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Opponents Say Medicare Bill Will Destroy Social Security, Medicare
Aired November 25, 2003 - 14:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(LIVE EVENT)
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: Let's get back to this issue of Medicare reform, and joining us from the other side of the aisle, so to speak, Nancy Skinner from Chicago.
Hello, Nancy, how are you?
NANCY SKINNER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hi, Miles. I'm well, thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right. When you hear the president lay it out, it sounds like such a good plan to protect seniors, to provide them with prescription drugs, preventive care. What's the matter with all that?
SKINNER: You know, truth is an endangered species in this generation. Really, it is. It's shocking. If you understand the details of this plan, Miles, as I sat here and listened to it, I'm shocked to see the misrepresentations that our president just spoke.
And it's no wonder he's going to a $3 million fund-raiser today. I'm sure insurance companies and pharmaceuticals will be crowding the room, because why else did they lobby for this bill?
O'BRIEN: Let's take through -- Let's take it through the things you saw.
SKINNER: OK. He talked about competition and choice. First of all, there is no choice in this. As I was briefed by members of the Senate last week, this is what it is.
If there are two private plans in your region, you don't have the option of going on Medicare. If one of those plans moves out of the area, then you can go into Medicare's drug plant. If another one opens up shop, you're kicked out of the Medicare plan.
So first of all, you don't have absolutely choice.
My father, for instance, is a retired schoolteacher and he has Blue Cross/Blue Shield. He has been informed that he may have to go up into an HMO and give up his solid gold Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Now...
O'BRIEN: And that is because some of these companies are going to opt out of providing prescription drugs because of Medicare will fill the gap. Is that what's going on? SKINNER: Yes. There's only $70 billion in incentives in this bill for companies to maintain their coverage, but there's no requirement to do so. And in fact, for state and public employees, they've been told specifically they don't have to maintain their Blue Cross/Blue Care (sic) coverage.
O'BRIEN: So there's a lot of temptation, then, to pull the plug on people?
SKINNER: Absolutely, there is.
And I'll tell you. They talk about competition, but this bill prohibits Medicare -- or trying to renegotiate lower drug prices. They will not allow Medicare to try to work with the pharmaceutical companies to provide drugs at a lower cost. It prohibits that.
It prohibits the re-importation of drugs from Canada.
So what's going to happen here as this plays out, is you are going to have the healthiest seniors go into the private plans, get a little bit lower rate and those people and they can pick and choose. If they think you're too sick, they can kick you out, the private plans.
You'll end up back in Medicare, Medicare will have the sickest people, and the cost will rise to Medicare. The premiums will rise in Medicare. And what you'll be doing is having cherry picking going on in the private interest and the sickest and most costly people in Medicare.
That is the end of Medicare. I can't believe he's talking about choice and competition.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this. What about the cost? The $400 plus billion figure that's bandied about -- I've seen some estimates by some who would disagree with this policy that it could really get very high, perhaps as close as $1 trillion by the time all is said and done. Because of the fact that, as time goes on and some seniors are left out of this benefit, Congress will be forced to grant it to others, expand it.
SKINNER: Exactly. I've seen $2 trillion today in the "Chicago Tribune."
O'BRIEN: That's some real money, Nancy.
SKINNER: That's serious money. And Miles, here's the thing.
He -- President Bush today said that we have a responsibility to solve problems, not to pass them on. Well, we have a deficit right now, half a trillion a year as far as the eye can see. We're going to be in the multi -- $8, $9, $10 trillion. Social Security goes cash negative in the year 2017.
If we continue to add these costs, these outrageous costs -- but not only this, he added a $96 billion energy bill on the table, when all is said and done. It was $23 billion nominally, but $96 billion there.
The cost for Iraq, it's $87 billion this year. It's going to continue.
How are we going to make that commitment to seniors who are retiring? We have said we will fund the trust fund. And what we're doing right now, there is no money in the Social Security trust fund. When these people retire, they're going to be on their own. How is that solving today's problems? That's pushing them off onto future generations. It's outrageous what he said today.
O'BRIEN: Nancy Skinner, we'll leave it at that. A little bit of balance from the other side. Thanks for staying with us and listening to the speech with us.
SKINNER: You bet.
O'BRIEN: We'll see you again soon.
