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American Morning
Interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson
Aired November 24, 2003 - 07:06 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now to that congressional showdown over Medicare. The Senate plans to vote today on what would be the largest overhaul of Medicare in its 38-year history -- a measure the president would like to having signed, sealed and delivered before beginning his re-election campaign. Key Democrats, though, plan to fight it today.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is pushing hard for the passage that bill. He was on the floor of the House late Friday night trying to sway reluctant members of Congress. The secretary is with us now live in D.C.
Good morning. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING here.
TOMMY THOMPSON, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Good morning, Bill. How are you?
HEMMER: I'm doing just fine. Thank you.
I said at the top of our program there is a critic in every corner, including on the Republican side. Senator McCain is saying the Republicans are losing the vision for the party. Senator Nickles is saying it's going to break the bank. "The Wall Street Journal" is critical of this as well. How do you ensure the fact that this is not a deficit breaker for the U.S. government if enacted and signed into law?
THOMPSON: Well, there is no question that this is a major expansion of Medicare, but it also is going to modernize Medicare and give us the opportunity to strengthen Medicare right now as well as in the future. This is a giant step forward to transforming Medicare into a modern way to treat maladies and to help our seniors get prescription drugs and to prevent illnesses and to be able to manage illnesses and diseases, which will save a lot of money in the future.
HEMMER: It comes with a price tag of 400 billion -- no small matter there, even for Washington standards.
THOMPSON: That's true.
HEMMER: Senate minority leader Tom Daschle, here's how he parses this huge proposal that may be passed today. Listen to Senator Daschle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: This is very bad legislation. About one-fourth of seniors will see actually higher drug prices. They will lose their retirement benefits in two to three million cases. We're going to see about seven million people forced into an HMO, and there's a very convoluted benefit structure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That is one dire statement there. Is it true what he said at the outset, a fourth of seniors will actually see higher drug prices?
THOMPSON: Absolutely not. It's a completely voluntary program. If you are going to look at it and see whether or not you want to go into this particular prescription drug coverage, you can do it if you want to. You don't have to.
And the truth of the matter is, this is going to be great for low-income Americans. For individuals that cannot afford the drugs right now, this is going to give them the opportunity to be able to purchase drugs, as well as to be able to purchase other staples in life. They won't have to make a choice.
This is the one thing that both political parties have been arguing for, campaigning for, for well over eight years. It's now on the three yard line. We have an opportunity to score a touchdown, give our seniors all across America prescription drug coverage, preventive health measures, a physical, as well as many other things that are going to benefit them to improve their quality of health. This is a very good bill.
HEMMER: Mr. Secretary, let's show our viewers some of what's contained here. Starting in the year 2006, it provides for a $35 a month premium. Medicare pays 75 percent of costs, up to 2,250 a year...
THOMPSON: That is correct.
HEMMER: ... with a $250 deductible. No coverage between $2,250 and $3,600 -- we'll come back to that in a moment. After 3,600, there is a 95 percent coverage. Why the gap there of $1,400 where there is no coverage? What makes (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that?
THOMPSON: Well, you forgot to add, Bill, that that gap is not there for low-income Americans. That gap is filled in for low-income Americans up to 150 percent of poverty, and that consists of approximately 38 percent of all seniors.
So, the ones that really need it the most are the ones that are going to get the major benefits, and that's the way it should be. The gap of between the 2,250 and 3,600 is for those over 150 percent of poverty, and it's those individuals that we look at will have to pay some additional money, because that is the only way we could afford this particular expanded effort and also to be able to give low-income Americans opportunity for full coverage of their drugs.
HEMMER: One final thought on this. Senator Kennedy is threatening a filibuster today. THOMPSON: Yes.
HEMMER: Do you have the votes to pass this in the Senate today?
THOMPSON: We certainly think so. We're cautiously optimistic. We'd be much more happy if the senators that are opposed to this would not filibuster it. We think this is good for America. It's certainly good for those elderly Americans that haven't been able to afford drugs in the past.
HEMMER: Tommy Thompson -- Secretary, thank you for your time today.
