much of the bitter debate over how to repeal and replace the law known as obamacare has focused on cutting medicaid and subsidies that help low income he people low income people buy insurance, but economists argue to rein in healthcare scale congress should back or eliminate the tax exclusion on what employers pay premiums. Loyees those are not subject to the payroll or income taxes that are taken out of employees wages. An arrangement that vastly benefits middle and upper income people. Do all of youhat this morning. What do you think about this idea . What if any reforms to health care would be to eliminate this Tax Exemption for those that get insurance through their employer . To this. It costs five times as much as the subsidies the Affordable Care act set up to help people buy Health Insurance, which are estimated to total 49 billion this year. And it is far more than the 70 billion the federal government is spending to expand medicaid under obamacare this year. For the federal government to help benefit exclusion is the single largest tax expenditure accumulating over the next 1. 5 of thebout nations gross to mustek products. Mastic gross to product domestic product. Was supposed to help pay the subsidies in the law, but the Effective Date got pushed back to 2020. Employerbased Health Insurance now covers more than half of the nonelderly population in the. The average premium in 20, according to Kaiser Family 6,435 for ans individual and 18,142 for a family. The tax exclusion reduced the cost of insurance by about 30 . What if the government were to tax your Health Benefits . What do you think we want to get your reaction to that this morning. That one policy tweak from the New York Times could reduce healthcare spending, stabilize the Health Insurance market, and recording to the cbo, shrink the federal budget deficit by 174 billion and 429 billion over a sixyear period. Virginia, democrat. Good morning. Caller good morning. Thank you for taking my call. Thea thought years, but had eight all they talked about was repeal and replace. Years toeight solid come up with a replacement plan. They have not done it. Not really. Think that even the republicans did not think that the president , donald trump, would win. I think they thought that hillary would win and then they could just go on for another 48 years whining and complaining about it. As we said, senator pat toomey eight knowledge that in an interview with local media in pennsylvania yesterday, saying we did not think he was going to win caller right. Win. Caller right. They did not think he was going to win, ergo, they do not they had to come up with a replacement plan. And now here they arent the last minute, trying to come up with a replacement plan are at the last minute, trying to come up with a replacement plan and it is not working for them. They had eight years. Host should democrats work with them . Caller the democrats have offered. I have heard Chuck Schumer over and over again, as well as other Democratic Senators on cspan and on the media, the tv, say sit down with us. Sit down with us. And they will not do it. Host ok. On, fort lauderdale, publican. What he republican. What do you think . And messure, tax them them up to. Then everything will be messed up. That will be great. The last thing the middle class being coveredple by company insurance, is more taxes. I do not know what idiot came up with that idea, but what i theed to say was republicans need to understand one thing. They are the worst messengers of their ideas that the world has ever conceived. E have never seen wors messaging from people on a corner. What do they need the democrats for when they have themselves . It is so ridiculous . Heres the thing. If they cannot come up with something, they should give the democrats all they want and here is how you pay for it. Billionaires,le and all of the facebook billionaires and the like that claim they want all this stuff, put a tax on their income. Give them the taxes they seem to claim they want to pay. Give them their wish. That will take care of it. What thet ridiculous republicans are doing. If the billionaires want all this stuff, let them pay for it. So about this idea of taxing your employerbased insurance, peters government , he wrote anand opinion piece this morning in the pages of the New York Times. Half of the gop to start from scratch. He writes the Health Care System disheveledoken and into several layers. Medicare and medicaid are paid for by the government, but throughd is subsidized the tax code. This tax break is the original sin of the United States Healthcare System. Than 250 billion dollars annually, it has in or mislead distorted the market, creating an incentive for employers to provide ever more erous enormous fleet enormously distorted the market and offers an unfair vantage to the comfortably employed. Medicare is a huge system of benefits to Older Americans that run far beyond what most have paid in. Rather than overhauling the system, obamacare and the senate bill leave the distortions largely in place. To jerry in plainfield, new jersey. Democrat. Good morning. Caller good morning. I look at this whole thing into dante ways. In two ways. One of them is status. The other thing i look at his waist. Waste. I think all of the abundance of is based on that. Thank you. Host cindy, republican. Caller hello. Host so what is your message to senators on health care . Caller they need to make it fair. I do not know where everybody thinks lower middle class and the class middle class have company jobs that pay for our Health Insurance many of us who haveemployed or couples with several parttime jobs. We do not get Health Benefits. We are on the exchange. Thee was a caller who said states that have republican senators are the state that are not benefiting from the health care i live in connecticut. We are heavily democratic states with senators murphy, heinz, blumenthal, and the other caller said trump voters should suffer. I am suffering under obamacare. Five is 2000 a month. It does not cover anything, only 10 of a sickness were a child. So you are paying hundreds of dollars and deductibles on top of that already exorbitant, almost 2000 and i work in the medical field. Many families are struggling. They cannot make their premiums. In nonpayment. We cannot keep up with 700 a month increases like we saw last year. Fair, because of the medicare expense expansion was a bad thing, they look at your income but do not care if you live in a 2 million house. They do not look at your assets, your retirement accounts, it is all based on income, which is number one not fair. In are living with connecticut and a 1. 5 million house and getting medicaid, or something wrong with that. Host we will leave it there. More calls coming up here this morning. Senatorsour message to on health care as many of them are backing their home states . Some are Holding Town Hall meetings, some are not. As they hope to come back to washington and possibly hold a vote on repealing and replacing it, we want to know your thoughts and let them know what they think, and what you think they should do. As we told you at the top, a 20 leaders are meeting in hamburg, germany this morning. This you can see they gathered earlier this morning for the official family photo of all of the g 20 leaders. Resident trump along with them the g 20 summit getting underway today under ads tomorrow. On the agenda for President Trump today is bilateral meetings, sideline meetings with certain leaders one of them being the russian president Vladimir Putin. President trump will be meeting with him around nine 40 5 a. M. Eastern time, in the afternoon in hamburg, germany. When that happens there will be cameras there to capture the two leaders, the handshake, the body language, and we will go to it then and renew coverage from it bring you coverage from it. Vladimir putin coming in for the official family photo followed by Angela Merkel, who ing the g 20 summit. When trumpto watch made Vladimir Putin. One, will trump bring up the allegations an investigation into russian interference in our elections . Will trump seek to reduce sanctions on russia . Number three, and what is the plan for syria . Will the two leaders discussed that . At odds oney remain north korea . Russia block the u. S. Backed resolution for significant resolution, calling for significant measures in response to north koreas test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Tensionsve, will nato continue . Putin has criticized has criticized expansion of the nato treaty to countries close to russias border. And six, what will their body language say . Will there be obvious tension . What kind of handshake will there be . Will hugging be involved . Host again, we will bring you coverage of that at 9 45 a. M. Eastern time. The wall street journal has this putinsbout prudence thoughts on north korea. Condemning the latest missile onto north korea. This resolution did not stipulate any action, but the friend our friends, the russians, still objected. Kremlin excuse is that the draft u. S. Statement referred to the rocket as an intercontinental ballistic missile. Never mind that north korea claims the missile was the equivalent of an icbm and the u. S. Another analysis of trajectory suggest the same. Witha has also joined china and trying to coax the u. S. And south korea to cease northeastxercises in asia and exchange were north korea freezing the nuclear program, but that would ratify pyongyangs current stockpile progress, assuming it would even honor such a freeze, which it would not. Russia and china are authority authoritarian powers seeking to dominate their , but the problem with tolerating such spheres of influence is that regional powers often collaborate to stir trouble beyond those spears spheres. Trade with other nations has been enough to enable north korea to amass the money and technical knowhow to build Nuclear Weapons and missiles. Take a look at its largest trading partner china, india, pakistan, japan, and others. To that point in another article this morning in the paper, the opinion pages of usa today, north Korean Missile crisis should cost china. Referring to the president of china, usa today says that the chinese president could bring north korea to its knees by cutting off oil, but he fears the collapsing regime that would china with refugees and risk a unified and democratic Korean Peninsula with u. S. Troops on his border. Trump must face the same reality is a previous as previous president s. North korea raises money for militarism not only through trade, but by operating like a criminal enterprise with drug dealing, counterfeiting, and arms sales. This requires access to International Financial networks, often through chinabased banks and for laundering alyssa income or otherwise violating sanctions. These deals can largely be in dollars, so by sanctioning the banks, the u. S. Treasury department can cut them off from the dollar system. The chinese Banking System is a soft spot for the communist regime in beijing. China has long propped up its economy with a shaky scaffolding of dubious loans. Any u. S. Moves that threaten that Financial System could have dire consequences. The usa today Editorial Board with their opinions there this morning. That comes as the defense secretary mattis cools any rhetoric on war with north korea, the paper saying that the defense secretary says the u. S. Military is ready, but no closer korea. With north that on the front pages of the Washington Times this morning. Back to our discussion with all of you about your message to congress, to the senate about health care there are the lines on your screen. Ins go to angelina louisiana, independent caller. Good morning. Caller good morning, thank you so much for taking my call today. Host so what is your message . My messages im calling as a just above the bar middleclass family, which i do not even call it that down in louisiana. We are paying way too much and not getting anything, paying mostly for our bills. But i want to get to the point that i want to make with trying to help senators with this Health Care Bill. In louisiana, we actually have the most children in special Education Needs ever, j louisiana, and the which in louisiana, if people do not know, they only take children on medicaid. They do not take anyone else. To get into a special Education Program in a local school in louisiana, you do not have to have medicaid. If you do not have medicaid, they will host your child in special Education Placement for a year or two, and let them not because they are not making any profit out because they are not making any profit. So medicaid really needs to be investigated furthermore, because they are making a lot of money down here. To get into a Doctors Office you cant if you have medicaid, you can