>>REPUBLICANS AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE IN THE OPENING PHASES OF A
RADICAL PLAN TO CHANGE HOW MEDICAID WORKS FOR MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS --
>>I LOVE THAT THIS
IS COMING RIGHT OFF THE BAT OF GIVING $1.5
TRILLION TO SOME OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN,
WE NOW HAVE TO CRACKDOWN ON THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE SO LITTLE MONEY
THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS SUBSIDIZING THEIR HEALTH
INSURANCE.
LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW THESE MIGHT LOOK IN PRACTICE --
>>SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT AT SOME POINT POOR WOMEN, EVEN DISABLED
WOMEN, WHO ARE PREGNANT, WOULD BE EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN A
CERTAIN AMOUNT OF EMPLOYMENT TO QUALIFY FOR THE HEALTH INSURANCE
MONEY.
ADDITIONALLY --
>>SO HOW THEY WOULD LIKE, CMS WOULD LIKE IT TO BE A THING
WHERE IF YOU ARE VOLUNTEERING OR TRAINING OR TRYING TO GET A JOB
THAT WOULD COUNT, AND PRACTICE IT MIGHT NOT.
AND THIS WAS GOING
TO BE, WE WERE GOING TO COVER THIS, IT WAS GOING TO BE SORT OF
A HYPOTHETICAL THAT 10 STATES HAVE THIS PENDING, EXCEPT IT'S
NOT HYPOTHETICAL ANYMORE.
AS OF TODAY WE HAVE ESTATE, KENTUCKY
HAS BECOME THE FIRST TO RECEIVE PERMISSION TO APPLY THE WORK
REQUIREMENT.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT FORM IT WILL COME IN BUT THAT
WILL AFFECT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN KENTUCKY.
AND THE WORST THING
ABOUT THIS OF COURSE IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST SORT OF OFFENSIVE
THAT THIS IS THE PEOPLE THEY ARE TARGETING, BUT ALSO THAT IT
DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
THE NARRATIVE THEY ARE PUTTING OUT
IS THAT ALL THE PEOPLE ARE FREELOADERS, THAT ARE ACCEPTING
MEDICAID AND COULD BE WORKING BUT DAMN THEM THEY ARE NOT, BUT
STATISTICALLY THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
A STUDY IN MICHIGAN LOOK
AT THOSE RECEIVING MONEY UNDER MEDICAID AND FOUND THAT ONLY
27.6% WERE OUT OF WORK, NOT WORKING BUT WOULD WORK.
THE VAST
MAJORITY WERE WORKING, AND OF THOSE WHO WEREN'T, TWO THIRDS
SAID THEY HAD A CHRONIC PHYSICAL ILLNESS, 35% SAID THEY WERE
DIAGNOSED WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS, ONE QUARTER SAID THEY HAD A
PHYSICAL OR MENTAL CONDITION THAT INTERFERED WITH THEIR
ABILITY TO FUNCTION, AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS CHART, YOU WILL SEE
OTHER REASONS WHY THE IDEA THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE JUST
FREELOADERS WHO ARE STEALING GOVERNMENT MONEY FOR THE SIN OF
NOT WANTING TO DIE DOESN'T MAKE SENSE ON THE GROUND.
BUT
KENTUCKY CAN NOW DO IT, AND AT LEAST NINE OTHER STATES ARE
TRYING TO IN THE NEAR TERM.
>>WE ARE IN A BIG HOLE IN THIS COUNTRY, WE ARE IN A DEFICIT, WE
ARE IN A BIG HOLE, HOW WILL WE GET OUT OF THIS WHOLE UNLESS WE
PUSH SOME POOR SICK PEOPLE IN IT?
>>TO FILL IT UP, THEN CLIMB OUT ON THEM.
>>THIS IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE DICK DURBIN TALKING ABOUT
TODAY, BECAUSE THIS IS UGLY SHIT AND IT HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON
PEOPLE'S LIVES.
THIS IS THE DEMONIZATION OF THE POOR IN THIS
COUNTRY.
AND IT'S NOT JUST RICH REPUBLICANS, IT'S EVERYBODY WHO
HAS THIS BEATEN INTO THEM.
THERE WAS A COMEDIAN -- WHY DO PEOPLE
MAKE FUN OF PEOPLE WHO WORK AT FAST FOOD PLACES?
SOMEONE SAID
IF YOU ARE 35 OR 40 AND STILL WORK AT A FAST FOOD PLACE YOU
ARE MENTALLY STUPID -- I DON'T WANT TO SAY THE WORD HE SAID.
WHY DO WE DO THAT?
THIS IS US BEING ANGRY AND TRAINED TO HURT
PEOPLE WHO ARE THE POOREST AND THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR
SOCIETY, AND THAT'S WHO DEMOCRATS TRADITIONALLY STAND UP
FOR.
