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John Hlinko and Jim Pinkerton on the future of health care and how republicans plan to battle it
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Introduce my panel right now here on set we have John a link -- president and CEO of pulling -- consulting thank you very much follow him on Twitter.
At JHL.
I NK.
-- but that's that's what.
And Jim Pinkerton is also here you know you love -- -- -- all the time on fox contributing editor writer but the American conservative magazine and of course -- fox.
News contributor.
And well we'll get two more with you in addition to them by -- -- we have coming up which is always fun.
Let's listen to but right now let's just that tee it up with the two hot topics.
Up first talking about by the single vote president Barack Obama's health care overhaul survived that.
Pain -- Supreme Court review that consume thousands of pages and legal filings.
Let's take a look at what a full screen Morton now on the affordable health care vote.
We have the majority in the senate there there you can see.
Who voted for and who against.
And as we hear this conversation obviously everybody is talking about it when we start with you.
Jim first to find out just your initial thoughts after the Supreme Court ruling.
Well I.
I was surprised -- mean one lesson is you know and listen the pundits in Washington.
That the punditry had gone 9010.
Even among liberals saying -- of course that rotten.
You know John Roberts will.
Kill them.
Obamacare mandates on.
And they just proves they don't know -- It's why you gotta watch and watch closely you know in terms of what they're what they're doing -- -- -- -- -- -- -- A little bit.
Puzzled -- over the health care debate as has been the last twenty years.
It's about health insurance you know I mean when you go to the doctor you don't really -- -- talk about health insurance you wanna talk about lumps and pains in my what's hurting with -- what kill granny.
And how old that a discussion over medicine.
And health care has turned into this discussion of health care finance to me -- mistake by both parties.
I think -- much better off we were talking as troops as is for example.
Congress and gold of Illinois.
Republican from the suburban Chicago.
They want -- alzheimer's I mean I think when in doubt down the road somewhere we're gonna find out.
That this obesity pill if it were that -- pelvic.
Is a lot more important about improving americans' health and terms of getting to diabetes -- is almost debate over health insurance I just I just find myself.
Sort of amazed -- everybody's worrying about.
Paying for illness after the fact as opposed to do is -- about it before that.
John when you heard this come down what what was your initial.
I.
Initially I would say -- was.
Pleasantly surprised.
At a 5050 because I would agree that interest I think.
What he had in mind and just guessing here but I believe what what happened is that he.
Thoughtful thought -- along he thought in terms of what would be the reputation of the court at this is the 54 decision seen as.
Very clear partisan split on landmark legislation.
And I think.
He thought in terms of preserving the court's reputation for the long term.
Which I I didn't practice is not an easy decision I think it was the right decision IE why do you think -- -- Well I think it was a right decision because.
That night I don't speak as a lawyer married and one -- -- -- but.
Everything I've seen going into the into the oral arguments.
Talk about how this was a real long shot at it as being unconstitutional that -- there was a lot of clear precedent.
And legal -- stumbles on the aisle seem to grade.
Now in the oral arguments came into turn -- -- is -- a sense that the conservative justices are being very heartening but ultimately.
I think Robert's got it right.
This was something that clearly was the government had the right to do it wasn't anything.
Wildly without precedent.
And it was landmark legislation passed with a supermajority that in the senate.
Again.
To undo this would have essentially -- important to back -- legislature.
As opposed to these supposedly neutral -- there's -- today.
-- is this even that this is is this over Ann -- got the possible -- -- house Republicans hold a vote to repeal the line just a few weeks.
Yeah -- -- they'll vote to repeal it in the senate will not act or vote against it whichever.
And then we'll have an election in November.
And I think it obamacare appears -- a slight negative with the populations of all that's -- 52% against it and some of support in the in the thirties somewhere.
However.
I think today if it Mitt Romney were to win in November I think you'd have a hard time repealing -- -- Coverage for children I think that pre existing conditions and I wife and and I would also point out that.
We've had a kind of primitive version of national health insurance since 1986.
When President Reagan signed emergency treatment labor act.
As part of a larger budget deal.
