Republicans Are Running on Protecting Parts of Obamacare. Will it Work? Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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WEBVTT WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT." REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS DON’T AGREE ABOUT MUCH THESE DAYS. BUT THEY’VE FOUND COMMO GROUND ON OBAMA CARE. ACROSS THE COUNTRY REPUBLICANS ARE RUNNING A WAVE OF ADS PROMISING THEY’LL SAVE PROTECTIONS FOR AMERICANS WI PRE-EXISTING HEALTH CONDITIONS, ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PROVISIONS OF OBAMACARE. I’M TAKING ON BOTH PARTIES AND FIGHTING FOR THOSE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS. SOLEDAD: THERE’S JUST ONE PROBLEM WITH THAT AD. CONGRESSMAN DANA ROHRABACHER ACTUALLY VOTED FOR THE 2017 HOUSE GOP’S REPEAL AND REPLACEMENT BILL THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWE STATES TO RAISE PREMIUMS FOR PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS. AND HE HAS ALSO VOTED FOR A FULL REPEAL OF OBAMACARE WITHOUT A REPLACEMENT BILL. SO WHY THE SUDDEN ABOUT FACE? THOMAS MILLER IS WITH THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE, A CONSERVATIVE THINK TANK IN WASHINGTON, D.C. HE’S ALSO THE AUTHOR OF A BOOK, WHY OBAMA CARE IS WRONG FOR AMERICA. SO NICE TO HAVE YOU WITH US. HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED THAT SO MUCH OF THE CONVERSATION IS AROUND HEALTH CARE? TOM: I THINK THAT EACH SIDE TENDS TO WANT TO EMPHASIZE ITS STRENGTHS AND FROM THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A WINNER IN HEALTH CARE AND THEY ARE ON THE OFFENSIVE ON THAT AND MANY REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES ARE ON THE DEFENSIVE. THE BIG ISSUE IS WHERE INDEPENDENTS ARE WHICH IS A LITTLE MORE OF A MIXED BAG. SOLEDAD: SO PEW CENTER SAYS HEALTH CARE IS THE MOST POPULAR ISSUE FOR NINE IN 10 DEMOCRATIC VOTERS. FOR REPUBLICANS, SIX IN 10 SAY IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. THAT WOULD LEAD ME TO SAY REPUBLICANS CARE A LOT ABOUT THIS ISSUE TOO. TOM: EVERYBODY SAYS THAT HEALTH CARE IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE. THE QUESTION IS, WHAT DRIVES YOUR VOTE? ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE, THEY’LL TEND TO BE DRIVEN MORE BY OTHER ISSUES THAN BY HEALTH CARE AND EVERYONE WILL NOT. THIS IS GOOD CITIZENSHIP. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT HEALTH CARE? YES I THAT DOESN’T NECESSARILY AM. TELL YOU HOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO VOTE DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY DID BEFORE. SOLEDAD: SO WHEN WE HEAR ALL THESE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES AND THERE’S BEEN A HANDFUL WHO HAVE A PERSONAL NARRATIVE, I HAVE A SON, A NEPHEW, A COUSIN, A FRIEND, WHO HAS FILL-IN-THE-BLANK DISEASE TALKING ABOUT PREEXISTING CONDITIONS. IS THAT BECAUSE THEY’RE TRYING TO CONFUSE PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR REAL POSITION? MOST OF THEM VOTED AGAINST ACA. TOM: WHEN YOU TAKE THINGS APART, YOU HAVE TO PUT THEM TOGETHER AGAIN. SOME REPUBLICANS WERE A LITTLE SLOW TO REALIZE THAT AND IT