>>>
>>> GOOD
>>> GOOD SUNDAY, EVERYBODY. THIS IS "FLASHPOINT." JOINING ME TODAY, STATE
TREASURY DALE FALL WELL AND
REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST PATRICK
IS HE BAAS IS SEBASTIAN.
SENATOR CAN I STEEN GILLIBRAND
DROPPED OUT OF THE POLL.
THE REQUIRED NUMBERS OF POLLING
AND TO QUALIFY FOR THE DEBATE
WHICH WILL HAPPEN LATER ON THIS
MONDAY.
THESE ARE THE TEN DEMOCRATS WHO
WILL MEET FOR THE THIRD DEBATE.
JOE BIDEN, SENATOR CORY BOOKER,
PETE BUTTIGIEG, AND BETO
O'ROURKE AS WELL AS SENATOR
BERNIE SANDERS AND SENATOR
ELIZABETH WARREN, NOT TO
MENTION ANDREW YANG.
THIS PAST WEEK A NEW POLL
SUGGESTING THE BATTLE BETWEEN
THE DEMOCRATS COULD BE TIGHT
ENING.
IN A POLL IT HAS SENATOR BERNIE
SANDERS AND ELIZABETH WARREN
TIED AT THE TOP WITH FORMER
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ONE POINT
BEHIND.
THE RESULTS SHOW GROWTH FOR
BOTH SANDERS AND WARREN AND A
SIGNIFICANT DROP FOR JOE BIDEN,
DOWN 13 POINTS SINCE JUNE.
THE BIDEN TEAM PUSHING BACK
HARD ON THIS POLL ARGUING THE
SIZE OF THOSE SAMPLED IN THIS
MAMMOTH POLL IS SMALL, ONLY 300
PEOPLE AND THE MARGIN OF ERROR
IS BIG AT 5.7%.
WHO DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO BE
THE NOMINEE, PATRICK, WE'LL
START WITH YOU
>> IT'S TOO EARLY TO TELL BUT
BIDEN IS CLEARLY THE LEADER.
THE LAST POLL IS AN OUTLIER.
HE'S GOING TO START TAKING SOME
HITS.
GOING TO HAVE TO START MAKING
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS WHERE HE
STANDS ON THE ISSUES.
>> BECAUSE YOU'RE A REP
STRATEGIST, WHO DO YOU WANT TO
BE THE NOMINEE.
>> I THINK ANY OF THEM ARE
BEATABLE, ACTUALLY, AT THIS
POINT BECAUSE THE PARTY HAS
MOVED SO FAR TO THE LEFT AT
THIS POINT WHERE IT'S HONESTLY
NOT RECOGNIZABLE FROM THE PARTY
OF BILL CLINTON EVEN IN THE
1990S.
THEY HAVE VEERED SO FAR TO THE
LEFT.
JOE BIDEN HAS RENOUNCED ABOUT
EVERY POSITION HE'S TAKEN TO
FIT INTO THE LIBERAL ORTHODOXY.
>> YOU THINK THIS WILL BE --
>> I WOULD LIKE THAT TO BE THE
ARGUMENT AND I THINK WE'RE
SETTING UP TO BE THAT ARGUMENT
WITH DONALD TRUMP CLEARLY BEING
A CAPITALIST AND THE DEMOCRATS
HAVE MOVED SO FAR TO THE
SOCIALIST LEFT IT'S NOT
RECOGNIZABLE TO MOST VOTERS.
>> COLETTE, PICK IT UP THERE.
>> AS AN UNAFFILIATED VOTER
THAT TRADITIONALLY DOES VOTE
DEMOCRAT, IT'S GOING TO BE --
THE ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE,
MUST BE ABOUT THE PEOPLE.
THEY HAVE TO BE ABOUT THE
WORKING PEOPLE, ABOUT PEOPLE
HAVING AFFORDABLE HOUSING,
PEOPLE HAVING HEALTH CARE THAT
THEY CAN AFFORD.