And it's guaranteed to show the -- get to shelter and emergency room you -- you get covered.
They had they can't turn your right now this is not the most -- on the world but nonetheless it's the set establish a principle that.
You're gonna cover everybody so I think one way or another.
That the fight over health insurance that began in 1912 when Teddy Roosevelt.
Endorsed it as part of this progressive presidential campaign.
I think it's sort of over I think we will have.
Health insurance for everybody and -- frankly we probably should.
But we have a comment from one of our viewers now want to bring in a comment from the SL.
-- are saying we all have health care before whether we knew it or not it's who will pay pay for it now that is causing all the problems.
Guess what just like before we will all pay for it.
Whether we know -- -- Well yeah I mean and I think actually speaks to Jim's point which was we have a form of primitive form we've had a society -- it's an emergency room if you treat patients -- The question is who pays.
And what is the smartest way to do this to -- want to.
Actually pay for someone when they're at death's door -- an emergency room costs 30000 dollars a -- to treat them but we want to work on preventative measures to six months earlier a year earlier.
Prevent that from happening regular check -- and and I think frankly -- -- -- which is a very good one.
We will we should be focusing on his long -- -- long term treatment -- wants write a preventative measures for things like alzheimer's things like diabetes.
I think stem cell research shows lot of promise for example.
It it would be much much better off to pay for outcomes and better health and it is painful procedures -- -- currently.
One in the Associated Press.
Did a great little write up about winners and losers on -- -- want to swing through them really quick and then get Jim's thought.
Winners in this you know -- they give an example -- -- personal example of a woman named Casey Quinlan.
-- 59 -- -- breast cancer survivor who lives near Richmond Virginia and millions of other uninsured people like her starting.
As we've -- October 2013 uninsured will be able to sign the taxpayer subsidized coverage either through private insurance plans or Medicaid health care program.
That's showing her as an example another winner hospitals he probably -- Fox News yesterday that stock zoomed after the Supreme Court ruling.
Family practice doctors also listed as winners Democrats.
The solicitor general Donald -- -- junior.
Obama's top Supreme Court lawyer losers the National Federation of Independent Business Republicans.
States that did not prepare for this.
And justice schooling him.
Well it means.
That that probably is not a bad lists in terms and I think you know Michael carbon who's in a fabulous it would did a brilliant job and again -- -- -- just added we both agreed that.
But three months ago when arguments came.
Mike Carr who was seen as having clobbered the virility now again and I think I think even introduce you -- -- to do it on points OK look the Supreme Court ruled against them but.
Carbon made the point that -- argued was this commerce clause was an abuse -- that you can't force people -- buy broccoli or health insurance as he kept saying.
I think -- completely won that argument and in fact he did -- that -- -- most literal sense he got the 54 vote his way.
On that argument and end Roberts made this kind of clever hit it on the -- calling it -- so that sort of made an argument of brutally.
Hadn't made.
I -- -- -- -- it and that is it.
When the American people wake up and realize that -- that every grieving -- -- and essentially Medicaid.
There will be very happy you know businesses and it's not that Medicaid is a terribly good program it's not terribly -- -- out it's both.
Lousy for the patient and costly for the government and Medicare is sort of in the same category so I think.
The nothing that.
Happened yesterday is going to change.
The current long term deterioration.
Of the health care system in large part because we're not focusing on curing diseases were simply paying for things.
And as he incidents for example of alzheimer's quadruple says it will over the next has -- baby boomers get older.
Bend the cost of alzheimer's it's twenty trillion dollars cumulatively by mid century.
They'll be.
We're taking money out of everything else we need to pay for completely if you -- care.
For people with point 47 dementia again -- we've we've the compassionate we have to do that but boy that's a lousy way to think about problems all.
A lot of people wonder are people is everybody going to be a full point since there's a chance -- people don't get it right.
Well I mean I I'd have to agree on the -- larger point preventative medicine.
Vs.
You know prison painful procedures but in terms of cost -- one -- Gaza's.
I mean there's at least fifty million Americans now that coverage and thirty knowing that -- -- will be covered.