HAD WORKED IN THE AS AN OUT PARTY TO SAY THIS I TERRIBLE, WE ARE GOING TO GET RID OF IT. WHEN IT CAME TO THE REPLACE PART, THEY HAD TROUBLE REACHING A CONSENSUS. SOLEDAD: IT SEEMS LIKE A HARD STRATEGY TO CONVINCE PEOPLE. TOM: IT FELT GOOD AT THE TIME. THERE WAS A LOT OF OPPOSITION. REPUBLICANS WEREN’T ABLE TO REPEAL OR REPLACE, BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT MORE POPULAR. SO THAT WAS THE MAIN ACHIEVEMENT OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO AND IN THAT CLIMATE, THEY RECOGNIZE THAT THEY’RE DEALING WITH A DIFFERENT TERRAIN. SOLEDAD: IS REPOSITIONING JU WASHINGTON D.C. SPEAK FOR JUST LYING? TOM: WELL I THINK IF YOU’RE I POLITICS YOU HAVE TO RELY ON BOTH SHORT-TERM MEMORY LOSS AND COGNITIVE DISSONANCE. SOLEDAD: SO THAT IS A YES. TOM: THAT’S CALLED THE STATE OF THE ART AND IT WORKS ON BO SIDES, TO BE FAIR. AND POLITICIANS DON’T LEAD, THEY ULTIMATELY FOLLOW. SOLEDAD: JOSH HAWLEY -- HE’S MISSOURI’S ATTORNEY GENERAL A HE HAS A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY AND HIS SON IS IN HIS AD AND TALKS ABOUT HIS HEALTH CARE ISSUES AND HOW HE IS GOING TO PROTE PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS. HE ACTUALLY IS SUING TO OVERTURN THE ACA, WHICH WAS LITERALLY DO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT HE’S CLAIMING. TOM: THAT’S A MORE COMPLEX LEGAL ARGUMENT. THE SUPREME COURT IS NOT GOING TO OVERTURN THAT MUCH OF THE ACA. AT MOST THEY WILL SAY THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. SOLEDAD: BUT THE BIG TAKE AWAY IS IF YOU HAVE A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION, AND IN FACT THERE’S NO PROTECTION ON SOMEONE BEING ABLE TO CHARGE YOU MORE AND MORE, EFFECTIVELY YOU ARE NOT REALLY PROTECTING PEOPLE. TO BUT THAT IS A LITTLE OUT OF CONTEXT. THERE’S A SMALL SUBSET OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY EXPOSED TO THAT EVEN UNDER CURRENT LAW. IF YOU ARE IN THE GROUP MARKET, YOU ARE PRETTY MUCH WALL-TO-WALL PROTECTION AS LONG AS YOU MAINTAIN CONTINUOUS COVERAGE. IN THE INDIVIDUAL MARKET THE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE IS NOT AS DIRE AS WAS TALKED ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO BUT THAT’S AN OLDER ARGUMENT WHICH IS LOST BY REPUBLICANS. SOLEDAD: WHEN THE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER TALKS ABOUT CUTTING ENTITLEMENTS, IS THAT A BAD STRATEGY THREE WEEKS AWAY FROM A MIDTERM? TOM: THERE’S A LOT OF MIXED MESSAGES. THAT IS WHY POLITICIANS HAVE TWO SIDES TO THEIR MOUTH. THE IDEA THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE A SUDDEN ONSLAUGHT ON ENTITLEMENT REFORM IS PRETTY FAR-FETCHED. SOLEDAD: WHAT ARE YOUR PREDICTIONS FOR THE MIDTERMS? TOM: CONFUSION AND MUDDLED, BUT CONVENTIONAL WISDOM COULD CHANGE. IN GENERAL, REPUBLICANS ARE IN TROUBLE IN THE HOUSE AND DEMOCRATS ARE NOT PICKING UP IN THE SENATE AND MIGHT LOSE A COUPLE SEATS. GOVERNORS RACES ARE UNDERAPPRECIATED. THAT COULD CHANGE HEALTH CARE IF STATEHOUSES FLIP. SOLEDAD: IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF TURNOUT CHANGES COMPLETELY AND NEW PEOPLE COME INTO TH

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