WCNC Charlotte, this is flashpoint.
Thanks for joining us here on Flashpoint.
I'm Ben Thompson.
Healthcare for thousands of people here in
North Carolina could soon be on the way.
This week, Governor Cooper signing
the Medicaid expansion bill into law.
It's something that's been
years in the making.
Republicans eventually swayed by nearly
$2 billion in the federal incentives.
And now some 600 thousand votes
could get the care they need.
Joining us now is the US Secretary
of Health and Human Services,
Javier Becerra. Secretary.
Thanks for coming on.
We appreciate it.
Absolutely, Ben. Thanks for having me.
So this week, a big deal here
in North Carolina, this week,
becoming one of the last state
to finally expand Medicaid.
We've talked about it for about 10 years now.
Given that most states
have already done this,
given the fact that you sort of are aware
of how these things go in all 50 states,
what is this going to mean for
those 600,000 people here in
North Carolina who finally have
access to affordable healthcare?
Then perhaps there's no better way of
saying it than to say to those 600 thousand
Americans in North Carolina, to the governor,
to all the legislative leaders,
you've just given people Peace of Mind.
To all those people who today know that if
their child all of a sudden becomes deadly,
deadly, ill and needs to go to a hospital,
you don't have to worry anymore.
If I take my child to the to the hospital,
will I not have the money to
pay the mortgage or or my rent?
Well, I go bankrupt.
That used to be the case that a lot
of folks would have to weigh those
decisions and sometimes not go to the
hospital or not by the medication.
Today, 600,000 people have the
Peace of Mind to know that they can
take their child to the hospital.
For our friends down in South Carolina,
which by the way, only about 10 miles
from where I'm sitting here in Charlotte,
they have not expanded Medicaid.
What else do you think needs to happen
to get those last few states on board?
You know, 40 states have given millions
of their residents the Peace of Mind.
But you're right, there's still
10 states in America who have not.
And it's a it's crazy to believe.
But there are still millions of Americans
who don't have the opportunity that their
fellow Americans just across the state
border have to have that Peace of Mind.
We it's not something we can afford to do,
and it's not something a country
as great as America should do.
Switching gears now, this week the FDA
approving the over the counter Narcan.
It's a drug that can reverse overdoses.
It's been talked about for quite some time.
How do you see this change in the game
when it comes to overdoses here in America?
Oh, it's it's like getting 3 new
strikes when you're at the plate.
We know that a lot of people are
dying today because they don't
realize that the drugs are about
to ingest or inject is laced with
deadly fentanyl or other drugs.
And what happens is you have
younger and younger populations
that are dying from overdose.
Narcan is one of those drugs
that helps offset it.
It it reverses what some of these
deadly drugs like fentanyl can do,
what opioids Jimmy could do,
and it could save a life.
Now the fact that you can get it
over the counter will make it far
easier for some of these folks who
are still using drugs to save a life.
Or for a family member or friend to be
able to save a life, it will change.
It is a true game changer.
But we have to make sure that
it's done right.
And so for that reason,
we want to make sure when it gets
on the market, it's affordable.
When it gets on the market,
it's easier to understand where to get it.
And when it gets on the market,
finally,
we make sure there's accountability
to make sure it's being used
the ways we want it to be used.
Let's talk about insulin prices,
three of the major producers of insulin.
Announcing caps at 35 bucks a month.
It's something that the administration
I know has been working hard on,
but it's just one of, as you know,
many extremely expensive drugs.
Help us work this out.
I realize this is different,
but at the same time,
I know folks at home one understand.
Why can we not apply this same sort
of thing and scale it to, say,
other prescription drug costs?
There's no reason why we shouldn't.
And so that's absolutely
the correct question.
Why are why are we doing it for
insulin but not for so many other
drugs that we need that are so,
so expensive?
And that's the the answer,
that's the question that the
President answered by making sure
we passed his new prescription
drug law that will lower the
cost of prescription medication.
Let's talk about COVID here.
In a little more than a month,
the the public health emergency set to end.
I know well vaccines will remain free.
I think coverage of some of the over
counter tests will, will will end.
Are you worried that this would lead to
less testing and potentially more people
going to to work school with the virus
or are we now saying as a country, okay,
that's a level of micromanaging this
virus that we're not going to do anymore?
Well, I I I'm hoping that what happens
is because we are at a different place
than we were three years ago with COVID,
that we can say that we're no longer in a
state of emergency that we can't control,
but that we know how to control.
We know how to manage COVID and how,
having learned how to manage
COVID vaccination, distancing,
masking where necessary,
that what we'll do.
Is we will put it as into
part of our routine,
just the way we will get the flu vaccination,
just the way we ask our kids to
get vaccinated for measles and for
smallpox and the rest we're going
to try to move America towards.
Putting this part of their
routine to protect against COVID.
And the best way, of course,
is to get the vaccination stay updated.
So it's going to get to the
point where we hope it will be
once a year for most Americans.
Get that vaccination and you're in
pretty good shape when it comes to COVID.
Obviously, continue to be smart,
don't do crazy things,
but that's where we hope we'll go bed.
But the bringing down the public
health emergency means that
we're in a better place.
But that still means we have to
work hard to protect ourselves.
Does this mean the end of folks needing
to necessarily quarantine anymore?
For the most part, remember,
we still have Americans who have low
immunity because of they may have cancer,
they're taking drugs that
lower their immunity,
make it tough for them to fight off
those types of viruses and diseases.
And so we always have to protect
our our elderly loved ones who
are not as strong anymore.
Our children sometimes can
have certain diseases.
So there's always going to be a
case where we have to be careful.
Quarantining would be one of those
examples where it's a severe example
of how we try to protect ourselves
from those who might spread a disease.
But for the most part, as I said,
we've learned to manage COVID,
so we can move away from some of
the more dramatic measures that
we had to take before.
Finally, let me ask you,
it's not exactly your wheelhouse,
but you are Health and Human services and,
and we've saw once again this
week that there's gun violence,
the number one killer of
of children in America.
Your thoughts on our inability as
a country to tackle this problem?
Well, we have the ability.
We just have to be willing to
use the wherewithal we have.
And unfortunately,
from my personal perspective, we have it.
I consider, we at the Department of
Health and Human Services consider.
Gun violence.
A healthcare crisis because it
impacts not just those who are
the victims of gun violence,
including up to death,
but it it hits every family member.
And I I must tell you that
today Americans are suffering,
suffering by the death of children
at the hands of someone wielding
weapons of mass destruction.
And I I would say that it's time
for us to realize that we have it
in our power to reduce gun deaths.
We just have to be willing to
take some of those actions and
keep those weapons that are not
meant to be principally defensive
or for hunting out of the hands
of people who are using them in
a way that kills our loved ones.
Are you optimistic that anything
will change anytime soon?
Look, I'm always optimistic.
I'm the son of immigrants,
and so I do believe that
this country will learn.
And sometimes we we take
a little while to learn.
But that's the beauty of America.
We move forward, we learn.
We don't want to go backwards.
And I think we see that we
should not be the King and Queen
of gun violence in the world.
And we will learn because it's
our children who are suffering
because of our inaction. US
Secretary of Health and Human
Services Javier Becerra.
Secretary. Thanks for coming on.
We appreciate it. Thanks, Ben.
All right, take care.
The primary for North Carolina governor,
now less than a year away,
coming up next on Flashpoint,
the first Republican candidate to announce
his bid for the governor's mansion.