COMING UP THURSDAY MORNING.
FIRST COUNTDOWN MODE ON MIDTERM
ELECTIONS 5 DAYS AWAY, RECENT
FOX NEWS POLL SHOW THAT IS
HEALTH CARE IS MOST IMPORTANT
ISSUE FOR VOTERS, JOINING US
PAUL, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF CENTER FOR HEALTH SOLUTIONS
AND PAUL, GREAT TO SEE YOU THIS
MORNING, THANKS SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
BREAK IT DOWN, WHAT'S THE MOST
IMPORTANT ISSUE IN TERMS OF
HEALTH CARE, DO YOU THINK THIS
DRIVES VOTE?
>> WELL, FOUR THAT HIT THE TOP,
ONE IS PREEXISTING CONDITIONS,
YOU'RE HEARING SO MUCH ABOUT
THAT.
100 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE A
PREEXISTING CONDITION, SO THINGS
LIKE GETTING YOUR WEIGHT DOWN,
PREDIABETES, YOU TO DEAL WITH
THINGS, MEDICAID EXPANSION, WE
HAVE AT LEAST 6 RED STATES THAT
ARE CONSIDERING VARIOUS WAYS OF
EXPANDING, THE OPIOID CRISIS AND
WHAT WE DO ABOUT THAT AND THEN
INSURANCE COVERAGE, YOU KNOW,
EXCHANGE OPEN TODAY, THIS IS THE
SIXTH YEAR OF THE EXCHANGE.
MARIA: OPEN ENROLLMENT.
>> IT IS.
YOU KNOW, AT THE TOP OF THE LIST
WHAT'S GETTING A LOT OF
ATTENTION RIGHT NOW IS
PREEXISTING CONDITION ISSUE
BECAUSE IN THE AFFORDABLE CARE
ACT IT SAID YOU CAN'T DENY
COVERAGE IF YOU HAVE A
PREEXISTING CONDITION, WE HAVE
20 STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL SUING
TO BASICALLY SAY SINCE THE
INDIVIDUAL MANDATE IS THROWN OUT
THEN THE WHOLE LAW IS NO GOOD SO
THEREFORE THERE'S NO PROTECTION
FOR PREEXISTING, SO IT'LL BE A
DICEY TOPIC.
IT LENDS ITSELF TO SOUND BITES
AND NOT TO A SUBSTANTIVE
DISCUSSION SO WHAT DO YOU DO
ABOUT A PREEXISTING CONDITION?
DO YOU GO ON A DIET, DO YOU DO
THE LITTLE CARB THING.
DAGEN: THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY'RE
TALKING ABOUT, THE POLITICAL
MESSAGING FROM DEMOCRATS ON
PREEXISTING CONDITIONS, ONE THEY
ACT LIKE THAT PEOPLE DON'T GET
COVERAGE ANYMORE, SOMEHOW THE
REPUBLICANS DID AWAY WITH THE
COVERAGE FOR PREEXISTING
CONDITIONS WHICH IS AT A FEDERAL
LEVEL DID NOT HAPPEN, NUMBER
ONE, NUMBER TWO, THEY ACT LIKE
IT'S ALL ABOUT CANCER, YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE
MANAGEABLE FOR SOMEBODY, GOING
ON A DIET, LOSING WEIGHT AND NO
LONGER HAVING TYPE 2 DIABETES
BUT, AGAIN, IT'S THE WORLD OF
SOUND BITES AND HYSTERIA.
>> YEAH, AND THERE'S A LOT OF
FEAR MONGERING IN HEALTH CARE SO
YOU WOULD NOT KNOW THAT IN MANY
STATES AS THEY OPENED THE
EXCHANGE TODAY THE RATES ARE
DOWN AND THE NUMBER OF INSURERS
PARTICIPATING IN THE EXCHANGE
ARE ACTUALLY MORE NOW THAN THEY
WERE A YEAR AGO.
>> YEAH, IN FACT, I READ MORE
THAT THE RATES FOR THE COMING
YEAR ARE SUPPOSED TO BE UP ONLY
5%.
I'VE NOT HEARD A SINGLE
REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE MAKE ANY
HAY OUT OF THAT AND SEEMS TO ME
THEY COULD BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS
POSITIONED THE REPUBLICANS AS
DESTROYING OBAMACARE, RATE WILLS
GO THROUGH THE CEILING, WHY
AREN'T REPUBLICANS PUSHING BACK,
YOU'RE THE EXPERT.
MARIA: SOME PLANS WILL BE UP
20%, OTHERS WILL BE DOWN, ON
AVERAGE IS 5% BUT THERE ARE SOME
PLANS THAT WILL BE UP
SIGNIFICANTLY.
>> THE VARIABILITY STATE TO
STATE IS SO WIDE AND LATITUDE
THAT STATES HAVE THAT RIG THINGS
AND THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE
VARIANCE.
IF I SAY 25% OF WHAT WE SPEND IN
HEALTH CARE IS NOT NECESSARY AND
TO GET HERE TO THERE YOU HAVE TO
MAKE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES TO THE
SYSTEM, THAT WOULD GLOSS OVER TO
MOST PEOPLE.
