Fox News "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren" - Transcript

Interview

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: They said they would do it, and they just did it, the Republican-led House voting to kill the national health care law. But the repeal is doomed in the Democratic-controlled Senate. So does today's vote really pack any punch?

Representative Michele Bachmann sponsored the very first bill to repeal ObamaCare. She joins us. Nice to see you.

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN, R-MINN./FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good to see you, Greta.

VAN SUSTEREN: OK, so what did you get out of today's vote?

BACHMANN: Well, we got a big showcase of what's about to come this fall because we're holding onto the House, having Romney plus 50 in the Senate. This was the appetizer, the foretaste. This shows that we actually will do it.

We're putting muscle behind our words.

And I'm really excited. It was a fantastic day! It was a bipartisan...

(CROSSTALK)

VAN SUSTEREN: Are you saying it was an ad?

BACHMANN: It was -- it's an appetizer. This was an appetizer, a foretaste of what's going to come this fall. And we had a bipartisan vote. We had five Democrats vote with us. Not one Republican voted the other way. This is really exciting!

VAN SUSTEREN: But last time -- but when the law was first passed, I think you got -- the -- 34 Democrats voted with the Republicans. So it's a little bit of a -- I mean, I realize the composition of the House has changed. But you got 34 when you passed it. Today, you only got 5.

BACHMANN: That explains it because a lot of people have lost a lot of elections in between, and a lot more people are going to lose a lot more elections after this fall's vote. People are riled up. They've had it. They're scared to death. They recognize that there's a tax-mageddon coming our way. And they know we can do better.

We know we can [do] better. We have so many positive plans to bring down the price of health care. We can't wait to do it! I think all of us have plans up on our Web site. We have so much that we can do. That's what we can't wait to do is just unleash it all after this fall's election.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, as you might imagine, the Democrats are also declaring victory today. It's -- the Capitol Hill is little bit like the courtroom. Everyone declares victory at the end of the day...

BACHMANN: Because they lost?

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, no...

BACHMANN: They totally lost! They were hammered!

VAN SUSTEREN: I'll tell you what's happening. You know, I get -- I get so much email from both Republicans and the Democrats. And I started to get fund-raising notes from Democrats saying, you know, We really need your help. So I mean, it's really revving up the base so that they can -- because it's basically -- they're using their loss as a way to get more money today.

BACHMANN: Well, Greta, I'll tell you who's revved up. That's the people in the middle, the independents, as well as the people who are on the right. They are revved up because they know they're the ones that are paying all the new taxes.

Seniors are figuring out it's $200 billion in new Medicare taxes for seniors. Plus, they know that $575 billion is being pulled from Medicare. They're the ones that are really going to take it on the chin on "Obama care." So they're very upset.

But then you look at literally millions of people who are about to lose their employer-sponsored health care. President Obama promised if you like your health insurance, you can keep it. No dice! It's not going to happen! People are now seeing through it.

And that's why the people who are revved up are the people who are going to make Mitt Romney president, have 50 in the Senate and hold onto the House.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, in terms of people who are losing their -- leaving employer insurance, I did see one poll tonight in Gallup, fewer U.S. adults 24 to 64 are getting health insurance from an employer in 2012, a downward movement since 2008, not a -- it's down from 56.7 to 55.9 percent...

(CROSSTALK)

BACHMANN: ... verify it's absolutely true because I was on the phone yesterday with an employer with 400 employees. Another one had 250. Everything is changing after this health care law passed. They're scared to death. They said, I can't afford to pay this. I'm paying the fine, which means -- I hate this. My employees now are going to lose health insurance.

Employers don't want to drop it. But if you have a policy that's going to cost $20,000 a year for a family, you can't do it!

VAN SUSTEREN: Are the people, though, who are -- the employees who are losing the employer health insurance -- they will then go to the exchanges, right?

BACHMANN: They have to go and buy a policy in the private market. I'm a federal tax...

VAN SUSTEREN: And will it -- will it be more -- more expensive than what they had?