get right in. If you have private insurance, you will wait about one year, even in a small town that i am in. It is ridiculous. If you dont have medicaid, they dont want you. They cannot profit off of the private paid person. They can profit off of the government. The government is really profit privatizing down here in louisiana. If they investigated people of medicaid in the government, i think we will find were all the money is going to. Host michelle, austin, a democrat. Good morning. Caller oh my goodness. Thank you. Im a firsttime caller to cspan. Im so excited, i love cspan and i love hearing the different views. What i want to say thank you for your question, the headline earlier. I am a state employee, a single person, and i do not pay a dime toward my Health Insurance premium. I would say yes, tax them. If there are people out there who are struggling and they need help, why not help them . I do not understand why people do not want to have the access to Affordable Health care. What i think is the elephant in the room is that some people, and i would just say republicans in general, are in denial that as ah care has to come out right, a fundamental right of society, and that is it. We should go from there. I would say to the folks in congress, i want them to Work Together. This is too important not to get it right. Host michelle, austin, texas, democrat. Reba, florida, a republican. What is your message this morning . Caller i think on this health care that we have so many states that are almost like a foreign country are you there . Host we are listening. Caller i think they should throughoutacare most of the states and let each state decide how they treat their people. Everybody i noticed in their arguments that all of these different ones that might people have to have this or that, and you cannot cover a broad base like that. Let them have their own coverage , you know . Just like they do everything else. Reba in oregon, a republican. More calls in a few minutes, but as we will go to West Virginia. Is joining usd via skype this morning. Twos check in with the senators from West Virginia, jake sutherland. What is your position on this bill . Guest she has come out tentatively against the bill, just after leader mcconnell came out delaying the bill. She came out with a joint statement saying she has concerns how the bill is written , along with some of the cuts to medicaid, which a lot of people in the state rely on. Hearingd what is she from the folks back home or during this fourth of july recess . Issue Holding Townhall meetings to hear from people . Guest she has not been Holding Townhall meetings, and you are getting a pretty vocal citizen outrage getting a message through to her. Just before the delay was cast, we had 75 people protesting outside her office, including six that locked themselves into her downtown Charleston Office until they were arrested and charged with trespassing. Yesterday, there were about 100 citizens on the bridge between West Virginia and ohio trying to get a message to selling more capital Shelley Moore o that they do not want her to vote on this bill. Host do they like the Affordable Care act . Guest it is not so much they like it, but we have about 550,000 citizens who rely on icaid, 170,000 coming covered by the expansion alone. That could devastate people throughout the state, not to mention a lot of Health Clinics and centers that rely on medicaid reimbursements to sustain. Mean for theuld it State Government and West Virginia . What is the governor saying . Guest the governor came out and issued a letter requesting senators to vote down the bill. He and the secretary of the department of health and Human Resources are concerned about the spill and the effect it could have on the state. So for Shelley Moore o to becoming yes, what is she asking for . Ito to become a yes, what did she need to see . Guest we need to see some more help for people devastated by the heroin epidemic, so getting more funding and there to help people take their addiction kick their addiction. Host as a conservative democrat who won an election in 2010 and is up for election in 2018, could he be a possible yes vote with republicans if some changes were made . Guest i could not imagine it. He has been very vocal that he wants to work and get involved in this bill. He wants to fix the Affordable Care act or be involved in the process of writing that be cra ra, but he said said that we could fix the Affordable Care act, and it needs fixing. Host so the senate returns, and they do not vote on any legislation. That people innk West Virginia will do and what do they expect to see . Guest im not sure i understand the question. More will they be protesting . Will be pressure increase on Shelley Moore capito . Guest i think the pressure will increase, as in back rooms anything could be happening to this bill right now. I think the people want senator out caore capito to come against this bill. Our calls, julie, virginia, democrat. Youre on the air. Caller thank you for taking my call. Message to mynd a Congress Person in particular. They have been very strong in support of keeping the protections of the aca. I think they have sent a strong message that it is a huge tax wealthy and to the Health Insurance companies. Of over 20threat Million People losing their , so i thinkance that message has been very strong. One aspect that came to my attention recently was the fact that people with jobbased insurance also faced some threats to the quality of their coverage. To waivers able protections like prohibitions , that canfetime caps affect people with jobbased insurance also. I happen to see paul ryan speaking to a group at a Manufacturing Company in wisconsin yesterday, and i noticed that he is sure to them dont worry he assured them, dont worry folks. You have a job. Your Health Insurance will not be affected. So i do not know exactly how serious a threat this is, but it is something i would like to see our members of Congress Speak to. Julie. K, marx, dallas, texas. Independent. Dallas, texas. Independent. If we will have to insulate our grandkids with the phrase out of pocket meant, because right now does not mean you have good health. If you have insurance, it does not mean you have good health. We have car repair insurance, home repair. You cannot afford to get your dishwasher fixed, you have dental insurance and health pet insurance. You cannot afford to take your animal to the that. Does this create a have and have not society . I do not see how we can keep it up. Host what you are driving at is the increasing cost of Health Insurance, pet insurance, repairs, and all of this impacting the middleclass . I lost that color. Let me show you caller. Let me show you this fullpage ad in usa today by a group called west health. They say they are a nonprofit, nonpartisan west health, dedicated to enabling americas seniors to age and place with access to highquality, Affordable Health. Their ad says why does my Health Care Cost too much . The current costs of health care do not lower the cost of health care in a longterm, Sustainable Way for you, your loved ones and our future generations. If you care about the cost of health care, ask your members of congress these questions ou will know who to vote for the 2018 elections. The high cost of drugs, procedures, and medical care to decrease premiums, deductibles, and copays . Yes or no. That is a question they want you to ask your congressman. Republican caller, the morning. Say amen tonted to what he was saying about insurance. You cannot even afford to get a dishwasher fixed. But what i would like to say on this topic it amazes me how everyone continues to differentiate between republicans and democrats and toependents in respect health care. We all get sick. Everyone gets sick. We should sign the bill to work with republicans, everyone is going to get sick and it is not going to be about the money will play a factor. People used to work. They will get jobs. I had friends who would work mentally and physically for health care. , so them the hr field numbers and the background when it comes to pharmaceuticals and those industries, the pills, everything they keep you going. Insurance does not your or help anyone. Somebody definitely said that just because you have insurance does not mean you have good health, because that is not predicated on your insurance. You get sick, and your coverage does not cover what you paid for. So democrats and republicans this is not about that. For people to continue to say work with democrats are all of these things, everybodys going to get sick, and then what . No one will be a democrat, theblican, independent if plague is going on and everybodys getting sick. It is ridiculous. America continues to bewilder me how people will focus on the things that are relevant are irrelevant. Kathleen, cedar falls, iowa. A democrat. Caller thank you for cspan. I really appreciate the questions you ask. Can you hear me . Host i can, go ahead. Caller what i have said to both of my senators, and they keep in contact with them and they do them that me, i told i would be happy with any insurance that they have. Pay theirt we dollars,out of our tax and if it is good for us, it is good for them. I do not understand how they can say they will give you this Health Insurance, but have a better Health Insurance. I do not know. I dont know how they will vote, but that is my opinion. Host kathleens message to senators as they consider healthcare legislation to possibly repeal and replace. As you all know, the original mitchby senator mcconnell, along with the working group of republican senators, was pulled before they could vote on it right before they left for their fourth of july recess. He said changes needed to be made in order to get the 50 votes that the republicans need to pass it. Five changes the gop might make to the Health Care Bill they report keeping a tax on high earners. Gop senators are openly debating whether to keep a high tax on earners tax on high earners to help pay for obamacare, the cadillac tax. The legislation unveiled last week would have repealed a 3. 8 tax on net Investment Income for individual making individuals making more than 20 500,000 a year 250,000 a year. Boosting subsidies. If the investment tax is checked, the stavings will be used savings would be used to provide more income low income people to afford Health Insurance. Amendment cruz amendment ted cruz is pitching an amendment that would allow insurers to sell plans that do not comply with obamacare regulations as long as they sell plans that comply with those rules. Is beingopioid money considered. Mitch mcconnell added to the billion ineek 45 additional funding to combat the Opioid Crisis, a movement to entice monitored senators moderate senators rob portman and Shelley Moore capito. The initial version of the bill only allowed to billion dollars in grants to address the crisis. Boxedst gop senators have balked at the cuts to medicaid. New jersey, independent. What do you think about these proposed changes and what is on the table . What to these senators do on health care . Caller thank you so much for having washington journal on the air. Catch22king this is a. A few things you said what do i want to tell my senator or congressman . I want to kindly remind them that the survival of americas democracy is to remember that they are a government of the people, by the people, for the people. People get towhy their leadership positions and forget that in school or fact principle of all or fact. Of colors couple suggested that medicaid should be investigated . Absolutely i believe in that. I believe this is a catch22. Medicaid should be investigated because those 23 million losing medicaid, lets look at the real problem. They are low income people, yes, but they can get jobs. Why dont they get jobs, because all of our jobs are being switched overseas . They could have call centers over here and those medicaid people could participate and pay for their own Health Benefits. Planned parenthood, that should not be cut. Premiums,nce absolutely not because it will be more pressure on middleclass , again, again, and again as mark said. The cadillac tax needs to be broken, which goes back to a catch22 because why cant we just have a flat tax . 10 for everybody. 