Senate Proceeding 05-07-09 on May 7th, 2009 :: 1:01:20 to 1:19:05
Total video length: 3 hours 39 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:65 Duration: 0:17:45 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

1:01:03 to 1:01:23( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: i ask unanimous consent to vacate the quorum call, mr. president, and speak as if in morning business for up to 15 the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. wyden: mr. president, the senate finance committee on which i serve -- the presiding officer: the senator from oregon is recognized. mr. wyden: thank you very

1:01:20 to 1:19:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ron Wyden

1:01:24 to 1:01:45( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: much, mr. president. the senate finance committee on which i serve is about to take up the toughest issue in the debate about health care and that is the question of how to pay for it. to be credible, that means showing that you aren't going to

1:01:46 to 1:02:10( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: sit around and wait for years and years to start costs, but in fact you're going to start generating savings in the $2.5 trillion that our country spends on health care quickly. and you must do it in a bipartisan fashion that's

1:02:11 to 1:02:32( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: acceptable to our people. so today, mr. president, i offer the four pillars of immediate health care cost containment, and each one of these mr. president, is an idea that is supported by influential democratic senators and

1:02:33 to 1:02:53( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: influential republican senators here in the united states senate. mr. president, the first pillar of immediate health care costs containment requires that there be tax relief for the middle

1:02:54 to 1:03:16( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: class but no me tax subsidies for designers smiles. it sounds incredible, but today hard-working middle-class folks who are uninsured or underinsured every day watch their taxes go to subsidize designer smiles for the most

1:03:17 to 1:03:39( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: affluent that would be worthy of hollywood. the first pillar of health care cost containment: start saving billions of dollars immediately by taking away unneeded tax breaks and beefing up health care

1:03:40 to 1:04:03( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: workers and their families. the second pillar of immediate health care cost means care administrative costs. americans are drowning in health care rules and administrative hassles.

1:04:04 to 1:04:25( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: now you can junk bureaucracy by doing everything just once. signing up for the health care that you want, paying for it through the withholding system you use with every paycheck, keeping what you have if you

1:04:26 to 1:04:48( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: leave your job or your job leaves you, and easily finding out about the costs and quality of health care services that are near you and doing it on line.

1:04:49 to 1:05:11( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: health care cost containment, mr. president, is everybody is personally responsible? you cannot lower health care costs in this country without good-quality, affordable coverage for all. if you tkoefrpbt cover everyone -- if you don't cover everyone, there's too much cost

1:05:12 to 1:05:32( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: shifting and not enough prevention. personal responsibility is just as important. americans unless everyone secures basic coverage with extra help for folks who would have difficulty

1:05:33 to 1:05:54( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: affording that. and, mr. president, more than 11 million people with incomes of well over basic health insurance. and that's part of the that the hospital emergency rooms are so busy in america.

1:05:55 to 1:06:15( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: cutting health care costs means getting everybody in the system, and it means everyone would be personally responsible. and finally, mr. president, the fourth principle of immediate health care cost containment is a

1:06:16 to 1:06:36( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: insurance. today health insurance is about cherry-picking. the private insurance companies scour your health history, and they want you if you are healthy and wealthy. sick people, on the other hand, are sent to government programs

1:06:37 to 1:06:57( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: more fragile than they are. holding down costs soon means changing this, prohibiting the insurance companies from discriminating against those with illnesses and requiring a system that features real competition. real competion where the

1:06:58 to 1:07:20( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: insurance industry doesn't compete to see who is the best at leaving out those who have he but competion that's based on health -- excuse me -- on befit and quality and price. that's not government-run health care, mr. president.

1:07:21 to 1:07:41( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: that's old-fashioned competition, the kind of bedrock principles of competion that our country understands. when insurance companies compete on the basis of price, benefit and quality, that is about as pure as the type of competion as you could have in our country.

1:07:42 to 1:08:04( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: and it would revolutioni health insurance business in our country. now each one of these four pillars of immediate health care cost con canement is supported by influential democrats republicans here in the united states senate. if these four principles were adopted, the united states

1:08:05 to 1:08:25( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: senate could go to the country and show health issue that they care about the most, which is containing costs, the united states united states senate has a plan for cost containment that will kick in

1:08:26 to 1:08:46( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: next few years, not sometng that you have to wai years from now. and certainly there are a lot of changes in the health care system that ought to because they will save phopb in 10 or 15 -- save money in 10 or 15 years. but the four pillars of immediate health care cost

1:08:47 to 1:09:07( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: containment that i outlined this afternoon: tax relief for the middle class and no more tax breaks for designer smiles, take an ax to health care administrative costs. everybody in the everyone personally responsible. and a revolution in the health insurance business.