I WOULD LIKE FOR THIS TO BE A BIG DEAL TODAY, IT'S MIND
BLOWING -- THERE ARE 30 MILLION PEOPLE WITHOUT HEALTHCARE
ALREADY IN THIS COUNTRY, WE WANT TO MAKE THAT NUMBER GO UP?
>>WE WANT TO DRIVE AS MANY OFF OF IT AS POSSIBLE.
>>THIS IS THE THING YOU KILL TRUMP WITH.
>>ABSOLUTELY.
THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS, IT'S GROSS, WE
ARE SQUEEZING THESE NICKELS AND DIMES OUT OF THE POOREST AMONG
US AND THE DEFENSE BUDGET WITH HOW MUCH MONEY?
MONEY THROWN AT
IT THAT TRUMP DIDN'T EVEN ASK FOR?
>>AN EXTRA $80 BILLION THEY SPENT THIS YEAR OVER THE BUDGET
FROM LAST YEAR.
IT'S BEEN SAID, $20 BILLION COULD END
HOMELESSNESS IN THE UNITED STATES.
>>BUT THEN OUR COUNTRY WOULD FALL.
WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE
MILITARY NECESSARY -- WE WOULD ONLY HAVE THE MILITARY NECESSARY
TO KILL EVERYONE ON THE PLANET.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE COULD
DO THEN.
>>WHY ISN'T THAT PART OF THE DEMOCRATS' PLATFORM?
>>IT'S THE PLATFORM OF SOME OF THEM, CERTAINLY BERNIE SANDERS
TALKS A LOT ABOUT IT.
>>AND HOMELESSNESS.
THAT SHOULD BE THEIR AGENDA, WE COULD DO
THAT.
THERE ARE CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE DONE THAT.
I THINK SALT LAKE CITY HAS ZERO HOMELESS, I'M PRETTY SURE.
OR
MAYBE JUST EVERY VETERAN.
OUR VETERANS, JUST START THERE.
THAT'S WHY IT'S SO CRAZY, WE ARE THE RICHEST COUNTRY THE FACE OF
THE EARTH HAS EVER SEEN AND WE ARE STILL TRYING TO DENY
HEALTHCARE TO THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY
AND THESE ARE WINNING ISSUES IF YOU ARE RUNNING.
>>THE IDEA THAT THIS IS IN ANY WAY GOING TO PAY FOR THE HUGE
COST OF THE TAX CUTS, OF COURSE IT WON'T, BUT ALSO TO SOME
EXTENT I THINK REPUBLICANS JUST LIKE THIS SORT OF POLICY.
OR IF
YOU ARE ON WELFARE, WE ARE GOING TO DRUG TEST YOU.
YOU ARE
PROBABLY ON DRUGS, AND NOT THE COOL DRUGS I GET FROM THE
DOCTOR, YOU ARE ON POOR PEOPLE DRUGS, SO WE WILL MAKE YOU DRUG
TEST FOR THAT.
I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS THEY DO IT IS A LOT
OF THEIR VOTERS LIKE THAT STUFF.
MAYBE I'M NOT WELL OFF, IT WOULD
BE GREAT TO HAVE POLICIES THAT IMPROVE MY LIFE, BUT IF THAT'S
NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AT LEAST I WANT TO LOOK DOWN ON OTHER
PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE POOR THAN ME.
AND THAT'S WHAT THE RICH
HAVE BEEN DOING THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, PICKING
PEOPLE WHO NEED THE MOST HELP AGAINST EACH OTHER SO THEY
DON'T GET THEIR SITUATION IMPROVES.
>>I THINK REPUBLICANS HAVE PROVEN RECENTLY THAT THEY JUST
HATE THE IDEA OF HEALTH INSURANCE.
THERE IS FOOTAGE OF
PAUL RYAN SAYING THE PROBLEM WITH HEALTH INSURANCE IS THAT
IT'S ACTUAL INSURANCE AND POOR PEOPLE CAN GET HELP.
>>THE HEALTHY PAY FOR THE SIX.
>>WHICH IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF INSURANCE.
HE SAYS I KNOW WHAT
INSURANCE IS, I JUST HATE THE IDEA OF IT.
THAT'S WHY THE ACA
TOOK HEALTHCARE AWAY FROM MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
A BILL THAT
IS A QUOTE HEALTHCARE BILL THAT TAKES HEALTHCARE AWAY FROM
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
IT WAS LIKE, HOW MANY MILLIONS CAN WE
EXCLUDE?
>>AND STILL FIT IT IN WITH 51 VOTES.
>>WHEN YOU HAVE ONE SIDE THAT JUST HATES THE IDEA OF HEALTH
INSURANCE IN GENERAL, ANOTHER SIDE THAT JUST HAS NO PLAN
WHATSOEVER -- YOU HAVE NOTHING TO VOTE FOR, YOU HAVE SOME THING
TO VOTE AGAINST.
THESE PEOPLE HATE HEALTHCARE, THESE PEOPLE
WANT TO SEE ME DIE IN THE STREETS, THAT'S BAD, BUT
STILL DON'T HAVE HEALTHCARE.