1000 a year to 5 million a year. Everybody pays the same in tax, no loopholes or whatever. And the other thing i have to say my senators and congressmen is where are you guys . Im trying to get a hold of and therery booker, are no town Hall Meetings. All we get is a phone call and summit he picks up the phone and do not even give you your name, last name, or the position. They just say i will relay your proposition or suggestion to the senator. It is af things lot of things involved. Thethe last thing is that Affordable Care act was posted treat cost and access quality. I am a working person, working very hard every day, and my premium has gone up and my. Eductible has gone up my copay has gone up. Access for 23 million, but if they are over 65, they are medicare. They are covered by medicare. Below 65, get them jobs. Do not spend millions and millions of jobs overseas, get jobs and do not enable them disable them, enable them. And there is a party involved now between the doctor and the patient. Quality involved. The insurance policy. The middlemen between the doctor and patient. Is bad, they stop going there. Host appreciate the call. Yorktown, virginia, republican. What do you think . Ander thank you for cspan the washington journal. I would like to let you know that my thought on this is that obamacare is nothing more than a that democrats all voted for. I agree with 110 of the caller before you that it is not going to go anywhere. She said 22 Million People were added to the rolls under medicaid. It is probably more like 92 million. A lot of the people added under , obama under medicare added millions of people because he raised the threshold. A lot more people. Host what should republicans do if the Affordable Care act is collapsing . Let itrepublicans just collapse . They are in charge of the congress and the white house. Do they have a responsibility to act . Yes yes. They have a responsibility to act, but they should act i am still working but i am in my middle 50s. I am trying to look at my retirement. Where am i going to be . Robert, democrat, share your thoughts. You are speaking about fixing obamacare, why art they trying to fix why are not they trying to fix obamacare . It is on the table, already established, why not fix it . Host do you think democrats should work with republicans . Caller i dont see why they wouldnt . My thing with obamacare, it required the citizens to have to. Ave insurance, penalize them why did they make it so easy for the exchanges to on an role unenroll . It is aims like they should have to stay with the system as well. Bill, independent. Caller thank you for taking my call. With regard to Prescription Drug, President Trump campaigned on looking at Prescription Drug costs, one of the leading costs of obamacare or any other program they put in. Companies on a nationwide level. Negotiate with the Drug Companies from a larger, stronger position of market share. I think that could reduce the cost quite a bit. I have not heard discussion on Prescription Drug costs. The, it was interesting plans were employerbased and subsidy. I live in the d. C. Area. Many here receive childcare from their employer as a subsidy. What happens when you have a subsidy is you remove the negotiating power between the consumer and provider. That affects the d. C. Area. They have some of the chil of the highest Childcare Costs in the country. If your employer is paying for it, they can charge whatever they want to. The consumer doesnt care what they are charging because the employer is paying for it. Removing the consumer from negotiating with the providers, having that middleman, causes a lot of cost increase. Some of the ways you could improve that is to eliminate the middleman, so to speak, and make negotiateople could more with the providers and control costs from that level. Host eliminate the employerbased insurance . It, butnot eliminate some of the deductible plans, for you have money put into your account and you negotiate with the doctor, when it is your monday you are spending you tend to pay more attention to what services they are offering at what you are paying. But i like thet, high deductible plans where the money goes into your account, for most people if they are paying attention to the cost of what the doctors are charging, it will constrain costs more because it is your money. We told you about possible changes to the republican proposal. One being keeping in place the three point 8 tax under the Affordable Care act. Conservatives revolt over talk of keeping the obamacare tax. Gop hill reporting tensions are rising over senator ted cruzs proposal. Tensions between Mitch Mcconnell have reappeared in the highstakes negotiation over health care reform. Reform insisting to a that is a nonstarter too much of the conference. Chairman alexander to play with he promised would be a constructive role in the debate. Senior gop aides say that senator cruz is no longer being agreeable. Blocking a spending bill that included the language of the implementation of obamacare. Ago, ted cruz called mcconnell a liar on the senate floor. Framing as a potential key to passing the stalled Health Care Bill is a nonstarter with most republicans in the upper chamber. It would allow most Insurance Companies to sell whatever insurance they want as long as that qualifies under the Affordable Care act. That means covering preexisting conditions or eccentric Health Care Benefits that has been at the height of this debate. Recently ted cruz held a forum on Veterans Health care. He was on wednesday at a concerned veterans for Health Care Meeting in his home state. [video clip] i am a psychologist, i am an overflow doctor that sees veterans that cannot be seen by the v. A. , do take a pay cut to do that so it is a service that i provide because i want to help. Health, something very important for veterans. , are scaringill the daylights out of us with the health care nonsense you are doing. When you talk about providers you have reimbursement issues. When you have Insurance Companies can opt out of paying for Mental Health care, who is going to pay us to do that . We cannot provide services for free. Helpare you going to do to make sure Mental Health Care Services are reimbursed at a proper rate that we can continue to provide services for veterans . [applause] thank you for that question and the difference you are making. Mental health is an and norms challenge and our community, but especially in the community for veterans it has been a consistent challenge. Lets talk about veterans in the v. A. , then talk more generally. Part of your question was about obamacare and health care outside the v. A. World. It comes towhen choice, there have been problems about reimbursement rates for private providers not being delays in, extensive reimbursement where private providers take on veterans, yet reimbursement can be month, after month, after month. That is something i am pressing on, and something we need to see throughout the system. A greater speed at reimbursement, a fair reimbursement rate. That is part of the gradual improvement of the choice program. For the first step, we need to make incremental improvements. Takingack home questions over the Health Care Debate in washington. It is your turn to tell senators what you think they should do. Democrat. Did i pronounce that correctly . Aller it is bonita what scares me about the republican plan is that they more or less let states decide everything, including if to withdraw entirely. States almostthe bankrupt, they are going to be reaching out to grab the other medicare has been grabbed and it is making it difficult for medicare to continue. Me, is what really bothers that the states are going to handle it. That they have all these choices about how they are going to handle it. Also, am concerned the medicaid reduction that covers nursing care for the poor and handicapped who cannot earn the money to keep up with what their payments are. That is the second thing that really bothers me. Host we will go to another caller in florida. Republican. Cspan. Praise be for a lot of questions, get to talk on national television. We have a republican and democrat senator in florida. They need to join the Bipartisan Working Group and become leaders for crafting a bipartisan Health Care Bill as a Christmas Present for america in 2017. Senator schumer has called for a bipartisan crafted plan. I want nelson and rubio to join the bipartisan congressional working group. I want my congressman to join. I want the democrat east of us, join andarlie crist to be leaders for the country. Ation of this George Mason University can schedule this because they have a conflict resolution department. It is time for congress to take over control of the United States. , we canonstitution says on occasion when necessary. I want senators to start joining the bipartisan congressional working group. Senatorsessage to his ben nelson and marco rubio. Lets go to wisconsin. Theitical reporter with Capital Times joining us via skype with what senator ron johnson is thinking. What is ron johnsons position . Caller ron johnson has slowed down the process on this bill, somewhat surprisingly took people that have watched him campaign against the Affordable Care act in his last 2 elections. He is not so much opposed to the content of the bill, though he does have some objections. He has decided the process needs to slow down. He has been holding telephone town halls to get more input. It is not necessarily going to be a no in the end, but he is putting the brakes on it. Host he wants them to slow down . Why . Caller he is hearing a lot of opposition. There is a Marquette University law school in wisconsin that said 54 of people in the state Want Congress to keep the Affordable Care act and fix it as opposed to repeal and replace. The repeal and replace number was 27 . A smaller portion of the routetion in favor of the they are taking. He is hearing a lot of anger, fear, sadness, what a lot of senators across the country are hearing. He has been holding telephone town halls. No matter what his vote is at the end of the day there will be frustrated constituents, but he is definitely getting opposition to it here. Host he was on meet the press. Heres what senator johnson had to say about rising premiums under the Affordable Care act. [video clip] obamacare as at crazy system, talking about the people busting it working 60 hours a week and left with premiums that have doubled and coverage cut in half. Those are the forgotten men and women in the Health Care Debate. We have done something with our Healthcare System you would never think of doing with Auto Insurance for you would require Auto Insurance to sell a policy to someone after they crashed their car. Guaranteed issue, guaranteed for preexisting conditions, causes markets to collapse and premiums to skyrocket. You can address people with preexisting conditions without collapsing markets by designing. Igh risk pools they have to institute an invisible high risk pool. We dont have the honesty to talk about these things with real information, real facts, go through the problemsolving, and agree on achievable goal, set strategies, then pass legislation. What has been the impact of the Affordable Care act in wisconsin . Who you ask. Pends senator johnson and President Trump have pointed out people in wisconsin who have had negative experiences with the Affordable Care act. The flipside is all of the stories of how it saved peoples lives. You will get a little bit of both. Wisconsin did have a high risk pool system prior to the Affordable Care act, something senator johnson has been pointing out. What makes wisconsin different in terms of republican states is that Governor Walker did not accept the medicare expansion. A bigger concern here is what happens with the language in the bill the way it is, is wisconsin negatively impacted . , whensenator johnson would he like them to try to repeal and replace the Affordable Care act . The Senate Leadership would like to hold a load when they return next week, but there are folks like senator johnson and other republicans who say we are weeks away from an actual vote. Caller i have heard anything from two to four weeks to even longer. I dont know if he has a specific timeline. But the immediate vote they were looking for was something he would take flak for. He is not beholden to the party leadership. He is not running for reelection and did not get a lot of help in his last election. He has the luxury of stepping aside and putting the brakes on it a little bit. Host senator johnson serving his second term, reelected in 2016. Thank you. Caller thank you for having me. Host back to your calls. It is your turn to tell senators what you think they should do on health care. Definitely repeal and replace obamacare, but not with what the republicans are suggesting. Replacing it with universal health care paid for by the taxpayers. This bill is of noxious to thattarians, for instance, you are forced by the government to buy a product from a private firm or corporation or you will be fined. That is pure fascism. We need to get rid of the Insurance Companies total. We need health care, not Health Insurance. Health insurance is eating close care3 of all health dollars. It is going to the Insurance Companies for overhead and profit. Doctors offices