LEILA FADEL, HOST:
For more on the politics surrounding health care costs and extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, Senator Ron Wyden is on the line. The senior Senator from Oregon is the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. Good morning, Senator.
RON WYDEN: Hey. Thanks for having me.
FADEL: Thank you for being here. I want to start with what we just heard from Julie Rovner there. You know, December 15 is when a lot of people have to sign up for their coverage to start January 1. That gives Congress two weeks to get something done to address insurance costs. Is that possible?
WYDEN: Well, a clean extension of the tax credits is the only timely step that's going to prevent millions of Americans from experiencing a big premium increase. And that's going to happen very quickly. And the problem is that the Republicans want to tack on harmful policies that mostly help big insurance. So we Democrats are trying to work with the Republicans and both sides, but we've been talking to them for a long time, and they've got to move.
FADEL: What specific policies are you concerned about?
WYDEN: Big insurance policies, policies that are junk insurance, for example, basically, savings accounts, for example, that give a few benefits, but nothing that's going to help with cancer. It's mostly stuff that helps big insurance.
FADEL: Last week, House Republican leaders pushed back against a reported White House plan that would have extended the Affordable Care Act subsidies for two years. What did you make of that backlash?
WYDEN: Well, clearly, they're fighting, but the problem is, Trump has always had concepts, but never a real bill. And this legislation, as far as we can tell, is going to be mostly higher deductibles, more co-payments, junk insurance, not going to do something for working families. That's our bottom line.
FADEL: What are the biggest sticking points when it comes to finding a compromise on this issue to get an extension...
WYDEN: Well, it seems...
FADEL: ...Or some type of movement?
WYDEN: Yeah. It seems in the last couple of days Trump is actually rejecting some effort at tax credits, and I think that's the only timely thing that's going to keep people from getting clobbered in the short term. We're going to say, we'll work with them. For example, I've written a policy that's very aggressive in terms of fighting fraud. They say they care about it. So if they want to be bipartisan, we'll work with them.
FADEL: Are there signs that there is traction for what you want among Republican - your Republican colleagues?
WYDEN: Well, everybody's coming back today. My sense is a lot of families were around the Thanksgiving table, wondering how they were going to deal with these huge increases. They'll be talking to their senators, and I think they're going to say, get something done. We had a hearing before we left, and what people just said is, get it done. Lower these premiums.
FADEL: I think everyone, though, agrees that this is a short-term solution to a long-term problem, the - which is health care is unaffordable for a lot of Americans, especially without these subsidies. Is there a solution to address the root cause of high health care so this doesn't become a political debate every few years where Americans are wondering whether their premiums are going to go up?
WYDEN: Once we've dealt with this issue, we're ready to go on the long term. In particular, I'm going to be focused on these out-of-control administrative costs. Looks like they're racking up close to a trillion dollars a year. It's insanely complicated. That'll be a priority for me.
FADEL: What - beyond that, when you look at reforms, what reforms should the Affordable Care Act be undergoing?
WYDEN: Well, certainly, we can look at a variety of approaches, and I'm going to talk about fighting fraud. I've introduced a proposal that would allow us to deal with these out-of-control insurance brokers. We ought to have tough criminal penalties on them, and then we ought to go after these big insurance proposals.
FADEL: As part of the deal to end the government shutdown, Senate Republicans promised Democrats to hold a vote on a Democratic health care bill by mid-December. Do you expect that vote to be successful?
WYDEN: My proposal is, let's get to work. We're going to talk to the Republicans. Right now, there's no deal, but if there isn't a bill, there's going to be an awful human crisis. Millions are going to lose coverage. I've got folks at home in Eugene, Oregon, you know, who are looking at a 500% increase in premiums. We're going to have folks devastated.
And, by the way, Julie Rovner knows this. It's going to jack up employer-sponsored health care costs, as well, to the biggest increase we've seen in small businesses in years.
FADEL: Looking ahead at next year's midterm, is health care the main issue that your constituents are concerned about?
WYDEN: Well, the combination of the huge Medicaid cuts and what's going to be done to rural hospitals, this makes this a front-and-center issue. I've always said health care is the most important issue because if you and your loved ones don't have your health, everything else goes by the board. There are going to be a lot of people who can't pay for health care with this.
FADEL: And what is your message to both your Democratic colleagues and Republican colleagues right now as you think about health care costs?
WYDEN: My message is, we want to support legislation that lowers health costs and prevents Americans from losing their health insurance. We will work with anybody - Republicans - that'll meet that standard.
FADEL: That's Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. Thank you for your time.
WYDEN: Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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