On Monday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) responded to a question on criticisms of Obamacare from Democrats and whether there is room for bipartisanship on health insurance by saying that “Republicans want to make people pay more.” While Democrats want to extend ACA subsidies, “And then we want to make health care more effective and cheaper for the average American, just the opposite of what most of the Republicans want to do.”
Host Jake Tapper asked, “I have heard from Democrats who say that Obamacare is not functioning as well as it should, and, obviously, health insurance premiums, not just in Obamacare, but throughout the country, for everyone, are skyrocketing. Is there room for bipartisan work there, on the fact that health insurance companies are making record profits, and, increasingly, Americans can’t afford insurance?”
Schumer responded, “Well, there — the bottom line is, there’s such a division between the parties. Republicans want to make people pay more. One of their major proposals is privatize the whole thing, which will raise people’s costs. What Democrats want to do is lower people’s costs. The first step, of course, is extending the ACA premiums, which we’re totally — unlike the Republicans — we’re totally united on that issue from one end of the party to the other. And then we want to make health care more effective and cheaper for the average American, just the opposite of what most of the Republicans want to do. If they want to come to us and say, we want to work with you to lower premiums — I mean, to lower costs, to make health care better, fine. But right now, they’re headed in the opposite direction.”
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