have huge cost dealing with Insurance Companies in paperwork and billing. And doctors are forced to make phone call after phone call. It is eating up their time, which is money. The Insurance Companies are wound annd using oozing wound on the side of the american public. That wound will rupture one day and we will bleed out. Costs all health care disappear when we disappear the Health Insurance companies. ,ost pennsylvania, brad democrat. You are on the air. Good morning. Caller i have a few comments, and maybe a few questions. Obamacare was a system set up to fail from the beginning. There is no way that they wrote that thinking that it would ever be successful. Force someone to buy health care and give them a fine if they dont buy it. Healthy people will not buy it, they will just pay the fine. It was setup to fail, i believe, so we could move into universal health care. I also believe the opioid epidemic, which Everyone Wants to talk about, has been growing not for the last twoyears or whatever, it has been growing 2010,2008, progressively getting worse. Opioids are controlled substances. They have known how much Prescription Drugs have been spread through this country. It is enough so everyone in this country could take opioids for three weeks. Everyone in the whole country. Given tod epidemic was us not by accident. It was given to us purposefully. We have been in afghanistan fighting for how many years . Where does most of the opm come from . Come from . Opium afghanistan. Youre telling me we can control a country, but not poppy fields . Host Government Data showing opiate prescriptions dropped for the first time in the modern drug crisis between providers providing Prescription Drugs declining between 2012 and 2015. Disease said it has dropped over the last threeyear period. Decline in opioid prescriptions the cdc has reported since the late 1990s. The rate is still triple the four it was in 1999, and times what it is in some european countries. Hi, rich. Conversations. ,ne of the things that comes up we saved 10 trillion by solving polio. 20could take the top diseases and put every Research Program on them right now and try to break one of them. Havewe broke one we would a savings of maybe 1 trillion, and then snowball it to the next one. Breakbe 2 of them could at one time. We could get together with other nations now on these diseases. In order to get a disease solved you have to start now. It may take one year, two years, it may take ten. Host you mentioned the g20 summit in hamburg. President trump will be meeting for the first time facetoface as president of the United States with russian president Vladimir Putin. That is happening at 9 45 a. M. Eastern time. We will to bring you live coverage of that meeting. The New York Times has this headline about the g20 summit. The u. S. Raises walls on trade, allies are moving on. Reporting Major Economies show no inclination to accept american designs on trade. An attitude on display on thursday. If completed, the deal would further the exchange of goods and services between the European Union and japan and diminishing opportunities for american countries. These two bedrock American Allies are receding with plans to bolster globalization as the United States is turning to protectionism. Large areas of the Global Economy are on divergent paths, creating uncertainty for international companies. In warsaw giving a speech on western democracy. He spoke up for important values, but they do not belong only to the west, they write. The fundamental question of our time is if the west has the desire to survive. If he means by the west the human rights and dignity of every individual, he may be right. But those are hardly the property of the United States. All belong to people of colors, sexual orientations, and all or no, religion. Without mentioning that the government welcoming him has worked worryingly to narrow those freedoms, along with the independence of its judiciary, without mentioning that at home mr. Trump has been far from a tribune of the free press. , we value the dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person, and share the hope for every soul to live in freedom. Ahead of the hamburg summit, there was protest yesterday. The protests plan to continue today and tomorrow. New york city mayor bill de wn to be a part of those protests, seizing the opportunity to play foil to trump. The mayor jetted to germany to join protests around the g20 in hamburg, germany where President Trump is meeting with russian president. And russian president Vladimir Putin and other world leaders. A spokesman said he would attend a demonstration called homburg shows attitude. It was later announced on twitter that mr. Deblasio would be the events keynote speaker. The headline from yesterday in the Washington Post protesters and police clash on the eve of the g20 summit. To you. Good morning what do you think about health care, sir . Morning. Ood i think we are causing a lot of the problems with health care. , the food,t products the sodium in the food, the way that our kids dont exercise, then we get sick. Who is supposed to pay their Health Insurance when we cause the problems to being healthy. Why shouldnt we have free insurance . We are causing the problem with the food we eat and the lifestyle we have is being promoted. Tim, good morning. Saidr i like what tom about the Insurance Companies, and brads comment was good, too. The two big money parties that candidates with their irresponsible comments. A good example is that dr. Talking to senator cruz who doesnt know anything about it. Epa was supposed to cover those who cannot cover themselves, and prevent being preexistingto conditions, and prevent Insurance Companies from cutting terminal patients off. , underiginally said obamacare you could keep your insurance. That caused more fighting because that didnt happen. With the division, the epitome is guys like i forget his name he said the only thing left to do is to make the country whole Mitch Mcconnell is to make the country ungovernable. The best way to go about it is a singlepayer medicare for all. Thank you very much. You mentioned senator ted cruz and the portion from the town hall. Recovered the entire town hall meeting. If you want, you can go to cspan. Org to see it there. John cassidyed and senator wyden holding a town hall meeting during the fourth of july recess. In threeunpopular bill decades. This is why republicans are having so much trouble with the Health Care Bill. It is the most unpopular legislation, less popular than the Affordable Care act when it was passed, the bank bailout bill in 2008, even bill clintons failed healthcare effort in the 1990s. That is the verdict from compiling data on Legislation Congress has passed since the 1990s. The most unpopular legislation in three decades. Mitch mcconnell, who crafted the first round of legislation, then pulled back a vote on it to make changes to it, is back in the bluegrass state. Here is local coverage from the abc affiliate of what he heard from constituents, and what could come next from the Health Care Debate. [video clip] senator Mitch Mcconnell was back in the bluegrass. Senator Mitch Mcconnell taking time to address the room before accepting questions from the audience. One of the most pressing issues, the Gop Health Care bill. we are inonnell discussion about the way forward. I dont have the answer yet. Members of congress are in their home state this week, but will reconvene on monday. Pitching his proposal to allow health plans across state lines. Senator mcconnell is unsure if such a proposal could be included in the final version of the Senate Health care bill. Senator mcconnell the problem is if it can be included from a parliamentary point of view. It is a complicated or seizure. One thing he sounds sure of is that repealing obama care now and replacing it later will not be a viable option. Senator mcconnell deductibles are going up, c copayments are going up. We have to solve the Current Crisis. Repealing and delaying the replacement doesnt work. Suggesting republicans, if they cannot pass a republican proposal will have to work with democrats to shore up the current system. Halls, butlding town not all. My question to you this morning is what message you send to them as they consider changes to their health care legislation, and what should they do next . A vote could happen next week, but some senators saying it needs to hold off and they are not close to a vote. It could be two to four weeks before they vote on legislation. News from around the country, the hawk eye from iowa. A picture from senator grassley. Concernsnts voice about the senate proposal. This in the cincinnati inquirer. Medicaid victory after vigorous debate. Gop lawmakers dont challenge governor kasichs retail of a halt. Keeping medicaid intact for 500,000 low income ohioans and giving the governor another victory over his own party. Post andngton the New York Times featuring jerry moran of kansas. Senator moran is usually a reliable supporter of his partys leadership, but he spent more than an hour poking holes in the Gop Health Care bill. As constituents peppered health careout the bill that he said he would oppose. As such exchanges suggested, gop leaders do not appear to be getting the response they wanted during congress recess. None of the 9 republicans opposing the bill have expressed a change of heart. Mcconnellority leader scrambling to assemble a revised version that can attract more support can only afford to lose 2 republicans and still pass. On thursday, mcconnell said if the gop fails they will have to work with democrats. What do you make of this . Caller thank you for taking my call. The way we are approaching this is not about health care, but about Health Insurance. I would like to see a more aggressive approach in education, public education, to focus on cigarettes, tobacco,. Lcohol, drugs, and obesity we lose half 1 trillion a year due to health care or lost wages on selfinflicted wounds. If senators could maybe focus more, or at least open a dialogue the dialogue on Health Insurance is done. The left and right have their ideas. We have to come together. I think the problem is education. Jfk started a Great Program focusing on Health Education and physical fitness in the schools. I think it is a core responsibility. The reason health is going up so high is supply and demand. If we have a healthier country there is less demand to go to doctors. That should bring down the costs. I know this sounds bumper stickery, but i feel we need less more selfreliance on people, less social justice and more social responsibility. Thank you for taking my call. Host california, independent, you are on the air. Caller on . Host yes, go ahead. Caller i have information for people who live in california. I enrolled in obamacare. Moneys if there was any that would be tacked onto my property. I was persistent. They sent mer, another part of my aca telling enrolled. Till it came from the state of California Health and humane agency. It says Important Notice involving medical state recovery program. When a beneficiary is 55 years of age or older the state will collect from his or her estate the cost of medi and payments made to manage plans on and after his 55th birthday. It says something about after the time of death, but also medicare is retroactive. The state is defined as any real or personal property owned by beneficiaryl including survivorship, life estate, and trust. The department of Health Care Services supplying against Life Insurance policies, retirement accounts, that names the estate as beneficiary or goes back to the estate. Annuity is purchased on or after september 1, 2004 it is retroactive even before the aca. Host i get the picture we get the picture, your point . Caller i dont see any of them i am in california, a democratcontrolled state. Is intoso transverse the Republican Party. I hear callers saying they have complaints about the rhinos. I understand what they are talking about, the ones who have been there forever. Compliantin with the industries. If anyone wants information go to www. Departmentofhealt hcareserviceshcds and then put their state. Gov Services Pages thir dpartyresponsibility. Host in june the Unemployment Rate was 4. 4 , 22,000 jobs added. The jobless rate in may was 4. 3 . The average hourly wage grew by 2. 