THAT'S JUST TOO MUCH INFORMATION
BUT I'D RATHER SAY PROTECT MY
INSURANCE, LET ME SEE THE DOCTOR
I WANT TO SEE, LET ME HAVE THE
INSURANCE THAT I THINK I NEED
AND THAT'S KIND OF THE WAY THE
PUBLIC THINKS ABOUT HEALTH CARE.
>> I GUESS RELATED TO LIZ'S
QUESTION, SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF
REPUBLICANS HAVE DECIDED TO NOT
TALK ABOUT IT.
>> YEAH.
>> INSTEAD THEY WERE TO SELL
WHETHER IT'S THE ASSOCIATION
PLAN, SOME OF THE OTHER CHANGES
TO MAKE INSURANCE COVERAGE MORE
AFFORDABLE, MORE AVAILABLE, IS
THAT A COMPELLING MESSAGE IF
THEY CHOOSE TO MAKE IT OR ARE
PEOPLE STILL AFRAID THAT SOME
UNDEFINED CHANGE IS COMING?
>> NO, IT'S NOT A COMPELLING
DISCUSSION BECAUSE ASSOCIATION
HEALTH PLANS HAVE COME AND GONE
SINCE THE 90's IF YOU
REMEMBER.
IMMIGRATION WORKS BETTER FOR A
REPUBLICAN.
FOR A DEMOCRAT, IT'S ABOUT
HEALTH CARE, IT'S A GREAT
DIVIDING ISSUE ACROSS THE
PARTIES AND ACROSS DEMOGRAPHICS.
WE KNOW IT'S SUBSTANTIALLY MORE
IMPORTANT TO WOMEN AND TO URBAN
VOTERS AND IT IS LESS IMPORTANT
TO MEN, SO, NO, IT'S NOT
SOMETHING THAT REPUBLICANS CAN
HANG THEIR HAT ON.
>> MOST DEMOCRATS ARE ENDORSING
SOMETHING CALLED MEDICARE FOR
ALL.
I THINK YOU KNOW AFTER THE LAW
PASSES THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH
MEDICARE IS THIS.
>> WELL, SO MUCH -- THIS IS A
GREAT SOUND BITE ISSUE.
THERE ARE 8 DIFFERENT PIECES OF
LEGISLATION RIGHT NOW IN THE
SENATE TO PROMOTE MEDICARE FOR
ALL.
NONE OF THOSE HAS THE SAME
DEFINITION OF MEDICARE FOR ALL,
NOR A PRICE TAG ASSOCIATED WITH
IT, NOR -- WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN?
DOES THAT MEAN THE GOVERNMENT
WILL DETERMINE WHAT'S
APPROPRIATE CARE OR NOT OR WHICH
DOCTOR I SEE OR WHICH HOSPITALS
DO THINGS OR NOT.
>> THE ONE THAT MOST DEMOCRATS
HAVE COSPONSORED GETS RID OF THE
MEDICARE PROGRAM.
>> YEAH.
IT'S EVERYTHING.
>> EVERYBODY PRIVATE INSURANCE,
MEDICARE, EVERYTHING GETS JAMMED
INTO --
>> INTERESTING SOUND BITE HERE
THAT IF YOU CALL IT MEDICARE FOR
ALL INSTEAD OF CALLING IT SINGLE
PAYER OR UNIVERSAL COVERAGE IT
POLLS 3% BETTER BECAUSE THE MOST
SATISFIED PART OF THE POPULATION
WITH THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE ARE
PEOPLE ON MEDICARE.
DAGEN: THEY LOVE IT AND IT'S
GOING BROKE.
THE HOSPITAL TRUST FUND RUNS OUT
OF MONEY AND BENEFITS GET
AUTOMATIC 10% CUT IN LESS THAN 8
YEARS FROM NOW, I THINK.
SO THERE'S A 50 TRILLION-DOLLAR
HOLE IN MEDICARE FOR ALL BECAUSE
IT IS SO GENEROUS AND PEOPLE ARE
EXTRACTING MORE FROM MEDICARE
TODAY THAN THEY EVER PAID IN,
I'M NOT WRONG ABOUT THAT?
>> ABSOLUTELY, THIS IS THE SHOW
ABOUT MONEY.
MARIA: YEAH.
>> IN THE S&P HEALTH CARE INDEX
SINCE THE PASSAGE OF THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, 63
COMPANIES IN THE INDEX UP 186%.
40 POINTS HIGHER THAN THE REST
OF THE S&P.
SO HEALTH CARE HAS DONE WELL
WHILE THE ECONOMY HAS KIND OF
STAGGERED ALONG.
MARIA: GIVE US ENROLLMENT TO
2019, WHAT CHANGES TO ON I'M
CARE PEOPLE WILL SEE, WHAT DO
YOU WANT TO TELL PEOPLE AS THEY
OPEN ENROLLMENT TODAY?
>> ONE, YOU MORE INSURERS
PUTTING PRODUCTS INTO THE
EXCHANGE AND TWO, THE ENROLLMENT
PERIOD IS SHORTER, SIX WEEKS,
ENDS DECEMBER 15TH, IT'S NOT THE
3 MONTHS THAT IT'S BEEN AND LESS
MONEY AVAILABLE TO THE STATES
FOR NAVIGATORS OR HELPING PEOPLE
ENROLL, REMEMBER, THEY CUT THOSE
BUDGETS FOR ADVERTISING AND A
LOT OF THINGS, THEY'LL BE ON