MSNBC "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" - Transcript

Interview

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OLBERMANN: Just 24 hours later, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell quoted in "Roll Call," said he would insist on several weeks of debate, like seven or eight. "Role Call" reporting, during this time, the GOP will deliver, quote, "a narrowly focused message in speeches, press conferences, and media appearances." Sharing their own proposals? Sure, but, quote, "criticism of the Democratic bill will be the priority."

We're joined by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, who sits on the finance committee which passed its health care reform bill last week.

Great thanks for your time and great to be here with you.

SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Thank you, Keith.

OLBERMANN: The math of this at this point. Do those what's called less liberal Democratic senators-are they poised to guarantee no public option in your opinion?

WYDEN: I don't think so. And I think clearly, Keith, there are 60 votes in the United States Senate for a bill that finally holds insurance companies accountable. We will never have a better opportunity. We ought to have public options. We have private options, and we ought to make sure it's available to everybody.

For example, last week, we were told by the head of the budget office that the way the finance bill is written, more than 90 percent of the American people wouldn't even be able to go to the exchanges. Let's make sure those choices-public and private-are available to everybody.

OLBERMANN: So, is that what you are working on right now, to try to lower or raise-depending on your point of view-that bar for getting out of, say, somebody's ineffective work employer-based insurance and get them into, if we wind up with an exchange, or a co-op of some sort of hybrid operation-is that your goal to maximize how many people to get into it?

WYDEN: If somebody has coverage today and their insurance company is abusing them, they ought to be able to go to the marketplace and get something better. The president is absolutely right when he says you ought to be able to keep the plan you have.

But what I'm saying is: if you hate the plan you have, if your insurance company isn't paying claims, if they're mousing you around, slow-walking you, you ought to be able to get something else. I want it to be coverage like the member of Congress has.

OLBERMANN: Read for me what you're seeing in the Senate and what you're hearing from the president. Is it-there still a chance for public option but everybody ought to prepare to make the best case scenario out of the world in which there isn't one? Is that a fair assessment?

WYDEN: It is very much alive. And also, the majority leader is upping the ante in terms of putting the heat on the insurers. We made it clear, for example, last week that McCarran-Ferguson, the law that also gives a boost to the insurance lobby, that's going to be on the table in terms of revisions.

I think the Democrats are recognizing there will never be an opportunity like this in our lifetime. It seems to me that the status quo caucus, which is led by the insurance lobby that wants to deny choices-public and private-we have a chance to take them on and finally get a win for the consumer.

OLBERMANN: Evolution of process from the White House point of view. Is that realistic? Do you get more than one bite at something as huge? Is it like getting more than one bite at rolling back tobacco? I mean, do you get more than one bite at health care reform, or is this-whatever is obtained here in the rest of this year, is this it?

WYDEN: This is laying the foundation. If you don't get it right-if, for example, you don't change the role of the insurance companies, it is hard to alter that in the future. Too many of these insurance companies are in the driver's seat.

I want to make sure if they're offering lousy coverage, ripping off their consumers, I want to put them in the rumble seat. I want to make it clear that insurers are going to have to compete on the basis of price, benefits, and quality, not cherry-picking and just sending sick people over to government programs more fragile than they are.

OLBERMANN: Something else I'd heard very little about before today, but I heard about it with some enthusiasm. Medical loss ratios-in short, what the insurance companies actually pay for health care out of every dollar they take in. One of the House bills-the Senate bill would publicize that, make it mandatory to say how much.

WYDEN: I go further than that.

OLBERMANN: But the House says, regulate that. Would that be a good break against the insurance companies running wild with all these new customers?

WYDEN: No question about it. And the fact is, it's just not right to force the American people to buy unaffordable coverage from monopolies. So, let's set in place these loss ratios. I think they ought to say, if you are taking in a dollar in terms of premiums, you ought to pay out around 85 cents in actual services.

OLBERMANN: Since we've regulated the numbers that way at the Las Vegas casino.

WYDEN: Don't get logical here, Keith. This is Washington.

(LAUGHTER)

OLBERMANN: I know. I am leaving right after the show.

The senator from Oregon, Mr. Wyden-great pleasure to see. Thank you for your time.

WYDEN: Thank you for having me.

OLBERMANN: My pleasure.

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