5 from a year earlier. The takeaway at according to times the economy not reflecting political affiliations. Economy reflecting political affiliations. Publicans are more optimistic than democrats. What the business section of the New York Times had to say ahead of the jobs report. Forecasting hope for a trump bump. Wall street forecasters have been lowering growth estimates for the second quarter, which and the last friday, much as they were forced to do over the first three months of the year. Medicaid expansion appears to be less than 2 . The average for the current recovery celebrating its eighth year this month. While hardly terrible, it is not the burst of growth that many expected to result from the of turning consumer and Business Sentiment after a trump election. Democrat, good morning. What is your message to senators on health care . Caller i want to talk about the aca. In because brought Insurance Companies were refusing to treat people. Anything that was expensive they were refusing to pay for any coverage and dropping them from lifetime, putting caps. And peopleeed were dying. They brought in the aca. Now companies are refusing to pay fulltime employees, because a week isr more fulltime and they have the responsibility to provide Health Insurance. Greed again. Honestly, it has to be government based. It up to leave companies and Insurance Companies to do the right thing. They will go for the profit margin. They will go for the cheapest way out. Us, being americans, we should be able to see a doctor. Waiting a year to see a doctor is incredible in america. Host edward . Good morning. Caller i was listening to just about everyone speaking to you. Ive something to share with you. I was in europe a couple of weeks ago. I went to a restaurant. Me spokethat waited on really good english. I said, maam, you speak really good english. She said, i used to live in chicago. Couldnt make it i worked three jobs and couldnt make ends meet. I have three girls. The entrance there, she couldnt afford it. She says she has a full eight hour day job, free insurance, universal health care. She says my three daughters go to college tuitionfree. I have a better life and am able to save money. If people really got to find out what the facts are about universal health care, they would put the Republican Party to the back and bring people in that would make that happen. That is the crux of everything. You have to take the Insurance Companies out of the middle and let it be universal health care. You have to raise the wages of people and have a universal wage. I wanted to share that with you. It is about what party you put into office and the fair treatment for all the people. Host lets go to ohio. Statehouse reporter with the Ohio Public Radio joining us via skype and how this is playing out in the state of ohio. We just learned from the cincinnati inquirer after vigorous debate governor kasichs veto is not challenged. Explain what happened and what pressure this is putting on senator rob portman. There was a showdown at the ohio house that led up to a budget process for the house and senate controlled by republicans in ohio put in the budget something that would free the enrollment of people into Medicaid Expansion starting next year. This is something governor kasich has been touting for years. It has enrolled 700,000 people in health care in ohio. It created a fight with republicans. Governor Kasich Vetoed an enrollment freeze into Medicaid Expansion. The house had a chance to override the veto yesterday, and they decided not to. They had the vote, but they decided not to. Otherid override 11 vetoes, but not that enrollment freeze. Effect is the debate over health care having on senator portman . Caller medicaid is playing a huge role in ohio. 700,000 people are enrolled expansion. Medicaid covers a lot of people in ohio. As the debate continues in congress over reforming the Health Care Law and changing the Health Care Law, more people are understanding that changing obamacare means changing medicaid. Theyre starting to understand the real consequences that could come with changing it. That is swaying Public Opinion a little bit. It used to be, i am against obamacare so i am for anyone that wants to change obamacare. More people are realizing that they themselves are benefiting from it or loved ones are benefiting from it. There are a lot of opponents to obamacare, but the fact that medicaid is covering so many people is playing a big role. Host what is senator portman saying to his constituents about what changes need to be made for him to become a yes vote . Is ar senator portman mystery. He has come out on record saying he was against the previous version proposed and was close to getting a vote on the senate floor a couple of weeks ago. He wants to see more of a phasing out process of the subsidies. More than like 20 million americans losing Health Care Coverage and scaling back on medicaid. But he does want is up in the air. We havent been able to understand exactly some of the solutions he is proposing. The big thing you have to remember for ohio politicians, looming over everyone from the state level to congress is the Opioid Crisis where thousands of people are dying of opioid overdoses. Really go alars long way in ohio in helping treatment of that crisis. Sen. In order to woo portman the senator mcconnell is considering adding 45 billion to legislation to help with the Opioid Crisis. How is the governor responding . Caller the governor still wants something more. What Governor John Kasich wants is a more bipartisan approach. He wants democrats and republicans to find a way to which hashis program been able to expand medicaid coverage for people who have Mental Health issues, people who have lost their jobs, people who have drug addiction. Adding morek just money will help sway governor kasich right now. I think that more of a bipartisan approach, more buyin from the democrats will get more buyin from the governor. Host not to be swayed by any additional opioid funding. The quote was the 45 billion being proposed, that is like ocean. In the is senator portman Holding Town Hall meetings . Aller he is not well, yes he is, but they are events organized by his office. They are more controlled. You are not getting the true open Community Voice you are in other states at congressional town Hall Meetings. Were not quite seeing the real, open town Hall Meetings like in other places. He has been going to parades and Holding Events at different companies, but not a true town hall meeting. There are people now sitting in his Columbus Office because they are demanding a town hall meeting. Host senator portman serving his second term, he was reelected in the last cycle. Thank you for letting us know what is happening in ohio. We will go to new jersey, next. Joe, republican. Good morning what is your message. Wantr i believe senators to do their job, and they want to address the issue. But, there are more stakeholders involved. It took three or four years to implement obamacare. There are a lot of people that ,ven believe the white house which was supposed to be in new york city, i dont know why it is in washington, bring it to new jersey. Thank you. Host what do you think about the Health Care Debate . Caller the more they debate the deeper the quandary becomes. T goes on, and on, and on i have been listening. I think i will need a doctor to deal with the emotional crisis. Im just kidding. I want to stress that i will be 80 years old in september. Until i became 65 and became a ward of the federal government on medicare and had to give up my private blue cross and blue shield, which is aspirated meat which exasperated me to no end, the solution which sounds simplest. With everyone in the country having their own opinion about who should pay for their Health Become someoneot that the government paid for my healthsimplest care or my emplod for my health care. I even worked for an Insurance Company for a long time in my life. They did not pay for my health care. I brought my own health care and paid for it. There are so many fingers in the pie when the government is running it. You have pharmaceuticals, hospitals,doctors, the ama, all these people with theories and opinions. It is all biased because they are taking money out of the system. I it is our taxes paying for it. It is not the senators, the congressman, it is our money. The taxpayers money. Democrat, sacramento. Worked every day. I had health care service. I had a stroke last year. Insurance,ve health so i got on the Affordable Care act. Me to getabout medicare. I was able to keep my kaiser doctor. I want to say to the senators if senators if they have a tiny bit of heart i dont see the problem. Thank you. Host oakville, West Virginia. Brenda. The republican there said she is now. Vote you have the democratic senator with a no vote as well. What is your message . Caller i think a no vote is what you need. Is do weion i have have to keep doing this every in office,icans get or democrats get in office . Do we have to revisit this, or can we keep something in place like medicare . Are you calling on republicans to fix the Affordable Care act . Caller i am. I would like to see something done. I would like to see it fixed. I dont want to see it repealed. Host do you have experience with it yourself . Caller i am on the Affordable Care act myself. I have obamacare myself. I do get subsidy for help with my payments. I dont go to the doctor much. I am fairly healthy. I dont take a lot of medication. There are people in the state that are on medicaid. It is a large portion of what pays local hospitals. Host do you work . Caller i am retired. Host but you are not old enough to get medicare . Caller i am not old enough. I am 60. Host that you qualify for the Affordable Care act. Caller i did. That was taken away. I have five years to figure out something else. Host wisconsin, wade, an independent. You are on the air. Caller i cant believe the United States is the only Country Holding back health care for all. Every industrialized nation has it. I cant understand. We have the richest country in the world. People arent getting health care. I dont care if we have to pay more taxes, it is worth it to cover everyone. If you are christian, that is the way to go. Any christian would say, yes, lets help everybody. Terry. Ood morning, terry. Caller thank you for accepting my call. I want to say that i hope the center for Disease Control centers for Disease Control i agree with the gentleman before me. Why is the United States the only country that doesnt have health care . The republicans are serious about making sure every american has Quality Health care. Europe, theyin should reach out and say, how did you do it . Even if it was cuba. If they were serious about it, dedicated to a human right to have health care, they should reach out to our neighbors, canada, and say lets come together. We are in crisis. We have so many people in poverty. So many people that are sick. We have americans that are overweight, which leads to other medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc. I am a schoolteacher. I see Young Children getting heavier and heavier that live below the poverty line and dont have access to good nutrition. I want my senators, republicans, all republicans in a bipartisan way, to Work Together and say we start from scratch because too Many Americans desperately need health care. Start the remarks made represent a significant shift for the he raised islator, the idea last week republicans may have to turn to democrat the bill, annot pass his words mark the first time shoring ed prospect of up the Affordable Care act. Urning to you this morning to get your response to this question of what you want the to do s from your state about this. Many of them, some of them someng town Hall Meetings, not while they are back in their home states. Tell your opportunity to washington, what you want him to do on this issue of healthcare. Are phone numbers on your screen, more calls coming up, we have other news, as well. The Washington Times has this story about President Trumps nominee, raise filings as new insight into trumps pick for the position. Trumps nominee for f. B. I. Director led the Justice Division criminal when 9 11 terrorists pleaded served as personal ttorney for Chris Christie during the scandal. When asked to name the 10 most litigated, cases he he put prosecution of former the top of jarvis at his list, he was convicted of receiving kickbacks from with as he contracted a georgia sheriff. The disclosure was part of the to the naire submitted Senate Judiciary committee ahead of his confirmation hearing next week. To cspan. Org for coverage of that. Also this, 18 states sue the department over student loan protection, attorney general from 18 states district of columbia filed a lawsuit against the education challenging the departments move to freeze new rules for erasing the federal student borrowers cheated by colleges that acted fraudulently. Rules, known as borrower defense, finalized by the obama of nistration after years negotiation and review and have been scheduled to take effect on july 1st. Also from the government, the New York Times reporting that he top ethics chief resigned yesterday after clashes with the president. Ethics