THOMPSON: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Thompson>
Aired November 24, 2003 - 07:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now to that congressional showdown over Medicare. The Senate plans to vote today on what would be the largest overhaul of Medicare in its 38-year history -- a measure the president would like to having signed, sealed and delivered before beginning his re-election campaign. Key Democrats, though, plan to fight it today.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson is pushing hard for the passage that bill. He was on the floor of the House late Friday night trying to sway reluctant members of Congress. The secretary is with us now live in D.C.
Good morning. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING here.
TOMMY THOMPSON, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: Good morning, Bill. How are you?
HEMMER: I'm doing just fine. Thank you.
I said at the top of our program there is a critic in every corner, including on the Republican side. Senator McCain is saying the Republicans are losing the vision for the party. Senator Nickles is saying it's going to break the bank. "The Wall Street Journal" is critical of this as well. How do you ensure the fact that this is not a deficit breaker for the U.S. government if enacted and signed into law?
THOMPSON: Well, there is no question that this is a major expansion of Medicare, but it also is going to modernize Medicare and give us the opportunity to strengthen Medicare right now as well as in the future. This is a giant step forward to transforming Medicare into a modern way to treat maladies and to help our seniors get prescription drugs and to prevent illnesses and to be able to manage illnesses and diseases, which will save a lot of money in the future.
HEMMER: It comes with a price tag of 400 billion -- no small matter there, even for Washington standards.
THOMPSON: That's true.
HEMMER: Senate minority leader Tom Daschle, here's how he parses this huge proposal that may be passed today. Listen to Senator Daschle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: This is very bad legislation. About one-fourth of seniors will see actually higher drug prices. They will lose their retirement benefits in two to three million cases. We're going to see about seven million people forced into an HMO, and there's a very convoluted benefit structure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That is one dire statement there. Is it true what he said at the outset, a fourth of seniors will actually see higher drug prices?
THOMPSON: Absolutely not. It's a completely voluntary program. If you are going to look at it and see whether or not you want to go into this particular prescription drug coverage, you can do it if you want to. You don't have to.
And the truth of the matter is, this is going to be great for low-income Americans. For individuals that cannot afford the drugs right now, this is going to give them the opportunity to be able to purchase drugs, as well as to be able to purchase other staples in life. They won't have to make a choice.
This is the one thing that both political parties have been arguing for, campaigning for, for well over eight years. It's now on the three yard line. We have an opportunity to score a touchdown, give our seniors all across America prescription drug coverage, preventive health measures, a physical, as well as many other things that are going to benefit them to improve their quality of health. This is a very good bill.
HEMMER: Mr. Secretary, let's show our viewers some of what's contained here. Starting in the year 2006, it provides for a $35 a month premium. Medicare pays 75 percent of costs, up to 2,250 a year...
THOMPSON: That is correct.
HEMMER: ... with a $250 deductible. No coverage between $2,250 and $3,600 -- we'll come back to that in a moment. After 3,600, there is a 95 percent coverage. Why the gap there of $1,400 where there is no coverage? What makes (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that?
THOMPSON: Well, you forgot to add, Bill, that that gap is not there for low-income Americans. That gap is filled in for low-income Americans up to 150 percent of poverty, and that consists of approximately 38 percent of all seniors.
So, the ones that really need it the most are the ones that are going to get the major benefits, and that's the way it should be. The gap of between the 2,250 and 3,600 is for those over 150 percent of poverty, and it's those individuals that we look at will have to pay some additional money, because that is the only way we could afford this particular expanded effort and also to be able to give low-income Americans opportunity for full coverage of their drugs.
HEMMER: One final thought on this. Senator Kennedy is threatening a filibuster today. THOMPSON: Yes.
HEMMER: Do you have the votes to pass this in the Senate today?
THOMPSON: We certainly think so. We're cautiously optimistic. We'd be much more happy if the senators that are opposed to this would not filibuster it. We think this is good for America. It's certainly good for those elderly Americans that haven't been able to afford drugs in the past.
HEMMER: Tommy Thompson -- Secretary, thank you for your time today.
THOMPSON: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Thompson>
