Congressman Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., talks concerning the ongoing authorities shutdown and the way it’s affecting federal employees in his state.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
We have been talking with lawmakers on each side of the aisle because the begin of the federal government shutdown 22 days in the past. In the present day, we’re joined by Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd of Colorado. Good morning, Congressman. Thanks for – a lot for becoming a member of us.
JEFF HURD: Completely happy to be with you, Michel.
MARTIN: You are in your first time period. Did you count on this whenever you ran?
HURD: No, positively not. I felt like we had a very productive a number of months in Congress, and now issues have sadly floor to a halt fully unnecessarily. However we’re the place we’re.
MARTIN: Are you listening to out of your constituents about this? What are they telling you?
HURD: Yeah. So my district is most of western and southern Colorado, they usually’re annoyed. They’re annoyed by the – not simply the politics, but additionally by the uncertainty. I’ve talked to ranchers and federal employees in locations just like the Colorado Nationwide Monument and households who depend on SNAP, and they’re positively bored with what they see as this Washington dysfunction. You understand, and I – my response to them is, look, the Home did its job weeks in the past. We handed a commonsense invoice to maintain the federal government open. It is one thing that Democrats have supported earlier than. And I inform them, please encourage your senators – attain out to them. Inform them the Senate must act and finish the filibuster and finish the shutdown. However basically, Michel, of us in Colorado do not care about celebration spin. They only need authorities to operate once more.
MARTIN: Effectively, , I spoke with Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries yesterday, and he talked concerning the anticipated will increase, that are anticipated to be attributable to the expiration of the ACA tax subsidies. Let’s simply play just a little little bit of what he mentioned.
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HAKEEM JEFFRIES: Prices could improve on a month-to-month foundation by roughly $2,000 monthly. That implies that medical insurance premiums may really improve to over $24,000 a yr. That is unaffordable. The common revenue of somebody who receives an Inexpensive Care Act tax credit score is round $63,000 a yr.
MARTIN: Congressman, I perceive that about 40,000 individuals in your district get their well being protection via this ACA market. They might see premium will increase between – what? – 100 and forty and 330%, as I perceive it, in keeping with the – type of your state officers’ evaluation. Are you listening to from them about this, and what are they saying about that?
HURD: Yeah, completely. Individuals are involved concerning the – , the cliff that they are dealing with in the case of what they’re paying for insurance coverage on the premium market. Now, what I say is, hear, I am on laws that may prolong the improved premium tax credit quickly for a brief time period. It is one thing that is necessary to deal with the quick value will increase that we’re dealing with. However long run, we have to take a look at systemic fixes to the price of well being care.
However extra basically, I am involved about hanging any type of deal now and attaching these tax credit score extensions to a shutdown invoice. I simply – I do not suppose it is good coverage. It is governing by disaster, and it is incentivizing future threats of shutdowns each time anyone needs to leverage for his or her coverage want record. So I do not suppose that chopping a deal on enhanced premium tax credit in the course of a shutdown is the suitable method.
MARTIN: So this is the argument from the opposite aspect. Our – the Democrats say everyone knew that this cliff was coming. The invoice that you simply talked about handed, , months in the past. So whereas Republicans are saying the Democrats knew this was coming, this was expiring, so did Republicans. Like, everyone knew that this cliff was coming. Their argument now could be that they should codify this as a result of they do not belief the Republicans to face by the deal, they usually do not belief the White Home to face by any deal. What do you say to that?
HURD: Effectively, first, the expiration date was written into legislation when Democrats handed the final extension. They set this deadline. That they had the power to plan for it. They might have resolved it earlier this yr within the funds, however I do not keep in mind listening to them speaking about this, and it is now getting used as leverage for a bigger funding battle. I simply do not suppose that sort of brinksmanship is sweet for Colorado households.
MARTIN: Do the Republicans have a plan to maintain insurance coverage prices down for People? What’s it?
HURD: Effectively, actually. We want a pair issues. I imply, the issues that come to thoughts immediately which can be driving these well being care prices are authorized reforms. I imply, we’ve got medical doctors which can be working towards defensive drugs fully unnecessarily, ordering checks and procedures that drive up the price of well being care ‘trigger they’re apprehensive about authorized charges and getting sued. Nuclear verdict is one other concern. How about the price of pharmaceuticals? We’ve a – we must be addressing these.
The opposite elementary concern that I see from my perspective is we’ve got a well being care system that pays for and rewards quantity over worth. We have to get to a system that incentivizes payers and suppliers and well being care customers to be using well being care effectively and successfully.
MARTIN: OK. However the…
HURD: So, sure, there’s quite a lot of change that must be achieved (ph).
MARTIN: …Republicans management the White Home and the Senate and the Congress. So – and so I feel the query could be, the place’s the invoice?
HURD: Effectively, I imply, hear, I am on laws – for instance, on the improved premium tax credit – coping with the subsidy concern. So I am a kind of folks that’s keen to be in that dialogue. In the case of the opposite reforms, there are different items of laws which can be on the market. I’m a kind of Republicans that is keen to take a look at these underlying well being care value drivers and repair our well being care system. That is one thing that is extremely necessary to my district, each on the person market aspect however – and small-group and large-group market, but additionally on the Medicaid and Medicare aspect as nicely.
So I am a kind of Republicans – such as you talked about, Michel, I am a freshman, however I am a kind of Republicans that’s keen to be a part of these discussions. And we have to have them as a result of this method that we’ve got proper now could be merely not sustainable.
MARTIN: That is Jeff Hurd. He is a congressman. He represents the third District in Colorado, and he is a Republican. Congressman, thanks a lot for speaking to us. I do hope we’ll discuss once more.
HURD: Sounds good. Thanks, Michel.
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