ernments top watchdog, who repeatedly gone headtohead with the trump concerns tion over over conflict of interest that said thursday he was calling it quits. His fiveyear term as director of the office of government thics will not expire until january, but with little chance of renewal and appealing offer nonpartisan a advocacy group, he said the time leave. Ght to so that in the paper this morning. A e in houston, texas, republican, calling in about healthcare. What is your message to senators . Caller well, you know, i hear all these people debating on the senators can do. About our rt insurance problems is major and really understand it, it is actually fraud. Hat im saying about fraud is these doctors, you know, they bring in same thing as dentists, got insurance, and you may not have a problem, but before you leave there, you have a problem and it is not really a copay, the Insurance Company for each item. Like i said, i was just at the yesterday. My biggest problem, talking about medicaid and medicare. Is for people that cant afford insurance or eople that want to steal insurance. What im talking about, we have a lot of people over here from countrys and their children are born here, all those children, if they dont ave a father, our government pays for their insurance. Lot of it, ive seen it and right here, houston, where you days gentleman working six a week, you know, living high on he hog, three or four vehicles and yet they get Free Services. Never had any Free Services and thank god im a veteran because otherwise i couldnt afford any insurance. Ut about this opioid thing, if doctors would not prescribe all these pills, we wouldnt have problem that, is what they need to work on. Host okay, steve in virginia, independent. Do you think, steve . Caller thank you for taking my call. I would like to make an analogy and maybe explanation of why i feel this way. Liken this healthcare debate to the debate we had over the bailout of the banking industry. Were the banks and yet them out. D the a. C. A. And the republican markets are the collapsing, the a. C. A. Isnt markets, the Health Insurance companies are they are the market, pulling out because they see dwindling. In my opinion, there is one the healthcare Health Insurance industry and life. Is profit over okay. Health insurance is not risk care, its a Management System by which the by definition, life holds less value than profit. A Risk Management and where profits e the value of over life. Host okay, heard your point, haven, missouri, a democrat. Hi there. Caller hi, good morning. Today . You host doing well. What is your message to your senator . I agree with bernie sanders, i agree that i singlepayer ed universal healthcare coverage. Think that is important for everyone to be covered with healthcare benefits. Host okay. All right. Danny in silver spring, maryland, a republican. Danny, it is your turn. Hello. Host morning. Caller here is what we say around silver spring, maryland, polish a turd and the a. C. A. Is a big turd. Repeal it, nell to the whole thing. , st send up the same bill president obama, and send out to it because it of is not working. Host without replacing right away . Right. Without replacing right away, because that is going to put the under the democrats feet to work with republicans and the upper cans will have the hand at that time. I think he has to go that way if he was with the democrats and get the bill then that would be good for the election of 2018, but it is not what republicans want. Repeal. A full host danny, take a look at this politico. From donald, wild ride. They have gone back and forth on Obamacare Repeal strategy undermining g. O. P. Leaderships plan. Politico donald, wild ride. Hey have gone back and forth ra bitter rivalry during the 2016 president ial campaign, senator and President Trump cant quit each other and are teaming up to confound everyone g. O. P. Ngton on the attempt to repeal obamacare. Trump a wind bed bag and trump questioned whether properly had a functioning brain, the two have built a strong relationship. Developed what paul calls good rapport, they play golf and chat regularly on the phone. Majority leader mcconnell as long since given up on his kentucky colleague. White house officials dont think paul can be convinced to repeal. Obamacare trump wants paul to be part of negotiations on healthcare. Day before mcconnell pulled the repeal bill last week, trump to a personal meeting on the issue. The g. O. P. Had facetime with group w. All that attention from the president , ball refused to rule out voting Obamacare Repeal bill, even though every whip count has no. As a hard trump seems to view getting pauls vote as challenge. He came out in march, trump immediately targeted him as who will come along and hat was before the senate even began considering this manner. Skype from rom lexington, kentucky, daniel derosur, political reporter with herald to tell us what randing on between senator paul, his colleague, mcconnell president. Daniel, derosur, talk about rand now on s position right this healthcare bill and his relationship with the president. Right. All so rand paul held a press louisville n yesterday and laid out the plan associated healthcare plan, group plans where people can join in groups and get insurance way. E said if the healthcare bill contained more freedom for associated healthcare plans, he would be more willing to go along. Hes trying to layout plans for mcconnell of how to get closer bill. Ting yes on the the same time, mcconnell has off. Etely written him we asked him if he had spoken to mcconnell over the break, they kentucky, he gave a flat out no. Hes not really getting much ttention from Senate Leadership, even though he is still getting all this attention which is dent trump, really interesting. Like you pointed out in that weird al article, a divide between what the president wants, who the president is speaking to and who majority leaders are speaking to to flip on the bill. Does senator rand paul want . What is his strategy if he had his rathers . Oh, boy, his ideal is probably full repeal, he would they went and voted on Obamacare Repeal and built around that. Wants probably wouldnt necessarily completely fly with senate. T of the one of the things he said has has a problem with the bill that he was the fact called it a bailout from Insurance Companies, he thinks gives too much money to Insurance Companies, he couldnt vote for that. Likes said before, he associated healthcare plans because he thinks it gives freedom to the market. Way to look atst what a bill rand paul could upport would be to take the most libertarian bill possible and that is where he would want on board, more freedom for individuals, that sort of thing and likely something that never pass the senate. Host while the two senators are back in their home state of what are they hearing from their constituents about what what is the Affordable Care acts unpopularity in kentucky . Guest yeah, so theyre hearing democrats, obviously. Protesters outside his event last week, wearing hood shirts and protesting there. And paul is not being protested, he is kind of on the ame side of democrats, but for different ideological reasons. They are not doing much because will still vote on this. So he hasnt really gotten too much there. The state, icans in which probably more republicans han democrats, even though Voter Registration shows differently, been kind of quiet. They havent really been saying much. They have seen mcconnell operate for years, so i think that they be able tot he might pull off something that they dont know about yet and they him as an e faith in operator. But there is probably the kind of of people just arent following this that closely, i would say. Kentucky did medicare expansion, when they did xpansion, they called it kentucky connects. Host medicaid, you mean . Sorry, Medicaid Expansion, they called it kentucky connect. Eople didnt realize they were signing up for obamacare. They did that on purpose because and they unpopular didnt want people to know they were getting obamacare, they wouldnt ed people sign up if it was obamacare. When you go out in rural ommunities, people have obamacare insurance, they got it through the expansion and they it, but they lose dont really realize the debate about that talking insurance they got and that insurance they have. So it is kind of complicated, i of people nk a lot until something actually happened. Host what do you think the will be to senator mcconnell yesterday, the leader of the senate say figure we repeal and replace and well have to work with democrats that not acting is not an alternative. Guest i think a lot of people would agree with them. Sure, i think that mostly what people want is better, they is want to be able to keep insurance, but dont want they ms to be so high f. Could come up with a solution with democrats that solve that element, i think they would be pretty happy. Dont think they would mind that much. That people think just kind of want this problem to be resolved and dont want keep going on and the fight to keep happening. Kentucky, ctive from appreciate it. Guest thanks for having me. Carl, annew hampshire, independent caller. Good morning. The ead, carl, youre on air. Caller yes, first of all, i hink that there has been a lot of people talking out the sides of their mouth and calling names so that t doy could persuade people to something and theyre misrepresenting the whole thing, called. Is not why i the reason i called, i think it is time for universal what we should do is give not give, but for medicare and a e a if you have business, match it, and that way that andr it with just like the te things medical or reliability insurance and medical on your house and car and al on your workmans compensation because those le idea behind insurances is based on the fact that not everybody has everybody doesif have insurance, okay, then we other typesll these of insurances and the savings ould more than pay for the cost. Once the government takes it over, then they can dictate what pay, not having octors and hospitals and using sleightofhand to get as much out of us as they possibly can. 72, i havent been to a doctor in 10 years, i take no a fulltime d work job. I mean, i just do whats best for me. All. s host okay, carl. Rudy in sun city, california, democrat. Rudy, welcome to the conversation, go ahead. Caller yes, greta. The amazing how conversation on healthcare has came about now, thats because Television Cameras new f l. A. , chicago and york and now theyre concentrating on the good people and that has a lot to do with the whole discussion now. Senator and to feinstein telling them to get the big rsation out of cities and i think that has propelled this conversation of away something that people need. Have been t could that simple, even if president obama would have done that, you from the big cities and went to the country. Just k it would have been perfect, nobody would be having the discussion right now about obamacare. Host all right, debbie in republican. York, a what do you think . Caller hi. I just think there are a lot of forgotten. Le have im appalled at the trend toward socialism that is taken over the country. Everyone that nd when obamacare started, this whole Medicaid Expansion was supposed to last 100 match to the states was to match for years. Governor kasich has a short emory, he was saying, well, he would take it for five years. Ell, now hes saying he wants to continue the expansion. The problem is the senators are the Insurance Companies money toward their political campaigns and they lost their backbone. Everybody that i hear saying, universal healthcare, they dont understand what you like in problems look the v. A. , you want the whole country to look like that, wait see a doctor . That is what happens when the over your takes healthcare under a universal plan. Also, everybody has forgotten about tort reform. Ort reform would cause if we lawsuits, thethese doctors fees have doubled to pay they had malpractice insurance because letigious ontrolled factor which drives up the cost have totally, s have you heard anybody mention tort reform lately . Forget our government, its not in our constitution for them to have anything the government to have with healthcare. And anything that the government subsidize rises in cost of approximately 10 times the subsidize anything, okay. Host all right, debbie, well it at those thoughts. Gale in missouri, independent, turn, gale. Caller okay, thank you. Peoplea question for the and the white house, that should beat obamacare stopped immediately with nothing it. Replace is the replacement going to six n a month from now, months, a year, five years . The is going to happen to and orwho have obamacare medicaid, who need it, such as elderly people with conditions and innoculations