SKINNER: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Medicare>
Aired November 25, 2003 - 14:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(LIVE EVENT)
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: Let's get back to this issue of Medicare reform, and joining us from the other side of the aisle, so to speak, Nancy Skinner from Chicago.
Hello, Nancy, how are you?
NANCY SKINNER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hi, Miles. I'm well, thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right. When you hear the president lay it out, it sounds like such a good plan to protect seniors, to provide them with prescription drugs, preventive care. What's the matter with all that?
SKINNER: You know, truth is an endangered species in this generation. Really, it is. It's shocking. If you understand the details of this plan, Miles, as I sat here and listened to it, I'm shocked to see the misrepresentations that our president just spoke.
And it's no wonder he's going to a $3 million fund-raiser today. I'm sure insurance companies and pharmaceuticals will be crowding the room, because why else did they lobby for this bill?
O'BRIEN: Let's take through -- Let's take it through the things you saw.
SKINNER: OK. He talked about competition and choice. First of all, there is no choice in this. As I was briefed by members of the Senate last week, this is what it is.
If there are two private plans in your region, you don't have the option of going on Medicare. If one of those plans moves out of the area, then you can go into Medicare's drug plant. If another one opens up shop, you're kicked out of the Medicare plan.
So first of all, you don't have absolutely choice.
My father, for instance, is a retired schoolteacher and he has Blue Cross/Blue Shield. He has been informed that he may have to go up into an HMO and give up his solid gold Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Now...
O'BRIEN: And that is because some of these companies are going to opt out of providing prescription drugs because of Medicare will fill the gap. Is that what's going on? SKINNER: Yes. There's only $70 billion in incentives in this bill for companies to maintain their coverage, but there's no requirement to do so. And in fact, for state and public employees, they've been told specifically they don't have to maintain their Blue Cross/Blue Care (sic) coverage.
O'BRIEN: So there's a lot of temptation, then, to pull the plug on people?
SKINNER: Absolutely, there is.
And I'll tell you. They talk about competition, but this bill prohibits Medicare -- or trying to renegotiate lower drug prices. They will not allow Medicare to try to work with the pharmaceutical companies to provide drugs at a lower cost. It prohibits that.
It prohibits the re-importation of drugs from Canada.
So what's going to happen here as this plays out, is you are going to have the healthiest seniors go into the private plans, get a little bit lower rate and those people and they can pick and choose. If they think you're too sick, they can kick you out, the private plans.
You'll end up back in Medicare, Medicare will have the sickest people, and the cost will rise to Medicare. The premiums will rise in Medicare. And what you'll be doing is having cherry picking going on in the private interest and the sickest and most costly people in Medicare.
That is the end of Medicare. I can't believe he's talking about choice and competition.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this. What about the cost? The $400 plus billion figure that's bandied about -- I've seen some estimates by some who would disagree with this policy that it could really get very high, perhaps as close as $1 trillion by the time all is said and done. Because of the fact that, as time goes on and some seniors are left out of this benefit, Congress will be forced to grant it to others, expand it.
SKINNER: Exactly. I've seen $2 trillion today in the "Chicago Tribune."
O'BRIEN: That's some real money, Nancy.
SKINNER: That's serious money. And Miles, here's the thing.
He -- President Bush today said that we have a responsibility to solve problems, not to pass them on. Well, we have a deficit right now, half a trillion a year as far as the eye can see. We're going to be in the multi -- $8, $9, $10 trillion. Social Security goes cash negative in the year 2017.
If we continue to add these costs, these outrageous costs -- but not only this, he added a $96 billion energy bill on the table, when all is said and done. It was $23 billion nominally, but $96 billion there.
The cost for Iraq, it's $87 billion this year. It's going to continue.
How are we going to make that commitment to seniors who are retiring? We have said we will fund the trust fund. And what we're doing right now, there is no money in the Social Security trust fund. When these people retire, they're going to be on their own. How is that solving today's problems? That's pushing them off onto future generations. It's outrageous what he said today.
O'BRIEN: Nancy Skinner, we'll leave it at that. A little bit of balance from the other side. Thanks for staying with us and listening to the speech with us.
SKINNER: You bet.
O'BRIEN: We'll see you again soon.
SKINNER: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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