BACHMANN: Oh, far more. I'm a federal tax lawyer. This is how it's going to work. Today, if you have health care from your employer, it's tax-free to you. You pay no taxes. Now when you have to go to these health care exchanges, you have to use after-tax money.

The average family policy, Greta, is expected to be $20,000. I'm going to take $20,000 in after-tax income and go buy an expensive policy that the government forces me to buy? I don't have a choice? It's, like, Here's your option on the menu, one choice. And that's what you get.

This is not the American way! We have never had health care like this before. That's why I know people are going to come out this November and they're going to vote for people who are going to really bring down the cost of health care.

Barack Obama said he'd bring it down $2,500 per household. Instead, we went up about that amount. He's off by $5,000 per household. I don't know about you, but for people in Minnesota to have a $5,000 increase in what you pay on health insurance today, over what the president said, that's not going very well.

VAN SUSTEREN: What happens to the people in this Medicaid expansion? There are a number of states -- Florida, Texas and a few others -- who say that they are not going to expand their Medicaid.

So the people -- instead of getting -- using Medicaid and getting, like, hospitalization -- let's say they're in a very bad car accident and they end up at the hospital. Is it now the doctors in the hospital who pay? Because they're not going to get turned away. I mean, somebody's paying. Who's paying?

BACHMANN: Well, Medicaid that's available now will still be there. What we're talking about...

VAN SUSTEREN: But that's what -- I'm talking about the ones who...

BACHMANN: ... is the expansion.

VAN SUSTEREN: The expansion...

BACHMANN: Right.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... but the people who are in this window, this 133 percent of...

(CROSSTALK)

BACHMANN: ... 133 percent above poverty.

VAN SUSTEREN: Those people -- the thinking under the ObamaCare is that they would be covered by Medicaid expansion, right?

BACHMANN: But remember, it isn't that all those people don't have health insurance now. A great number of those people...

VAN SUSTEREN: But the ones -- I'm curious...

BACHMANN: ... already have health insurance.

VAN SUSTEREN: I'm curious about the ones who don't.

BACHMANN: Right.

VAN SUSTEREN: And the ones who don't have this expanded because they're in the states that won't expand, they end up in a serious car accident and show up at the hospital. Someone is going to pay it somehow. Is it -- are the rest of us going to pay it in higher premiums somewhere, or is -- I mean, are the hospitals going to pay for it?

BACHMANN: That -- that...

VAN SUSTEREN: Somebody's going to pay for that. That's not free.

BACHMANN: That example that's given is the one that the president always continues to give. That's...

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, what's the answer, though?

BACHMANN: That's such a tiny percentage. The answer is to bring down the price of health care. The more government intervention we have, the higher the price of health care. Three simple things we can do, let anyone buy any health insurance policy they want anywhere, no minimum federal requirement.

VAN SUSTEREN: But...

BACHMANN: Buy it with tax-free money. Have true medical malpractice reform. Everybody wins on that!

VAN SUSTEREN: But somebody -- but somebody still...

BACHMANN: That doesn't cost taxpayers a dime to do that!

VAN SUSTEREN: No, no, no. But is it going to cost the hospitals and the doctors have to do it for -- I'm just trying to figure out who's paying for it.

BACHMANN: Listen, somebody is going to be paying. The problem is, every time the federal government gets involved, the costs skyrocket, and it will be far more expensive. You see, that's the bottom line with the president's health care plan, Greta. We pay a lot more, we get a lot less.

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, don't start me on government waste. There's $14 billion that we reported on on Monday in overpayments in unemployment benefits.

BACHMANN: That's a disaster.

VAN SUSTEREN: I mean, there...

BACHMANN: That's got to stop!

VAN SUSTEREN: There's so much waste and fraud.

BACHMANN: And a government-run health care system won't be fraught with waste? Are you kidding me!

VAN SUSTEREN: Anyway...

BACHMANN: I've got swamp land to sell you, Greta!

VAN SUSTEREN: Indeed. Anyway, Congresswoman, thank you.

BACHMANN: Thank you.

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