Senate Proceeding on Jul 29th, 2009 :: 0:49:05 to 1:00:50
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0:49:04 to 0:49:24( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: quorum call: mr. wyden: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. consent to vacate the q call. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. wanted to spend just a few minutes this morning talking about some of the positive developments that are taking place right now on this issue of health care reform.

0:49:05 to 1:00:50( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Ron Wyden

0:49:25 to 0:49:45( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: for example, this morning the president is out talking to workers, insured workers, about how health care reform will work for them. he is spending his capita he is using the bully pulpit that certainly reflects that this is

0:49:46 to 0:50:06( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: a priority for the president of the united states. a second positive development is in the senate finance committee, we have six united states senators. they are putting in killer hours at this point. i've been kidding them that suspect they're being fed intra venusly, but they are trying to

0:50:07 to 0:50:27( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: put together a bipartisan health reform effort, and i appreciate what they're and, third, i note my good friend from the senate this morning. he and i have made it clear that the sponsors of the healthy americans act -- there are 15

0:50:28 to 0:50:48( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: us, it is a bipartisan group -- we are very open that working with chairman baucus, chairman dodd, the president of the united states in a bipartisan fashion to fix health so the question then front and center in all of these discussions with the president, with the bipartisan group in the

0:50:49 to 0:51:11( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: finance committee, with the bipartisan group that senator bennett and the sponsors of the healthy americans act, puts front and center the question of how you control costs in health care. what are you going to do to make health care

0:51:12 to 0:51:32( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: and it is our judgment that the key to making health care more affordable is to make sure that people have bargaing power and people have choice. choice, frankly, like members of congress have. the distinguished senator from new mexico, the senator from

0:51:33 to 0:51:53( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: utah, and myself, we actually belo to something that's pretty much an exchange. youan also markets. but essentially what we in the united states senate have the opportunity to do is choose a menu of private health policies.

0:51:54 to 0:52:16( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: we get rewarded for making an economical selection. in effect, you can save on your premiums. and we get rewarded, for example, when we choose a program that puts more on prevention and so senators, when they shop wisely, end up being wealthier and healthier as a result of

0:52:17 to 0:52:37( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: being able to participate in a big exchange. what we'd like to do -- senator bennett and myself -- is extend that kind of bargaing power to everybody in our country. everybody in our country over a period of time -- going to have to phase it in over a few years -- ought to have a chance

0:52:38 to 0:53:00( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: to have that kind of bargaing power and that kind of clout that we have as members congress, be in a position to choose a policy. and when they make a good choice, when they shop wisely, the money goes into the pocket. that's the kind of approach that senator bennett and i have afrbgd indicated.

0:53:01 to 0:53:21( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: it is a way to -- advocated. it is a way to focus exchanges, these farmers' markets which, in my view, mr. president, are the key to getting health reform right. and what they do, if you set it up right, is you give all the middle-class people who are

0:53:22 to 0:53:43( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: insured today, insured in new mexico and utah and oregon, you give them a chance to come out winners under health reform at the get-go. not waiting 10, 12, 15 years. but if you're insured in new mexico, the president has said he's going coverage you have.

0:53:44 to 0:54:04( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: and, sense. we hear that at every meeting. but if, for example, in utah oregon or and new mexico, you don't like the coverage you have and you can get a better deal at the exchange, something that puts more money in your pocket, something that helps you and

0:54:05 to 0:54:25( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: your that. under the free choice proposal that senator bennett and i have advocated, that we have presented to chairman baucus and chairman dodd of the united states, this is something you can do for the insured that helps them save mone

0:54:26 to 0:54:46( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: now, regrettably, a number of the bills that have been considered in the congress don't give people those kinds of choices. in fact, a lot of americans are being told, well, the public option is the way to go. and when you look at how these bills are set up, because there's something called fire walls that restrict some people

0:54:47 to 0:55:08( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: from getting these choices, a lot of the people are being told that the public option is the way to go, aren't even going to get that choice. so the key to helping people who have insurance -- there are about 160 million people who get coverage through the private sector -- is to get these exchanges right, make sure that

