Senate Proceeding on Jul 24th, 2009 :: 0:07:00 to 0:19:45
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0:06:57 to 0:07:18( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: be allowed to speak for ten minutes each with votes during today's session of the senate. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business for up to 15 minutes. the presiding officer: objection, so ordered. mr. wyden: mr. president, i come to the floor to take a few minutes to reflect on the

0:07:00 to 0:19:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ron Wyden

0:07:19 to 0:07:39( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: developments in the health care issue. for me the week began with an inspiring essay by the man who has led the crusade american health care for more than 40 years. the man who this body in our efforts to fix

0:07:40 to 0:08:02( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: health care. i'm referring, mr. president, to the wonderful essay by senator kennedy who i encourage senators to read this article because, as usual, senator kennedy lays out the challenge for us ahead.

0:08:03 to 0:08:25( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: he says on the magazine, "we are almost there." now, that might be a little much for some folks, given developments of the week but, as usual, there's a lot of in what senator kennedy has just written in "newsweek" magazine.

0:08:26 to 0:08:48( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: th some very, very significant areas of health care policy. for example, we have bipartisan support here in the united states senate for fundamentally changing the inhumane model of private health insurance in our country.

0:08:49 to 0:09:09( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: today, private health insurance is essentially about cherrypicking. it's about going out and finding just the healthy people and sending the sick people over to government programs more fragile than they are. there is widespread agreement, mr. president, that needs to be changed.

0:09:10 to 0:09:30( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: for example, 15 united states senators are on legislation that would make it illeg to discriminate against those with preexiing illnesses. that is a fundamental change, mr. president, a dramatic in theay insurance and the

0:09:31 to 0:09:53( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: insurance business is done in our country. democrats, republicans, both major committees -- the committee senator kennedy chairs, the committee led by my chairman, max balk, and republicans support

0:09:54 to 0:10:14( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: fundamental changes in the way done. if you told me, mr. president, three years ago, that this would be such strong bipartisan support for fundamentally altering the model of how private health insurance is being sold in our country, i probably would have asked you

0:10:15 to 0:10:36( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: what substance are you smoking. but it is an indication senator kendy writes in his article, that we have made a lot of progress. now, suffice it to say, as senator kennedy notes again, that there's lifting to do.

0:10:37 to 0:10:58( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: in particular, if you go to the president's website the three areas that he is focused on is lowering choices, and maintaining quality. those of the president has focused on very correctly. those are the three areas that

0:10:59 to 0:11:23( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: our president has made it clear he's going to spend his political capital on. thiss what he's going do use his bully this is what he's going to put in the killer hours for. and having met with him recently i can trillion you, mr. president, that our president barack obama obama is

0:11:27 to 0:11:48( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: making that kiis -- is using his bully pulpit to put in those hours to get the job done. now, with respect to lowering people's premiums and lowering costs the one area that the budget office has said indicate generates real savings in t next few years is

0:11:49 to 0:12:09( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: increasing individual choice, giving all our people the opportunity like we have here in the united states congress, to choose great a variety of plans -- big plans -- where you spread cost and risk, where they can't discriminate, and when an

0:12:10 to 0:12:31( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: individual makes a wise selectn from one of those plans, the money in their that's what the budget office folks haveaid they will score as real savin for the system, for people's individual premiums

0:12:32 to 0:12:52( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: in the next few years. the challenge, mr. president, for our committees, is that in many respects, these bills don't give all americans free choice. they don't give all the choice the senator from virginia has.

0:12:53 to 0:13:14( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: i note the presence of the distinguished leader from kentucky here. these bills don't give all americans the kind of choices that we have as united states senators. and chos and the requirement that couples compete for people's business is what

0:13:15 to 0:13:35( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: competition is all about and it's what holding premi is all about. so i have developed legislation called the free i think it protects the employer-based system which we know well over 150 million

0:13:36 to 0:13:57( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: americans rely on. it also gives us a chance to improve on it. it creates more employers. and for employees. to hold costs for employers, our free choice proposal gives them more leverage with their insurance

0:13:58 to 0:14:18( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: company so they i've done business with you a lot of years, you better give me a better deal or i'm going to take my business somewhere it also says to an employer, hypothetically in virginia or oregon, if you want to take all of your employees to what's

0:14:19 to 0:14:42( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: called the i kind of a farme market arrang would have the ability to take their workers to the and the employer could get a discount for doing strengthening the employer's role in the effort to hold down

0:14:43 to 0:15:05( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: costs. for the worker, what it means is, for example, in virginia or oregon, if your employer's share of say, $13,000 and you can find a plan on the insurance exchange for $12,000, into your pocket.

0:15:06 to 0:15:27( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: again, you get a financial reward for members of congress get to shop. i'd like to see everybody get to shop, everybody have those individual also good for the system, because right now, really since the 1940's, since the middle of the last century, the individual

0:15:28 to 0:15:50( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: has been disconnected from t health care system. the individual doesn't get many choices. 85% of the employers who offer health care coverag don't offer choice, not b ev they'd love to do it; they can't afford it. the administrative costs are too crushing.

0:15:51 to 0:16:12( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: so, again, if we get employers and employees into these systems where they'll have clout in the marketplace, there will be ability for everybody to choose, mr. president, not just folks who are unemployed or uninsured or in small business, but give everybody over the next

0:16:13 to 0:16:33( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: few years the ability to have these choices and be in a position t competition and more accountability and hold down their premiums in the private sector. we can do that on a bipartisan basis. we've got 15 united states senators of both political parties on legislation that does

0:16:34 to 0:16:54( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: it now. it could fit with the strucre of several of the bills that are being considered. we can do kennedy suggests in his wonderful essay, on a bipartisan basis. both democrats and republicans, mr. president, have a good point here.

0:16:55 to 0:17:15( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: i believe my party is right on the issue that you can not fix this system unless you cover everybody. the reason that's the case is you can't build a market unless you unless you cover everybody, there's too m

0:17:16 to 0:17:37( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: people who are un their bills to the insured. but my colleagues on the other side of the aisle -- the distinguished senator from kentucky and i have had this discussion on a number of occaons -- they have valid points, too. the congress ought to be very careful about freezing innovation, about restricting private choice, about setting up price controls.

0:17:38 to 0:18:01( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: there's the sweet bipartisan bill, mr. president. democrat senator kennedy lays out in his wonderful essay about expanding coverage. republicans bringing creative ideas to the table about innovation and both sides have some valid points. that's what senator kennedy is

0:18:02 to 0:18:22( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: saying in his wonderful essay. mr. president, i see the leader on the floor, and he is looking for time. i web site. that's where we lay out this free-choice proposal. i think it is consistent with the idea of not blowing up the employer-based system but not saying we can't improve on it. it gives new tools

0:18:23 to 0:18:43( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: employers and employees to hold down costs. it ensures that all americans will have choices, not just some. and i'd submit to colleagues, if folks in virginia and kentucky and oregon come away from this and say that only some people got choices, that's not going to go down very well.

0:18:44 to 0:19:05( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: let's do what the president says on his web site and give all americans we have in congress from these big insurance pools where you can't discriminate and you some leverage in terms of holding costs down. so it has certainly been a tumultuous week, mr. president,

0:19:06 to 0:19:29( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: on this health care issue. but i hope colleagues this weekend will pick up a copy of "newsweek," read the inspiring essay of senator kennedy, who's led our body year, led the country in this issue, continues to lead us because there is a lot

0:19:30 to 0:19:45( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: build on now, to finally end this been able to fix our system so that we hold costs down and all americans get good-quality, affordable coverage. we can do it. we can do it this year,