202 7488001. That enthuse those of you without Employer Health care plans. We would also like to hear from you on social media. But first, how many people get health care from their employers, the average annual 7,000, 6896nearly single coverage, 19,660 contribute workers 18 of the premium for coverage, 29 for family coverage, and 89 of workers have an annual , the average is about 1500 to 1600. Thats from the Kaiser Family foundation. The issue of employersponsored plans really came into focus in the most recent debates. The Los Angeles Times writes about that with this headline, news analysis, Democrats Ask americans, are you ready to give up jobbased Health Care Coverage . They writes that sharp disagreements among president ial hopefuls have crystallized a critical and explosive political question. I democrats willing to upend Health Care Coverage for their fellow americans . The party is closer than they have been to embracing a Health Care Platform that would move all americans out of their current insurance and into a single, government run plan. Pushed by three of the four leading candidates, Bernie Sanders, elizabeth warren, and Kamala Harris differ in their particulars. But would all end of the jobbased system that provides coverage to more than 150 Million People. Your employersponsored Health Care Plan, doesnt work for you, 202 7488000if the answer is yes. If it does not work for you, 202 7488001. The issue came back to the eye was state fair, as joe biden spoke for the group at the Des Moines Register soapbox. Our coverage continues through the weekend. Here is what the former Vice President had to say. We are able to go out and make sure everyone is protected by building on obamacare. Restoring historic deals we did. In addition, adding a medicarelike option to it, so you could buy into that if you wish to. If you are able to keep, like, your employerbased policy. You can keep that policy, as long as they keep the policy. , 740t a lot of money billion over 10 years. But it does not cost 30 trillion that the other plans will result in the raising of taxes. Bernie is honest enough to tell you that. Canan cover everybody, we do it in a way that allows people the choice that they want. Host joe biden at the i was state fair. Just to remind you, coverage is removed resuming at 10 00. We are asking this morning about your employersponsored Health Care Plan. Are you happy with it . Does it work for you . 202 7488000if the answer is yes. If the answer is no or you do not have that employersponsored Health Care Plan, the line is 202 7488001. Janet is up first in tacoma, washington. Thank you for calling in. Caller i think everyone should have Health Insurance, because its the most important part of everyones life. Nothing comes before that. I think joe bidens plan works the best for everyone, it would take less from the government and still cover everyone. I know that obamacare saved a lot of lives. A lot of people would have died of heart attacks, and many other illnesses because they could not afford it. And it was worth it for the people, even if some have to pay a little more, they can afford it, because these other people dont have money and they have to think of the poor. Host you are calling on the line for those with employersponsored plans. If your plan working for you . Caller i have medicare. That works for me. I have had surgery, both hands operated on, i need back surgery but im afraid to get it because with my next surgery i did not have a heartbeat and i was not breathing. I got purple, my body swelled, my neck expanded and they had to put tube down my throat and im afraid that my back surgery might be the same way, maybe i wont wake up. Thats the only reason i have not gotten it. But as far as anything i ever needed with medicare, i was able to get it. For which im thankful. Cheryl, in hear from castro valley, california. Caller good morning. Host make sure you mute your television. Go ahead. Worker,i am health care i have been with the system for 36 years now. , as a healthfor me care worker. Its part of the benefits of working in health care. I dont know thats part of the problem or not. But the health care i do receive works for me. Host you are in the health care does the potential of losing that system that that 150based system million americans are covered by, could you see potential problems in terms of chaos and lack of coverage by many individuals . I am over 65 now, i have Medicare Coverage as well. But my employerbased Health Coverage covers the other 20 . And my cost is minimal. So it is frightening to me to think of, as i age, the older we get the more like we are to develop Health Related issues that need treatment. If that when he percent is not covered by my employerbased health care, im gonna have to go where for that money . Thats frightening. ,ost lets hear from tracy from blue earth, minnesota, who said through employersponsored plan is not working. Hello. Im currently unemployed and disabled, im not receiving health care through my employer. I am covered under my wifes at what would be considered a rural hospital as a nurse. Our town has a population of about 4000. You showed a video clip of joe biden at the state fair. One of the things he said today was he believes in truths, not facts. I have is thats before obamacare, when i was working, i received full family coverage, Health