IT HAS TO BE ABOUT CHILDREN
GETTING EDUCATED, AND
IMMUNIZATIONS, IT HAS TO BE
ABOUT REGULAR WORKING PEOPLE
ISSUES AND TO ME THE TWO PEOPLE
WHO RISE TO THE TOP ARE SENATOR
HARRIS AND SENATOR JOE BIDEN,
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE
BIDEN.
>> DO YOU THINK THEY BOTH CAN
BEAT THE CURRENT INCUMBENT?
>> I BELIEVE THAT SENATOR
HARRIS WILL BE VERY CLEVER AND
VERY WELL TOOLED TO GET THE
VOTE OUT IN THE AFRICAN
AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
SHOULDES SHARP AND SHE'S SMART
AND JOE WILL DO THE SAME
BECAUSE HE'S NOT STRONG TIES IN
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
>> EACH IF THE ENTIRE AFRICAN
AMERICAN COMMUNITY WHICH IS
SAID TO BE ROUGHLY 12% OF THE
VOTE, EVEN IF THEY ALL TURNED
OUT, WOULD THAT BE ENOUGH TO
UNSEAT A SITTING PRESIDENT?
>> WE HAVE TO REMEMBER IT TWO
PHASES, SUPER TUESDAY, MARCH
THE 3rd AND AFRICAN AMERICANS
DOMINATE PARTICIPATING IN THE
PRIMARY AND THEN THERE'S
NOVEMBER SO WE'VE GOT TO
REMEMBER, YOU GOT TO GET YOUR
TICKET PUNCHED BEFORE YOU GO TO
THE FINAL FOUR.
I BELIEVE THAT SENATOR HARRIS
AND FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE
BIDEN WILL BE THE ONES THAT
WILL CLEAR THE SCALES FOR THE
PRIMARY.
>> OKAY.
DALE?
>> THIS QUESTION IS SORT OF
LIKE YOGA, THAT IS YOU'RE
SUPPOSED TO PAY ATTENTION TO
YOUR MATH AND THINK -- YOUR MAT
AND THE NEXT --
>> DO YOU SEE THIS AS SHAPING
UP WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED AS
ONE OF THE MAJOR ISSUES, AT
LEAST FOR VOTERS IN NORTH
CAROLINA?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
HEALTH CARE IN A MOMENT, BUT
20% OF NORTH CAROLINA'S INCOME
GOES TOWARD SOMETHING THEY CAN
UNDERSTAND.
THIS IS NOT ONLY GOING TO BE A
TOPIC IN NORTH CAROLINA BUT
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
BECAUSE WE HAVE AN
UNSUSTAINABLE SYSTEM WHERE
PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THE VALUE AND
THE PRICE OF WHAT THEY'RE
GETTING FOR HEALTH CARE.
>> I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT
UP.
I WOULD LOVE AN EXPLANATION ON
THIS AND I'M GOING TO USE
MYSELF AS AN EXAMPLE.
IN 2001 MY YOUNGEST SON WAS
BORN IN TAMPA, FLORIDA.
WE PAID AT THE TIME, AND I
MENTIONED THIS SEVERAL YEARS
AGO INTO THE NEWS DEPARTMENT
WHEN SOME OF THE LADIES I
WORKED WITH WERE PREGNANT, THEY
SAID, BILL, YOU'RE CRAZY, THAT
COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE.
WE PAID $35.
MY WIFE PAID A ONE-TIME FEE,
$35 AND THAT CARRIED IT ALL THE
WAY THROUGH UNTIL WE LEFT THE
HOSPITAL AFTER HE WAS BORN.
IT WAS AN HMO PLAN.
MY QUESTION NOW IS HOW CAN WE
GO FROM PAYING 35 BUCKS TO WHAT
I'M HEARING IN THERE FROM
PEOPLE THAT ARE EXPECTING
CHILDREN OF $8,000 OUT OF
POCKET?