1:09:08 to 1:09:29( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: those are ideas, mr. president, that are now sponsored -- sponsored -- by democrats and republicans here in states senate health care costs soon. they will reduce health care costs and do it quickly so that the senate can be credible with

1:09:30 to 1:09:50( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: the country on this issue of health care reform. now, there are other principles to this question of getting health care on track. chairman baucus, in my view, has done yeomen sessions to look at the various

1:09:51 to 1:10:13( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: issues: delivery and coverage. i have made the indicate, mr. president, with paion on the coverage questions that i think americans want on the coverage issue coverage that is as least as good as members of congress have and the congressional budget office has said it is possible to pay for that, again, with the

1:10:14 to 1:10:34( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: kinds of principles of cost con canement i have outlined here, and other colleagues, i'm sure will have other views with respect to what the basic benefit package ought to be about. i also think it's going to be very important to send a straightforward message to those who have coverage that there are

1:10:35 to 1:10:57( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: considerable benefits for them in reform we've talked on this floor before, democrats and republicans, about makin that everybody can coverage they have. that's something that senators hear about at every meeting they

1:10:58 to 1:11:19( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: have when they discuss health care. and think there are going to be 100 united states senators voting in favor of the that all are able to keep the coverage have. but there are two other words that i thinkhose people with coverage are looking for. mr. president, you and i have

1:11:20 to 1:11:40( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: had some discussion on this before. those folks with coverage want to hear about how they're going to be wealthier and healthier with the health care reform legislation that would be passed in the congress. and on this issue the fundamental question be about increasing the choices

1:11:41 to 1:12:03( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: that individuals have for their coverage. and i have not spoken about this on the floor of the senate in the past, but was just flabbergasted to learn that those who are lucky enough to have employer-based coverage in this country, of that

1:12:04 to 1:12:26( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: of them get no choice at all. they get one package, and that's it. so you've got 85% of the people in this country who are lucky enough to have health care coverage, they do not get what their elected officials from colorado, from oregon and everyone else get.

1:12:27 to 1:12:48( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: we of course get a full menu of health care choices. and of course that's a big factor in holding down health care you have some competion. if one company doesn't do well in 2009, everybody's off in 2010 and choosing somebody else. so it's going to be very important to show those with

1:12:49 to 1:13:09( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: coverage, people who want to be healthier and wealthier after health care reform is passed, that one of the ways to get some additional money in your pocket because when you have only one, of course, there really aren't

1:13:10 to 1:13:31( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: the kind at work in your health care system that even members of congress have. so what i have been interested in is saying that if you want to stay with your employer's package, absolutely. democrats and republicans here in the senate are committed to doing that. but if you, for example, want to

1:13:32 to 1:13:56( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: choose one of the private alternatives that would be established in health reform legislation and would be certified by your state as protecting consumers, you ought to be able to make that choice. and if in making that choice you save money relative to what it might cost for your employer

1:13:57 to 1:14:18( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: package, you get to get those savings. and without offense to colorado, you can use the money to go fishing in oregon because we've created a marketplace. so i wanted to come today and lay out the four immediate principles con canement.

1:14:19 to 1:14:42( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: but i also -- cost containment. i also wanted to say i think there will be other central questions like the issue of coverage and the question of how to make sure that the senate keeps faith with the 160 million people, about 160 given day who have employer-based coverage and would like to keep what they have.

1:14:43 to 1:15:04( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: they've like to be healthier and wealthier. finally, if they want to leave thei them, their coverage ought to be with them. finally, mr. president, let me note i think chairman baucus and senator grassley are leaders on the finance committee are doing

1:15:05 to 1:15:25( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: an especially good -- exceptionally school and exceptionally fair -- good and exptionally fair job in tackling have issue. the fact of the mattera is that health care reform and particularly financing it is a subject for the faint heart. there is a reason why this issue has been tough to tackle since the day

1:15:26 to 1:15:47( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: years ago. but under the leadership of chairman baucus and grsley in the finance committee, and i think i can speak for senators on both sides of the aisle that were very appreciative of what chairman kennedy and senator enzi are doing in the "help" committee.

1:15:48 to 1:16:10( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: the four of them are our committee leaders, our chairs and i feel that this time after 60 years of working on this issue it can i mean the fact is that for health reformers the history of trying to fix health care is

1:16:11 to 1:16:31( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: almost the story of love. when you look back on this issue almost 15 years, reformers say that this is the time, i've finally found t to be able to have my dreams realized. and, of course, it has been exactly 15 years since the last

1:16:32 to 1:16:53( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: effort, 1994, during the clinton years. and harry and louise pretty much soured that romance in 1993 1994. but i do think, mr. president, largely because of the good work being done by chairman baucus and chairman grassley and senator enzi, this year is different.

1:16:54 to 1:17:16( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: a lot of colleagues on both sides of the aisle have moved toward an approach that i think will allow us to come there is a recognition that democrats have been right on the proposition that to fix this, you have to cover everybody. if high quality affordable coverage, you have that cost

1:17:17 to 1:17:38( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: shifting i spoke about, inadequate attention to prevention. i think there is a recognition that colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the republican party are making valid points as well. there ought to be private choices. it's important not to innovation. ought to stay clear of price controls. so there is an opportunity now

1:17:39 to 1:17:59( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: with the senate being led by two very fine chairs and ranking minority members to get this done. i'll close, mr. president, with an observation from a number of economists. our country clearly is concerned about the costsf the bailouts and the financial obligations in

1:18:00 to 1:18:20( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: the banking and housing sector. most of those folks believe that the astounding sums that are being spent on fincial bailouts, they are going to look like a care is not fixed. so the stakes are very, very high.

1:18:21 to 1:18:41( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: fixing the economy means fixing health care. and with the principles that i outlined today, the four immediate principles of health care cost containment, i think that the senate can get off on the most important and most difficult issue of health containing costs and do it in a bipartisan way. mr. president, with that, i

1:18:42 to 1:19:02( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: would yield the floor. and i would note, also, the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will cal