Coverage eyewear. Dental, and after, when i began to start , i hadhealth Problems Health insurance for a while through my employer and i was covered as a secondary under my wife. And havinge copays such a large deductible, we had to declare bankruptcy. We could not pay the bills, just on the copays. We lost our home. Host you said you lost your home . Caller yes. Host one was that . When was that . Caller a few years ago. I just dont see things heading in the right direction. Wouldre for all, i feel, be a drastic step in the right direction. Ofther fact is that 80 these socalled rural hospitals would have to shut down, because to giveld not be able this sort of care. Host i hope youll stay tuned, were talking about the state of rural hospitals in our next our. We are spending our first hour talking about employersponsored Health Care Plans. Are they working for you. 202 7488000 for yes, 202 7488001 no. This has been a topic in the most recent debates. All the stuff at the i was state fair as well. And as headlined in bloomberg, trump to unveil drug price index in september health care speech. He seeks to compete with democratic puzzles. Here is what proposals, heres what Kellyanne Conway had to say. The democrats are attacking obamacare. We dont need to bother to do that. Whats the core of it . Presenting preexisting conditions. , making sure there is freedom in the Health Care System, so people are not stuck with the plan. Individual mandate is gone. We had 3 million americans paying 6 billion in penalties, rather than pay for this wonderful thing called obamacare. They are willing to pay billions of dollars in penalties instead. So we need to put the patients in charge of their health care, we are also looking at strengthening medicaid, and making sure its there for the people for whom it was intended. Obamacare covers a small percentage of the country, three and 30 Million People, about 315 million are not on obamacare. It should not be that difficult to explain to the rest of the country why they can have Better Health care than what they have. But we are not going to allow people to take away private insurance from 100 77 million americans who are happy with it. Were7 million americans happy with it. And medicare is the largest entitlement ever. We dont have the money for that. Costpart from the monetary , theres a moral cost. With the last administration did for veterans were dying waiting for care last month. In a way that we are waiting for care and waiting to see the doctor. A lot of americans are happy with what they have. Hour, wethe first talked about whos getting it, 100 52 million americans, who is 152ring it question million americans, who is offering it . We have this chart. 89 of firms with 50 to 99 workers offering coverage, and 96 of firms with 100 or more workers offer some kind of Health Care Coverage to individuals and those with families. From the Kaiser Family foundation, this chart in terms of tracking, where people are thinking for medicare for all, certainly among the democrats proposals, half of the public favors medicare for all. Down slightly from recent months. Lets hear from gregory, in rockville, happy with his Health Care Plan. Go ahead. Caller im very happy with my Health Care Plan, but there were so Many Americans who feel they have to stay at a job that they are not happy with just to keep health care. So senator harris and other candidates have started to talk about the fact that maybe its time to separate your Health Care Plan from your work. For me, im happy but there were so Many Americans who would have a better job than they would be happier with, if it meant being able to go would not worry about their health care. Im not saying we should but we should start a conversation about separating your job from your Health Care Plan. Host he spoke about senator kemal harris, in the most recent debate, she talked about how she would decouple the employerbased plan. My plan does not offer anything [video clip] offer anythingot illegal, that means that the kind of health care you get will not be a function of where you work. Ive met so Many Americans who stick to a job they do not like, when they are not prospering, because they need the health care. Its time that we separate employers from health care. Under my plan we do that. Teresa, in go to pensacola, florida. Caller good morning. I want to say that i approve of Employer Health care. I work for the state of florida. My Monthly Contribution is a little over 50. When i had a family it was little over 80. My employer share was over 800 a month, which is one of the reasons why our raises were few and far between. So i dont want my health care touch. Host are you happy with that arrangement . Caller oh yes, im very happy. Host what is your deductible if you dont mind me asking . Caller i dont understand how all that works. Ive been having physical therapy, three days a week for the last four weeks, my copay is 40 for specialist. 