0:55:09 to 0:55:30( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: everybody has bargaing power in these exchanges so they can be part of big groups. i h member of congress, the people of oregon. in effect, they're my employer, they pay we've got a million people in our group. that's the way to spread a lot

0:55:31 to 0:55:51( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: of cost and risk through a group so you can get real value. let's set these exchanges up at least so that regional bennett and i have said we're open to a variety of ways to do it. but let's make sure that everybody's got clout in the

0:55:52 to 0:56:12( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: marketplace. if you're a small business in new mexico strangled by the administrative costs of health care. you don't have much clout in the marketplace. you're paying 30% of your dollar, your health care dollar for health care coverage for you as an employer of a small business

0:56:13 to 0:56:35( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: in new mexico or utah or elsewhere. it shouldn't be that way. we should be giving those small businesses relief. so what senator bennett and i have said with our free choice proposal is if you're an employer in new mexico or elsewhere in this want to takeour workers to the exchange -- by the way, this is sphroeur-sponsored insurance

0:56:36 to 0:56:57( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: much this is an eloyer taking their workers to the exchange. you can go to the exchange in new mexico and say you want a discount. you want a discount because you are taking you exchange and you can get some rehrefplt that's playing hardball with the -- get some relief. that's playing hard pwaufplt

0:56:58 to 0:57:19( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: that's saying to the people who insure kwror workers, you're not giving me a goodnough deal so i'm going to have a chance to the insurance exchange and get a better one. we call it fre opti options fororkers, options that look like what members of congress have. and i really fear that

0:57:20 to 0:57:40( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: don't set up a system that gets this exchange right so that people have bargaing power, employers and employees, you're not going to be able to kind of cost containment that the president of the unite states has identified correctly as the heart of health care reform. it's about holding down costs.

0:57:41 to 0:58:01( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: it's about making coverage more affordable. i urge colleagues to look at the article that was written in this morning's was post" talking about the importance of the exchange, what it can mean for the bargaing power o middle-class people and businesses if it is set up right.

0:58:02 to 0:58:22( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: and we kw how to set it up right because it resembles t system that all of us enjoy here in the united states senate. at the beginning of the year you have a choice, a menu of options. you make a good one. you choose from a big group where you have a lot of clout and a the money goes right into your

0:58:23 to 0:58:44( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: pocket. one last point with respect to this free choice issue, mr. president. sometimes the best choices are not the most expensive choices. sometimes as you look at the health care system -- and senator bennett knows a lot about this because in utah,

0:58:45 to 0:59:06( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: they've got a system that has illustrated it, that the best expensive choices. let's make it easier for people to a mayo program or one of these other health care programs that are regarded as the gold standard in terms of quality. one of the concerns i have about

0:59:07 to 0:59:28( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: all these fire walls in legislation that's being considered that restricts is that americans around this country, after a big push here in the united states congress to choose quality, aren't even going to have the opportunity to choose from these approaches, the mayo program, the program in

0:59:29 to 0:59:49( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: utah that gets more value the health care dollar. so there are some positive developments in this health care debate going on today, mr. president. to highlight again, t president out talking to workers and insured workers. the negotiations going on in the senate finance

0:59:50 to 1:00:12( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: the very gracious approach that senator bennett and a number of republicans are taking in terms of saying, look, we want this to be bipartisan. we want to meet the president halfway. each of those developments, it seems to me, he very positive, fixing health care absolutely

1:00:13 to 1:00:35( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: key to fixing the economy. as ezra klein points out in "the washington post," people's take-home pay isn't going up is because medical costs are gobbling up everything in sight. the key to fixing health care and particularly holding costs down is promoting free choice, getting these exchanges right so that employers and employees

1:00:36 to 1:00:51( Edit History Discussion )

Ron Wyden: have more opportunities to hold costs down, and i think in view of these positive developments that i have is reason for senators to just stay at it, keep working in a bipartisan way, and real progress is going to be made,