Sen. Coons: “I'm worried there will be administrative actions by the Trump administration in the coming weeks and months that will drive the existing marketplaces into the death spiral they talk about. They're not currently in a death spiral but could be there.”
Sen. Coons on French election: “As all of us work to confront Russian aggression, we need our allies [like France]. I think there is no doubt that Russia intentionally interfered in French elections. … All of us in Western democracy should sit up and take notice."
WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) joined MSNBC’s Morning Joe this morning to discuss the House Republicans’ health care bill and the results of the French elections.
“Once we get a CBO score for it and know what it costs, I'm hopeful Republicans in the Senate will take a hard run at trying to put together a bill that works, conclude they can't do that on their own, and then begin working across the aisle to find a way together to fix the parts of the Affordable Care Act that don't work and move forward together. So far, I’m not very encouraged. The working group in the Senate isn't reaching out,” said Senator Coons. “I've made repeated overtures to Republicans, as have many other Democrats in the Senate. At the end of the day, if we focus on those who advocate for America's health—AARP, American Nursing Association, the American Medical Association—if we look at their view of this House bill, they've all panned it, they all think it's going to hurt Americans and we should make our focus what is going to make Americans healthier and find a way to come together and pass a bill that fix things that actually need to be improved in the Affordable Care Act.”
Video and audio available here.
Excerpts from the interview:
Senator Coons on the House Republicans’ health care bill: It's my hope that they're going to start all over again, because, as you heard, the folks on the TV shows this Sunday made outrageous claims for the bill that's been passed out of the House. At the end of the day, this is about people. What I'm hearing from Delawareans up and down the state -- I was here this weekend -- is real concern, folks with pre-existing conditions, folks who already pay too much for their out-of-pocket costs or for their insurance, are anxious about the provisions in the bill that passed the House. Once we get a CBO score for it and know what it costs, I'm hopeful Republicans in the Senate will take a hard run at trying to put together a bill that works, conclude they can't do that on their own, and then begin working across the aisle to find a way together to fix the parts of the Affordable Care Act that don't work and move forward together. So far, I’m not very encouraged. The working group in the Senate isn't reaching out. I've made repeated overtures to Republicans, as have many other Democrats in the Senate. At the end of the day, if we focus on those who advocate for America's health—AARP, American Nursing Association, the American Medical Association—if we look at their view of this House bill, they've all panned it, they all think it's going to hurt Americans and we should make our focus what is going to make Americans healthier and find a way to come together and pass a bill that fix things that actually need to be improved in the Affordable Care Act.
More on the health care bill: Well, first, we would have to actually keep the promises that have been made, both by President Trump and by Republicans over the weekend, as they characterized the bill. Retain the national protection for pre-existing conditions, for example. There are things about how the insurance market is working that just aren’t sustainable. Small businesses, for example in Delaware, have told me over and over that they can’t afford the Affordable Care Act in states like Delaware where there's just not enough competition. We need to work together to find ways to increase competition, to keep insurance companies in the market and to not drive them out. I'm worried there will be administrative actions by the Trump administration in the coming weeks and months that will drive the existing marketplaces into the death spiral they talk about. They're not currently in a death spiral but could be there. We should come together to propose ways to fix insurance before it becomes a crisis.
More on the health care bill: My guess is that Leader McConnell is going to take some time here and while he may ultimately pass a bill in the Senate, I think he will send it to conference with the House. That conference will go on for a very long time, and we won't actually see a final product until after the 2018 elections.
Senator Coons on the French elections: As an American, as someone who values democracy and European allies, I did breathe a sigh of relief as I found out about the outcome. And you make a good point. I think part of the reason Le Pen lost is her performance in the one-on-one debate against Macron where she was just poisonous. She engaged in the sort of mud slinging that characterized her father's career in politics more than hers. And the nation looked at it and said she's not ready to run the country and her values do not reflect France’s political values. Macron is young and contested, and it is very possible that he will try to face up to the security and economic challenges that France faces and fail and that there will be another round of populism. I think you're right: we shouldn't take too much comfort from this. But, if you look at the Austrian, Dutch and now the French elections, there is a reassuring trend of a willingness, barely, for these countries to stay in the E.U, to stay in the common project of NATO. And I think as all of us work to confront Russian aggression we need our allies. I think there is no doubt that Russia intentionally interfered in French elections. They engaged in the sort of big stack dump of lots of e-mails and fake news just before the election that was also, I think, a key part of their interference in our election and all of us in Western democracy should sit up and take notice.
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