20 i see my doctor is copay. I dont know if theres a limit of how much i can get a year. I dont know any of that. I am prettylthy healthy, i do cardio, i. E. Well. Host thank you. Lamar in connecticut is not happy. Doing phil . Are you . Bill host im fine thank you. Caller i work with three parttime jobs, none provide benefits. Basica. Provides me with care. They are very thorough and socialized and i am all for bernies plan. He was the first one to talk idea. It, he has the best for those who do not have jobs that provide health care, what else can they do . Host to be clear, you are working three parttime jobs but you dont need health care through your employer because you get it through the v. A. . Caller thats right. But thats not the point. Host what about fulltime employees at the places where you work . Employees, fulltime as far as im concerned, they dont get enough either. Their Insurance Companies want to limit what they can have for coverage. Theres a constant battle going on between the Insurance Companies and the doctors and the patients. Host appreciate that. Lets hear from claire, in wisconsin. You are on. Caller good morning. I do have Employer Paid health also on medicare because im over 65. The thing that i have found, having worked for 45 years or longer, all of that time i was not covered. In the job i have now, if i go week, i wills a not have coverage. Employersw most coverage goes. You have to have a minimum number of hours a week you have to work. So many people are like this person you just spoke to, he worked three jobs, and doesnt have anything. We really need a plan that throughout thes, country. Once we get that plan, the Insurance Companies we cant do both. Insurance company saying employers can keep going, and employers are going to look at it from the point of view of why are we spending these millions of dollars to provide and oure when taxes government can cover it better, more thoroughly, and we will not as Kellyanne Conway said, have lines waiting to get in, unless we continue with paid insurance bargains who will make with the hospitals and things and give them perks until they run out of people who are willing to pay that extra premium. Host thank you for your comments. Jill is next, in illinois. Calling in on the no line, not happy with her coverage. Go ahead. Caller hello. I believe the Insurance Companies at cost. Thats all they do. They add cost. Can you give us an example of that . Where you have encountered that where the cost was added by Insurance Companies . , when you goxample and have an operation, the prices get jacked up because they can. They can jacked those prices up because they have the Insurance Company. And the Insurance Company passes on that cost. Its too much expense. American people are paying the highest expenses for medical. National healthcare the cost would come down. And they would not be taking as much out. Sure, they will take money out for taxes, but they are taking money out now and you are paying for your insurance policy. So the price for medical would come down, lowering it for everybody. Uses the cost of health care would come down if everybody were on a similar plan . Caller thats right. Because Insurance Companies are just a middleman and they add cost. Host thats jill, in illinois. Sandra in nevada is not happy with her Health Care Coverage. What is your story sandra . Aller im retired now when i was working i worked for a company that was doing well. The owner died, five employees purchased the company from his wife. A year later they said they were not making enough profit. Insuranceremely high and i was fired. I dont believe in employer insurance. Host we started the program reading something from the Los Angeles Times, looking at the analysis of the debate, particularly among den among democrats. And from the article, a little bit here, they say for decades voters have repeatedly punished president s and congresses, democrat and republican alike, with thread to away existing health plans, no matter how flawed. Last to the gop suffered historic losses in the house of representatives after the unsuccessful effort to roll back the 2010 Affordable Care act, known as obama care. But at a time when rising insurance deductibles and medical bills are crippling a growing number of american families, Many Democrats believe the discontent with the Current System has changed the dynamic. And it came to the front and the most recent debates. Heres the backandforth between john delaney and senator Bernie Sanders. [video clip] we can create a universal Health Care System to give everyone basic health care and i have a proposal. But we dont have tight be the party of subtract we dont have to be the party of subtraction telling people that private Health Insurance is illegal. The Union Electrician that is my dad loves the health care he got and he would never want someone to take that away. Beneficiaries would take that away. Its about policy. We will come to you in one second, lets go to senator sanders. Is,he fact of the matter tens of millions of people lose their Health Insurance every single year when they change jobs, when theyre in short there employer changes insurance. , assistant stability gives you freedom of choice to go to a doctor or hospital, a system that will not bankrupt you, the answer is to get rid of the profiteering Drug Companies and Insurance Companies. Host on this first hour of the washington journal, asking about employersponsored Health Care Plans. In other news this morning, the atsidents offer vacation bedminster. But yesterday he had a couple of fundraisers in the Washington Post we reported it was reported that he raised 12 million at two hamptons fundraisers, adding to the Nasa Campaign war chest he is amassing for his 2020 reelection camp