for babies and insulin. These are lifethreatening conditions, these people will call this a thirdworld country. Host all right, gale, cherylnmidlothian, virginia. You are on the air, what is your message to senator . Caller yes, im lucky enough to do supportnators who the a. C. A. And actually i think hat in the United States were going to have to make a decision hat we need to put caps on everything when it comes to costng, i mean, excuse me, for pharma and for procedures payer or a single consider to continue with the te insurance, but have caps on the programs. You cant continue to have these it is not s, so really just the a. C. A. s a blem, it has to do with bigger problem and my senator, kaine and warner are this to find a way to educate people in the United States to realize this is similar to e to be car insurance. If everybody has to buy in, if be part of the whole issue, then the costs come also have to put control on the cost for doctors so pharma and so on and forth. That is the only solution we have. Much. Thank you very host bob in middlebury, assachusetts, bob, what do you think should happen with healthcare . Caller i think that congress is overpaid. Their benefits should be cut. They should have to pay their healthcare and they should pass a healthcare law they would as us. Use, as well i think it would be easier for them to come up with a good bill because they way they suffer the same as we do if something comes up, just my thought. Host jay in scottsville, independent. Are your thoughts . Caller hello. Host morning. In 1980, the republican was successful in religious right nd we decided to make finance of the arching mission United States of america. Its our overarching mission why we dont have a mission. Re finance is the mission of healthcare. We could kill 17,000 people with a pill. An advertising pill. To make finance a again. T industry thats a very going to be a difficult thing to do. The constitution having nothing to say about healthcare, i would urge people of irst read the statement intent thats the preamble and read article 1, section 8. Legislative the 8 will and section escribe a bit about what the legislature can do to assess a system. Sive tax now as far as designing a system, at first were probably going to have to take our military to from a system separate our legislature because our the lature is captured by finance industry. This sounds very difficult, but in order for us o get a universal system designed so that we can release private industry to again build things in this country, we to have to release our fix our e industry to our private can use durable goods. Ld host got it. Florida, a raton, democrat. Caller thank you for cspan. Would want our senators and cspan, also, to do a better job the part of obamacare, the breakdown, my nderstanding is that there is. 8 tax on unearned income and i dont think the middle class voters, republican and first understand of all, they dont believe billionaires have the money they do. , but they i was a part of a dinner between two such wealthy individuals, i am not, understand and i didnt really understand it, they were having a conversation. One understood what unearned income is and i dont know if voters lass and poor understand when they vote against their self interest that and the onaires billionaire class have are ighting back, they have political connections, they attend fundraisers, they have dinner parties, they are giving 10,000 dollars a piece to interests and theyre connected, they have political connections and what is is that the politicians Pay Attention to this countrythy in want and they dont want to pay unearned income. New york from the times, wealthy would get billions in tax cuts under Obamacare Repeal plan. In of the biggest tax cut republican proposal to repeal the Affordable Care act would billion to hly 144 those with incomes of 1 million or more. By jointsment was made committee on taxation, nonpartisan panel that provides research on tax issues. Is not unusual for tax cuts to benefit mostly the wealthy, majority some money for of americans. The benefits of reductions would be aimed squarely at the top. The provisions would repeal two tax increases on high earners in 2010 to help pay for the a. C. A. An increase in Capital Gains other investment related income and a surcharge on medicare taxes. People making 200,000 to get 000 a year would sizeable tax cuts, in total, two by about cut taxes 274 billion during the coming for peopletually all making at least 200,000 ccording to separate assessments by committee. The hill newspaper and others republicans at considering keeping this 3. 8 proposal they might vote on in the coming weeks. In toronto, ark canada. Mark, what do you think about this debate in our country . Compare it to your healthcare there in canada. This is very, very sometimes ere people people might oppose universal healthcare. Canadian healthcare has a the u. S. But i lived in for over 10 years and i would ever trade the canadian healthcare for the american amount of because the money that is spent on each is over three times the. Nt in canada by go, who pay a little bit more taxes, but this is because of the lobbyists, the doctors in the u. S. Make two to three more than they make in canada. Pharmaceutical companies, the u. S. Sold for 300 each, canada for ld in like 50 or 60, and in india, 5 or 10, so like i nderstand you need to pay for intellectual property, evelopment, but you cant do that in the expense, the expense of peoples health. Healthcare,ve basic people go and get their year and done every that affects when 50 years old, have heart disease, diabetes, because they didnt have Preventative Care when they were younger and now the properties are hard to see, you hundreds end so much housands of dollars to being onomic value of able to so this is a mixture comes down to Campaign Finance reform and then andrickles down to lobbying nobody wants to everybody is pockets. Heir host okay, there in canada about the u. S. System versus the there. N system up our conversation continues for of todays minutes washington journal, what is your message to senators on the healthcare bill . Been talking throughout todays journal with political country in ross the states where senators are key to any vote that could take place weeks. Coming we want to talk with ben botkin, reporter with las heller and l about what his position, ben, on the healthcare bill . Guest right now senator dean heller has come out against the bill the senate is proposing. One sticking point, a major one, actually, is the here in nevada, he state expanded medicaid through the bill and that 210,000 dditional residents here. Heller has come out pretty in ngly saying the bill current form would jeopardize coverage for too many people in state. And its not acceptable to him. The Hillary Clinton won state of nevada and senator upler is the only republican for reelection with that dynamic. This impacting his decisionmaking . Going to be a s really tight race. Really just yesterday, jackie rose, a member of running announced shes against him on the democratic 2012, so i mean, he won in ust by 1 margin of error, so as far as decisionmaking, this a something where he will see lot of debate. Host what, though, would happen, what would political pressure be like for him if the ng happens with Affordable Care act and it remains in place, what is going the state of nevada under the a. C. A. . State of nevada, one thing you have is two carriers under the a. C. A. Have out of rural nevada is ty, so for 2018, so that something that is putting coverage for a lot of nevadannecessary rural areas in jeopardy unless the state comes kind of ome alternative. Of that tly, the part ynamic is that democrats are saying, well, because there is uncertainty under the Affordable Care act and the republicans are part of it, therefore there is n attempt to attempt to tie dean heller to that. Ost a proPresident Trump group, America First policies ave been running ads critical of senator heller for opposing g. O. P. Healthcare bill. Is running ads telling him to vote no on the g. O. P. Healthcare bill. The pressure like . Guest i mean, the pressure has mean, really g, i , en though it is only july 2017, it feels like september of look at the election cycle. You have republicans that have talked about running against heller, so there is some erosion of the Republican Base, so really heller has been kind of you ruous position when look at the Republican Base that may want to see the Affordable Care act repealed and on the ther hand, you have the democratic side that says views the problem. F and will cast them as such. People engaged on this . Town ey showing up for Hall Meetings . Is senator heller having any at the district offices . Yeah, certainly youve got different protests ions and office, rather, this week he had more lowkey much town hall 4th of but showed up at july parade at a small town. Hes got some veteran round scheduled during the rece recess. Have been low key, however, this recent Development Rural nevada and coverage for 2018, that is certainly additional degree of emphasis on the Affordable Care state. This host what is senator heller saying the changes he would like republican bill . Main changes the or the main things he would need o see would be the states Medicaid Expansion that happened have to be d really kept in place. Thats really been a key point hes continually brought up. Host we thank you for your time. You. T thank host weve got about 20 minutes left here in our discussion with all of you. Message to your senator . Tom in fort myers, florida, a republican. Tom, good morning to you. Caller yeah, how you doing . Firsttime caller, calling from fort myers, a new york native. Talk about my time when i lived in l. A. Obviously what you should be doing is immigrationp on the reform because honestly, you ave people going there with documents and get benefits. It just, i mean obviously that hotbutton issue or whatever. Another thing is that i would we need to have better alternatives to the funding, what on were fund suggest potentially are drugs to people who addicts and i know people that ake heroin in four days, whatever, why are we spending so much money, funding that . Oversimplify to everything, i just want to know in the easonable plan long run. I mean, nobody talking about that i call up and raise hell about. It host all right, well put it on the table, tom. In new orleans, louisiana, democrat. Hi, pat. Caller how you doing . Morning. Listen, i have to ask something of rhetorical question and i ask it as my remaining senator. Host okay. Caller Steve Scalise suffered devastating injury some weeks the last couple of , eks ive been thinking about a terrible question to ask, there is no nice way to ask this. Scalise and his family bankrupt yet . Asking because of the healthcare bills . Caller right. Are you trying to make . Caller the point im trying to know, ive beent operating under the assumption what the congress assistance and what have you. A. C. A. Rue, they have the caller any injury like that and now, would, if it happened to you mrs. Moderator, to me, after the doctors finish, you got to get your lawyer, see if you can protect any assets, am i wrong . Dont know, pat. Update , there was an yesterday on congressman Steve Scalises condition. This is story bout scalise undergoes another surgery, put back in intensive care due to infection from the surgery and the paper has morning noting that he ven more surgery to go for him during this recovery, so steve undergoes yet another surgery. Richard in pennsylvania, independent caller. Richard. Caller hi. Taking doing, thanks for my call. Ennsylvania is a big Medicaid Expansion state and our senator congressman, my congressman up here, congressman out in the rose garden drinking beer and celebrating they are going to people off llion their healthcare. You know, i dont get that. Dont get it. How could they do that. About when theng house passed their republican house, yes. Sed the read in the paper today that pennsylvanias bond rating has taken another hit again. Trying to get rid of the Medicaid Expansion dollars and all that, it doesnt sense, they need to start voting for people of doing whata and stop the lobbyists want them to do. Okay. John, democrat, hi, john. Want to i, hey, i just let everybody recollect a little bit. I, t of all, my waive and when we got married in 79, my industry in the auto was free, but then when we got was a , she said she nurse and wanted to add me to cross, it was a 1 every other week in 79. The reason i bring this up, because the insurance costs, the industries have gotten so out of control because of all he lawsuits and the medical costs, okay, the big reason. Voted for trump because here is the problem. We cant keep doing this giveaway. The reason a lot