today President Trump went on the record against Senator Paul tweeting this Rand
Paul is a friend of mine but he is such a negative force when it comes to fixing
health care graham cassidy bill is great ends Obama care Senator Rand Paul is
joining us now live from Capitol Hill so let me get your response senator to what
the criticism you're receiving from the president you know actually I still
think I'm a very positive force and actually positively working with the
President on different ideas the idea that I've been working with the
president for about six months on is much better than Graham Cassady and that
would be allowing people to buy across state lines insurance through a group so
if you're a carpenter or a plumber you get to join a big Association and
through that association get cheaper insurance and also get some of the
protections that people want from their insurance and I continue to work with
the President on that I'm just not with him on Graham Cassady because Graham
Cassady actually keeps most of the Obama care spending and it just sort of
reshuffles it so instead of Obama care funding going to California
it gets reshuffled to Republican states and so I I think I see it really more as
sort of you know petty partisanship hey let's reshuffle the deck and give
the money to the Republican states but let's keep the Obama care spending my
concern is the debt we have a seven hundred billion dollar debt how are we
gonna pay for all this but as you know there's a deadline September 30th after
September 30th under the complex rules of the US Senate you can't just get
anything passed with 50 votes you need 60 votes in other words you'll need
Democrats is the 52-48 Republican majority in the US Senate and on some of
the other specific legislation that you want like being able to buy health
insurance across state lines you definitely need 60 votes for that do you
have is it realistic at all to think you're going to be able to achieve what
you're calling for well the interesting thing is is we've been working with the
Trump administration on this for six months now we think they can do it
through presidential interpretation of existing law so there was a law passed
the 1970s that allows groups to form across state lines many corporations
already do this this is the one area of the insurance market where premiums have
been relatively flat we think that the administration
is going to in the next week or two issue a ruling saying that guess what
individuals are going to be able to buy across state lines we think they can do
it without any bill or legislation from Congress and here's the thing my
proposal that I'm working on the president with cost zero dollars the
Cassidy Graham bill is gonna spend a trillion dollars
it keeps the Obama care spending but just reshuffles who gets it that to my
mind is not what I promised the voters I promised repeal I didn't promise I would
sort of keep most of it and just reshuffle who gets the proceeds so when
I hear you saying a senator as if this legislation doesn't pass the president
will begin using executive orders executive decisions to change the
current Obamacare law is that what is that what you're suggesting well not
really it's it's a little more complicated than that because we don't
think it has anything to do with the Obamacare law the Obamacare law did not
prevent people from buying across state lines and forming associations like
buying co-ops it acts as a 1974 law nor ERISA law so we think that the law has
been misinterpreted and could be reinterpreted by the Trump
administration to allow many people they may be you join a credit union
maybe you joined the Restaurant Association and that may be people who
work in the fast food industry a lot of whom don't have insurance now could
actually get it by buying it through one of these coops because they can get
inexpensive insurance but my point is I'm offering a free market plan where
you get freedom of choice Cassidy and Graham are offering just a big
government variation of Obamacare that sticks it to the Democrat states and
takes the money and gives it to Republican states but really keeps most
of the Obamacare spending and that's not something I'm for is there any wiggle
room at all in this legislation in this this are graham cassidy bill are there
any changes that could potentially make between now and a vote next week that
would result in a yay vote from you well the interesting thing is there are
several things in it I would agree to if they take the things that are good in it
we could keep expansion of the health savings accounts getting rid of the
mandate taxes and penalties and the Medicaid reform I'm for all three of
those I'm just not for the spending proposal I'm not for
affirmative ly saying hey let's keep a trillion dollars worth of Obama care
spending I'm not for the spending but that's my main objection to the bill so
if they want to make it less about spending and more about repealing I'm
for repeal the House Speaker Paul Ryan says whatever the Senate passes the
house will pass next week without change and send it to the president for his
signature what's your message to the Speaker of the House Paul Ryan the
speaker's been wrong many times before on counting votes I would have him ask
everybody in California every Republican there 14 Republican Congressmen are they
happy with the fact that the new formula will take 27 billion dollars from
California look there's a lot of Republican Congressmen in New York and
California is about 25 of them they're in very competitive districts are they
willing to go home to a competitive district and say hey I just voted for a
bill that will take billions of dollars from New York and California and give it
to North Dakota and Mississippi you know that's what this is about it's a formula
fight it's a food fight over money so we're gonna reshuffle the deck but it is
not a principle repeal of Obamacare but you understand by your opposing graham
Cassidy and maybe you know let's say two other Republicans also opposed it
Obamacare stays the law of the land that's what it is angering the president
right now in effect you're supporting Obamacare very quickly your response you
know what I would say is that I think voters are pretty smart the Republicans
in my state know that nobody's been louder voice for repealing this they
also know that seven Republicans who said they would repeal voted for repeal
in 2015 and then changed their mind so when I go home I don't expect people
gonna look at me they're gonna look to the seven senators who actually worked
from Kentucky who were Republicans promised to repeal voted once to repeal
and then switch their minds if anybody wants to blame anybody I think there's a
lot of blame to go around there Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky thanks so much for
joining us I should point out like senator Cassidy you also are a physician
so I you've dealt your whole professional career in these issues
involving health care thanks very much for joining us thank you