We Want to Make Things Cheaper, GOP Doesn’t
On CNN’s “The Lead” on Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) responded to a question about Democrats’ criticism of Obamacare and the possibility of bipartisanship on health insurance by saying “Republicans want to make people pay more.” While Democrats want to expand ACA subsidies, “we then want to make health care more efficient and cheaper for the average American, exactly the opposite of what most Republicans want to do.”
Host Jake Tapper asked, “I’ve heard Democrats say that Obamacare is not working as well as it should and, obviously, health insurance premiums, not just in Obamacare, but across the country, for everyone, are skyrocketing. Is there room for bipartisan work there, on the fact that health insurance companies are making record profits and, increasingly, Americans can’t afford to make sure?”
Schumer responded: “Well, at the end of the day, there’s such a divide between the parties. The Republicans want to make people pay more. One of their main proposals is to privatize the whole thing, which will increase the costs for the people. What the Democrats want to do is lower the costs for the people. The first step, of course, is to expand the ACA premiums, which we are totally – unlike the Republicans – we are totally united on this issue throughout. And then we want to make health care more efficient and cheaper for the average American, exactly the opposite of what most Republicans want to do. If they want to come to us and say, we want to work with you to lower premiums – I mean, to lower costs, to improve health care, fine, but right now they’re going in the opposite direction.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
