CNN "Newsroom" - Transcript

Interview

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HARRIS: You know we could see a health reform bill coming out of the Senate Finance Committee as early as tomorrow. What's in it already? What's not in it? And what's going to happen?

It's a pleasure to welcome to the program Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida. Senator Nelson is a member of the Senate Finance Committee.

Senator, good to see you. Thanks for your time. Thanks for leaving the meeting, and we will get you back to the meeting so you can continue the work there in just a moment, but a couple of questions to you. You proposed some amendments that were voted down. Do you plan to bring those up again on the Senate floor?

SEN. BILL NELSON, (D) FLORIDA: Well, one of them, Tony, is taking care of seniors, not taking away benefits that they have. And I think we're going to get that worked out before we vote on final passage, which will probably come tonight.

The other one, of course, is to get the pharmaceutical industry to do competitive bidding on the bulk purchases of drugs for Medicare just like they do in Medicaid.

HARRIS: Yes.

NELSON: And they don't want to do that, because that means that they have to sell the drugs cheaper to Medicare just like they sell to Medicaid.

HARRIS: Right.

NELSON: That was defeated by three votes. I intend to bring that up on the floor of the Senate.

HARRIS: All right, let's talk about that a bit more. You're writing an opinion piece about Medicare and the proposed cuts. Let's sort of bottom-line this thing. How much is the Finance Committee going to cut from Medicare? And how will it rein in the cost in the Medicare advantage plans, which I know you're equally concerned with?

NELSON: All right. If you separate Medicare Advantage from the traditional Medicare, and that's where these insurance companies get a bump of 14 percent per senior citizen. And that has to be winnowed out over time because they're just getting too much of a cushion.

HARRIS: Right.

NELSON: But my point is, well, the seniors have it now, don't take it away from them.

HARRIS: Right.

NELSON: Take it on a going-forward basis. So I'm trying to grandfather in existing senior citizens. And that's what we're trying to work out right now as we speak.

HARRIS: Yes. Big-picture this for me just a moment here. Do you think you're going to get a bill out of committee by the end of the business day tomorrow?

NELSON: Either by tonight or tomorrow. I think we will have it voted out. I think all the Democrats will vote for it, and very likely Senator Snowe, Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine, that she will vote for it as well.

HARRIS: Hey, what do you think in the final analysis here, the final Senate bill, after this bill is melded with the health bill, do you think it will include the public option? Is that a way for the public option to come back?

NELSON: The public option that I voted for and that I think is going to be very attractive is the one offered by Senator Schumer. And it puts a public option insurance company in the health insurance exchange, bidding for that business on the same level playing field, the same competitive rules. And I think people feel like that that's fair play. And I think that might have a decent chance of staying in the bill once we get to the floor. The alternative to that is -- and I think this is going to be offered by Senator Snowe, maybe on the floor...

HARRIS: Is this the trigger plan?

NELSON: That's the trigger. At a certain time in the future, that if insurance companies are not having the costs kept down by true competition, that a public option would kick in and, therefore, give that competition to keep them in their rates, their premiums, down.

HARRIS: And let's leave it there for now. Senator Nelson, we're going to let you get back to work. Thanks for your time.

NELSON: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: And we will get a Republican perspective from Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky just ahead.

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