of people have this is because as i said to with, when we got married, you got insurance. A job where o have you get insurance. You have insurance. Campaigned esident on not touching medicaid, though. Caller i understand, you are government it, the shouldnt be paying medicaid, that is just a reason they set retire, ep theyll medicare, we need to get out medicaid, forget it. Get insurance you from where you work. Im originally from ohio, you you got insurance, you got a pension, it all worked out. Changed, it has shouldnt be like that. Host should employers be insurance . Provide because people on medicaid aller i just told you my age, it is not a matter of retirement, it is a matter of businesses and insurance saying, lets negotiate this. We need you. They pay some, we pay some, like that. Ost okay, walter in butler, hi, walter. Caller thank you for taking my call. The last caller was spot on with it. I think what weve done, weve lost the right conversation. Question is shpt shouldnt be we look to this jiept space ship, the government, we want free stuff, of us. Re our country is going through have rphosis, people robots to replace people doing jo obs, the country is getting older as we speak. When you cant afford something, you can play the shell game and and tell s around people everything is free. Eft wing and Democratic Party has won the conversation. Now the republicans are in a dilemma. Years ago where the states were in control and ou had to work for your own insurance and like the last tryer said, having a job or to match what the democrats say and give something away. No such thing as free lunch. Afford it as country, were 20 trillion in debt. Republican and love trump, the republicans are just as at democrats because donald trump made a promise on the first day of office, i will and replace obamacare. Did we to remember, what do 10 years ago . You adjusted, carried catastrophic insurance, you work with the Insurance Company. When the United States government collects money and the winners and losers with stuff and the merican people look to the government for help and assistance, we always lose that conversation and until we really to the truth, that the ystem is going bankrupt, that there is not enough money collected, that people have it is a horrible thing. To suffer. Have what did we do when we crossed ago, 100 s 200 years years ago, there was none of this free stuff. Came here, an old irish lady, went for work. Irish need apply. What did you do, grandma . Boot straps and made the best. Well not always be taken care of and pampered. Horrible, brutal thing, that is life. Host walter, heard your point. Tony in mississippi, independent. Hi, tony. Caller hi. Morning . Ou doing this host doing well, sir. What is your message to senators . Message is this, i ave listened to your last two callers and, you know, im sure are trying to do the our country, but my opinion is this. It is only an opinion, everyone one. Years old, not a Spring Chicken anymore. I started working when i was old, public working, i was raised on a farm. In to social ng security and medicare all my cancer. Il i got when i was 62 years old. And i had insurance with my until i started working for myself and i got and i tried to get another policy, but i had Blood Pressure and they denied me. On the state health isk with a 10,000 dollar deductible for the for 10,000 for medicine, nd at 62 years old, i got cancer. It cost me about 50,000 and bankrupted me and my wife. My wife has had two strokes. Medicare and thank god for medicare. But these people that say everybody should get a job, go away their take think are, i just cant how a Christian Person can in fact their mind an elderly handicap person, a person with cancer and then the to blicans say, were going take away their healthcare and ere going to deny them preexisting conditions or put deal, n a health risk state insurance, and turn it , one guy saidates were 30 trillion in debt, the eason now, i served in the military in the national guard, and you know, im all for ilitary service, my father was marine corps, he served in world war ii, and he came back with of problems. Patriot. But im going to tell you something, this military bankrupted omplex our country and were in a state perpetual war and point, ny, heard your call from mississippi, marie in vicksburg, a democrat, marie, you think . Caller i know im not the only has paid here that single payer for all working because i own a small business. Pay Blue Cross Blue Shield of mississippi, i had cancer, didnt pay a penny, had to have surgery, didnt pay a penny. Ith the insurance that i have, m 74, will be in september, with Health Insurance i have that is taken out for my drugs, my medicare, i and to me, penny for the vings doctor. Do go to the its 200 for Blue Cross Blue Shield. By the way, my son went to iraq twice, so i know what thats like. Am i the only one out here that, has been a single life . All their adult host marie, a democrat. Cal is a republican in cooksville, tennessee. Cal, about 10 minutes left in the conversation, whats your to senators on healthcare . Caller well, good morning, thank you for taking my call. Ive been an Insurance Agent for 6 or 37 years, selling both group and individual Health Insurance. The problem like that is that everybody is terrible going up by 6were to 10 per year. Create the a. C. A. They are going up 50 to 100 , 150 . Every time you get the federal government involved with that, you cannot now ol the cost factor you have republicans trying to put the genie back in the is not going to work, the gene seout already. I dont know what they are going to do. They need to repeal the and get rid re act of that for sure and let dontduals what people realize Insurance Companies are subject to department of every state tochlt have rate increase, has to go to get rst and apply that first. Host okay. Cal there in tennessee. Of the hour,he top the 10 00 a. M. Eastern time over hamburg, germany, president rump and russian president vladamir putin are scheduled to facetoface First Official meeting there at the leaders t, 20 world have gathered in hamburg, germany today and tomorrow to issues of the day. Limate change, economy, trade, etcetera, earlier today the the risersrs took to for the official what they call family photo, where all the leaders pose together ahead of their meetings. Having the Leaders Within on one meetings with each other, the president earlier, resident trump meeting with mexicos president and then as we said, any moment now slated russian president , vladamir putin. And we will try to bring you while we are discussing healthcare with you here. Ut if it happens after todays washington journal, you can find it on our website cspan. Org. The president from earlier today talking with like the president of australia, Prime Minister of they make their way there to the risers. Iian prime canada minister Drew Peterson and ladamir putin followed by merkel who is hosting the leader necessary hamburg, germany. Bill, independent caller, bill, back to domestic issue here of healthcare. Good morning to you. Caller yes, hello, im glad i in, its a big deal to get in here. The solution is simple on nmy opinion. Take it away from the government, number one. Take it away from insurance they have to make too much money. Those two things have to happen. Money in a trust fund as a separate business. Of the money to get it very active all over the investments going. That builds trillions of dollars for healthcare. Then pick up the obama plan, one network, ork, and everybody gets health nsurance under that plan that is under the age of 65. Over medicare e nd Social Security all as planned and keep it separate from the government in a raid thatockbox, they account whenever they have wars, big things, they raid the account. Not capable ofis handling money like that. In, get thehat money five investors to invest worldwide. Bring in cash, tons of cash, to ay for medical insurance, have a deductible of 700, 10 office with prescriptions. Dental and customer pays person per month, 100 500 ids pay 50, maximum per family and that is the cost nd then all that money goes into the trust fund, all that money is paid out of the trust obamacare eferred plan. Host bills idea in oklahoma lynn is hlt wisconsin, edgarton, good morning to you. Caller good morning, cspan, a junkie, after n istus, this healthcare thing really hotbutton issue. One thing. 1939, blue cross and blue shield set up a program, not for profit. N the 50s, when i started working, everybody had two cards in their wallet, Social Security a blue cross and blue hield card, then the hmos and ppos cherry picked and made deals and so forth and the small worked for, they had a terrible time maintaining the program. Gentleman that just alled, i think he nailed it you could come up pretty good plan. I ot a threepage letter wanted to send to my senator and in the mail, but this healthcare thing is else. Ing im 81 host it sounds like it is not oo late to send off that letter, your senator, ron johnson, wants the lawmakers out down a little ow bit and not have a vote on this soon. Caller yes. I think that i will get that out nd send that off to them and hopefully, you know, the thing is that if you had all the money that is spent in the Healthcare Industry pile, you in one could have a universal program, just ntleman that called before me having a trust fund numbers that he was talking about, that would fit very nicely. Administrated by a outside the government and we could all do well, but this thing has and the out of hand republicans vetoed the plan so but couldnt come up with something suitable and ages. Back into the dark when in the past, there were andrams, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, operating not for time; that hat account be a model. Heritage foundation a conservative group started the that was a model up president obama picked on and the other thing that president obama said, got to have skin in the game, no free riders, that s part of the thing where they wanted to put a tax on people insurance. T buying you cant, the free riders or that the people and say this are off base everybody has to have skin in the game, everybody. Leave it , well there. As our final thought for todays washington journal and your message to senators on this healthcare bill. Thank you all for calling in watching. Ing and washington journal tomorrow morning at 7 a. M. Up saturday morning, president of the American Foreign policy council on President Trumps first g 20 summit. National Immigration Law Center Attorney discusses the travel ban implementation and legislative actions against sanctuary cities. Jessica toributor ask her recent investigation and article on the resentencing of juveniles serving life in prison. Watch cspans washington journal live at 7 00 a. M. Eastern on saturday morning. Join the discussion. Cspan, where history unfolds daily. In 1979 cspan was created as a Public Service by americas public Cable Television companies. It is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. This weekend on book tv on cspan2. Saturday at 11 00 p. M. Eastern, pat buchanan talks about his book nixons white house war. On his time as the Senior Adviser to president Richard Nixon. We had broken lyndon johnson. At the end of that year, 1969, that divisive year in america, Richard Nixon was at 68 polloval in the gallup and 19 disapproval. Been written off as the biggest loser in american politics. Sunday at 10 00 p. M. Eastern, herne discusses her life body and its impact on her life in her memoir. Standing in woman half over formerly fat pants. I just thought, i cannot write that book yet. , so,t to write that book why dont i told the story of my body today, without apology, just explanation. This is my fat body and this is what it is like to be in this world in this body. For more on this schedule go to book tv. Org. U. S. And russia have reached agreement on a ceasefire in southwest syria. According to three u. S. Officials, as President Trump held his first u. S. Meeting with Vladimir Putin. The deal marks a new level of involvement for the Trump Administration in trying to resolve serious civil war, although details about the agreement and how it will be implemented were not immediately available. Ceasefire expected to take place at noon. The meeting between President Trump and president putin happen on the sideline. More than 10,000 protesters took to the streets of hamburg, germany again today to vent their anger at the g 20 and the Global Political and economic system. They were met with a huge police presence, hundreds of additional officers were called in after 100 11 on thursday left officers and dozens of protesters injured. Meanwhile in the summit, and dozens of leaders gathered for a photo and chancellor Angela Merkel gave welcoming remarks