0:37:49 to 0:38:09( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: mr. president, not long ago, eight democratic senators wrote to the majority leader and said what all 40 republican senators have expressed and what most americans -- i think maybe 9 of americans would say we need to do, which is that before we proceed to a vote on the health care bill that is so much of the

0:38:10 to 0:38:32( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: discussion across this country today, that number one we have a complete legislative text. that we, number two, have a complete estimate of its costs from the congressional budget office. and we, number three, it be on the internet for 72 hours so the american people can read it. read the text, know what it

0:38:55 to 0:39:15( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: why it's important we be able to read the text, know what it costs, and know how it affects ea we have talked a lot about how the bills that we've seen so far have the effect of raising your insurance premiums, increasing your taxes, cutting your medicare, and increasing the

0:39:39 to 0:40:00( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: that is the effect on the states. and as a former governor of tennessee, that's what i want to address for a few minutes this morning. i picked up my newspaper in nashville on sunday morning, and here was the headline. "governor brennison faces painful choices as tennessee begins budget triage." that's the sort of talk you

0:40:22 to 0:40:42( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: as governor for a few years and try to implement the medicaid program which is bankrupting states and ruining public higher education. i'm not facetious when i say that because if we have a chance to read these bills and know what they cost, they have the potential to literally bankrupt states and ruin public higher education.

0:41:04 to 0:41:24( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: than the brennison administration estimated. but there is no quarrel, according to the state's largest newspapers, that tennessee state government faces a grim situation. $750 million in cuts. then things got worse because the money coming in this year is less than was expected. the governor has told husband

0:41:46 to 0:42:06( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: illinois, and all across this country, cuts are cuts. you spend less that year than you did the year before. layoffs are likely, the governor says. this will be my toughest budget year. charles sisk writing in "the

0:42:29 to 0:42:49( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: downturn, the recent since the great depression, and the increase in state medicaid -- now, this is not medicare for seniors we're talking about. this is the large program for low-income americans, 60 million americanshat states pay about a third of and that the health care plans we've seen intend to dump about 16 million more

0:43:12 to 0:43:32( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: reported what the medicare and medicaid services said over the weekend, which is that generally speaking when we add more than -- more people to the medicaid program, that the doctors and the hospitals who are expected to serve them won't be able to serve them, and i i'll say more about that in a minute. so how in the world,

0:43:54 to 0:44:15( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: legislators who are in their worst fiscal condition since the great depression. that's called an unfunded mandate. if we think it's such a great idea to dump 15 million or 16 million more americans into a low-income program called medicaid, that 50% of doctors won't see new patients because

0:44:37 to 0:44:58( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: says this will cost our state state $1.4 billion over the next five years. that's real how much money? well, based on my experience as governor, i don't see how the state of tennessee could afford to pay that without instituting a new state income tax or without doing serious damage higher education in tennessee or both.

0:45:20 to 0:45:40( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: 40% of phycians, according to the medicare payment advisory committee survey, restrict access for medicaid patients. so we're saying here we have a great health care reform bill, and not only is it going to bankrupt states, but it doesn't do any favors really for a great many low-income americans, because we're putting them in a system where 40% of docrs

0:46:05 to 0:46:25( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: required to pay doctors who see medicaid patients as much as medicare doctors are paying. well, tha just adds another big new bill to the state, runs up the state taxes, runs up the college tuition payments when the states are unable to properly fund universities and college. so you can see why this is so

0:46:47 to 0:47:07( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: doctors won't see new medicaid patients. add to all of that, mr. president, the idea of calling dumping 16 million americans -- the presiding officer: the senator has one minute remaing. mr. alexander: thank you very much, mr. president. the idea of dumping 14 million more low-income americans into the medicaid program not only

0:47:29 to 0:47:51( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: so, mr. pre republicans suggest that instead of these comprehensive sweeping 2,000-page bills that raise taxes, raise premiums, raise the debt, add to state taxes, hurt higher education because of what i just described and put low-income americans into a program that half the doctors won't see, that we should move

0:48:14 to 0:48:20( Edit History Discussion )

Lamar Alexander: about waste, fraud, and abuse. if we were to take those steps, that would be real health care reform because it would be