CBO projects and that savings to the deficit 100 billion so overall this has started down the cost curve but.
Realistically as Jim points out.
Did the big ways to control health care costs are to prevent the extraordinarily expensive sentences things like diabetes things like alzheimer's.
There's a whole field of regenerative medicine that I think frankly should be getting a heck of a lot more -- A lot of what you're that was stem cell research but literally trying -- cure these diseases as opposed to treat them at -- reality is there's a lot of money in treatment.
But the -- or is where the savings are and that's what we need to work -- -- I think you got us to separate question but it's clearly very very closely related.
Let's take a look at one of our other Fox News polls that we want to show you right now to take a look at the federal government forcing Americans to buy health insurance -- what people feel.
60% of you say it's a violation of individual rights 36%.
Say acceptable under the constitution.
Jim you had mentioned.
How people are feeling about it that kind of falls in step with some of the -- you had earlier.
If it does I think this is gonna be a boost.
Particularly the lower level of the ticket in the senate house races I think -- a lot more Democrats and get in trouble looking voted for this thing and we hated and -- -- You know we didn't didn't go away like many people thought it would in -- -- of twelve it still with us and so we're gonna get our revenge on -- Minimum I think that that sense of a Republican running for the senate and house are much better position that's a Mitt Romney has to take advantages.
Right and I want -- read a comment for you John one of our viewers writes in this is a comment from working for peanuts thank you for writing end.
He says we -- have to learn to live with things those things I've had to learn to live with have not been all that much fun.
Another comment from metal shaft.
-- Medicare -- Medicaid put in place as a national health care plan.
To help those who couldn't afford health care.
So today this use those funds what gives me the trust that they -- will disperse these new funds taxes in the correct manner.
-- -- -- Fully -- Medicare I frankly if I had my brother's -- -- Medicare for all my preference to look at the administrative costs of Medicare vs private insurance.
I believe it's like 3% vs in the twenties how much -- the exact numbers but it's significantly more fish.
-- -- -- -- Come out against Medicare and -- a -- -- the and I think you know.
If you look at the way America's delivering health care now we're in the 20s30s or forties and all kinds of help.
Care indices but we're number one in terms of per capita expense we're we're clearly not a good job -- is that we do it this I don't think -- the end game what what we.
But the court just upheld but it's a step in the right direction and hopefully it's just the first.
Right I what I want to have a chance also to place a reaction sound bytes that we have from both Obama and Romney looks -- -- that.
Today's decision was a victory for people all over this country.
Whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the supreme court's decision to uphold.
I disagree with the supreme court's decision.
And I agree with the descent.
What the court did not do.
-- last day in session.
I will do on my first day if elected president of the United States.
And that is I will act to repeal Obama care.
-- getting reaction there from both obviously a big day yesterday that we continue to talk about.
Along Jim Pinkerton here as you listen to those reactions shots.
You know moving forward I mean what are we looking out over the next few months.
Well I think that again.
Romney -- that challenge of he supported this identical piece of legislation 2006.
In Massachusetts.
He says he's against it now and -- take his word for it but.
Obama will -- -- anytime Romney brings it up in that.
The campaign -- an invasive achievement just five years ago you were right where I am on this and I think that.
-- frankly.
Romney didn't look that strong to me in that presentation -- there I think that I think Obama.
You know looks like he won a big victory and I think he's got a kind of spring in his step now based on this and -- sitting -- saying well don't listen what is it five years ago outlook don't look what I did -- around saying I think that's a tough.
Argument.
I have agreements of one of the ones that run -- well -- That the mandate is okay the state level but not the federal level which I think most people others who say well that it's bad it's bad.
So what.
They hit it side it's he's in a very tough position to make the argument because number one -- and realistically can't.
We send it on day one because it's not going to be filibuster proof majority rescinded its.
But number two.
If if he didn't want this kind of program.
Why -- he supported as governor might be promoted -- -- it just politically does it simply doesn't play well for -- I would have been general I think.
At the lower level that you could be an issue that that could play well depending on.