WHERE ELSE IN OUR ECONOMY HAS
EVERYTHING JUST INFLATED THAT
MUCH AND WHY?
>> I BROUGHT THESE PROPS WITH
ME BECAUSE IT REALLY EXPLAINS
THINGS TO THE VIEWERS.
TODAY IS THURSDAY INTO THE
SENIOR CITIZEN, THIS IS WHEN WE
GET OUR DISCOUNT AT HARRIS
TEETER.
THE CUSTOMER AND THE PAYER ARE
RIGHT SIDE BY SIDE.
IN HEALTH CARE, THE CUSTOMER IS
HERE WITH THE HEALTH PLAN CARD
AND THEY PAY -- THE PAYERS IS
OVER HERE.
THE CUSTOMER IN HEALTH CARE
NEVER KNOWS WHAT THE PAYER PAYS
AND THE PAYER NEVER KNOWS WHAT
HAPPENS TO THE CUSTOMER.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH
THE STATE HEALTH PLAN IS CLOSE
THAT GAP.
NO ONE ON THIS PANEL, NONE OF
YOUR VIEWERS WOULD EVER GO TO
HARRIS TEETER IF THERE WAS NO
PRICES ON THE ITEMS.
THEN WHEN THEY GOT TO THE
CHECKOUT, THEY WERE ASKED TO
GIVE A CREDIT CARD AND THEN
FIVE MONTHS LATER THEY GOT THIS
THING IN THE MAIL CALLED AN
EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS WHICH
DOESN'T EXPLAIN THE BENEFIT OF
ANYTHING.
PEOPLE WOULD NEVER TOLERATE
THAT WHEN THEY PURCHASE
GASOLINE OR ANYTHING ELSE IN
THEIR LIFE.
WHAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARD IS
TRANSPARENCY IN HEALTH CARE SO
PEOPLE CAN ACTUALLY CONSUME AND
FIGURE OUT THE VALUE AND THE
COST OF WHAT THEY'RE GETTING.
>> SO THAT MEANS A LOT OF THE
INFORMATION, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A
CARD OVER HERE AND A CARD OVER
HERE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A
LOT OF INFORMATION THAT'S IN
THE SHADOWS IN BETWEEN,
CORRECT?
>> CORRECT.
>> THAT'S THE SAME FOR ALL OF
US.
WHAT IS THE INFORMATION WE
DON'T KNOW?
>> WELL, THE INFORMATION I
TRIED TO OBTAIN -- I SAID WE
KNOW WHAT WE PAY YOU, WE'RE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE
SUPPOSED TO PAY ON BEHALF OF
TEACHERS AND TROOPERS AND OTHER
PUBLIC SERVICE WORKERS.
I KNOW HOW ALERT YOUR AUDIENCE
IS THIS MORNING.
THIS IS A PRICE LIST THAT WAS
SENT TO ME AS THE STATE
TREASURER FOR WHAT THE COST OF
AN AN APPENDECTOMY OR KNEE
REPLACEMENT.
>> WHY IS IT DARK?
>> THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW.
>> IS THAT BECAUSE OF HIPPA?
>> NO.
THEY HAVE -- THE FACT IN THESE
CONTRACTS WITH THESE MAJOR
INSURANCE COMPANIES, THIS IS
SOMETHING THE PRESIDENT JUST
TALKED ABOUT IN HIS EXECUTIVE
ORDER ON TRANSPARENCY, THAT
THIS OPAYING PRICING
TEMPERATURE -- OPAQUE PRICING
STRUCTURE BENEFITS THE POWERFUL
INTERESTS NOT JUST IN NORTH
CAROLINA BUT THE REST OF THE
STATES.
.
STATES. .
STATES. . >> WELL, THAT'S A PROBLEM FOR
EVERY VOTER GOING FORWARD, SO
IS -- WE'RE POSSIBLY GOING TO
TALK MORE ABOUT