BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): So all this talk about “Medicare for All” really hits your office specifically. Can that work?
SEEMA VERMA (CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID ADMINISTRATOR): Well, I've been saying that “Medicare for All” is the biggest threat to the American health care system. What we're talking about is stripping people of their private health insurance, forcing them into a government-run program. So this is a bureaucracy that's going to be making decisions about everybody's health care, what kind of benefits that they can have, what kind of medications that they can have access to. And if we look at other socialized countries that have tried this approach, what do we see there? Long wait times, poor quality health care. And that's why those people are flying to the United States to get their health care.
KILMEADE: But people say, wow, I'm a senior, I like that. I like Medicare, it's working for me. So why not give it to everybody?
VERMA: Well, look, as the head of the program, I can tell you that Medicare is a sacred promise that we have made to the American people. They have paid their entire lives into this program. And now we are talking about putting millions of people into a program that was designed specifically for them. And what that's going to mean is that they're going to have to compete to get care. That's putting them in line for their care. And I don't think that's fair. And the reality is, we're having problems today paying for the Medicare program. And the trustees have warned about the solvency. So just adding more people to the program is just going to exacerbate it.
...
KILMEADE: Are the hospitals going to push back on this? What does it do for biotech, the ones that are coming up with new cures, that are helping ultimately saving lives and saving money?
VERMA: Well that's my concern with this, is that this could be an incredible threat to innovation in our country. The reality is the American health care system is producing amazing innovation. And a government system where there is no competition to innovate and provide high quality care could lead to lower quality care for all Americans.
