Here’s an amazing exchange between Sen. Warren and Rep Price, the nominee to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Warren asks Price to commit to fulfilling President-Elect Trump’s promise not to cut Medicare or Medicaid.
Price repeatedly insists that dollars are the “wrong metric” when it comes to cuts. Transcript after the jump.
SEN WARREN: Can you guarantee to this committee that you will safeguard President-Elect trump’s promise and while you are HHS secretary you will not use your authority to carry out a single dollar of cuts to medicare or medicaid eligibility or benefits?
REP PRICE: What the question presumes is that money is the metric. In my belief from a scientific standpoint, if patients aren’t receiving care even though we’re providing the resources, it doesn’t work for patients.
SEN WARREN: We’re very limited on time. The metric is money. And the quote from the president-elect of the united States was not along this to cut dollars from this program. So that’s the question I’m asking you. Can you assure this committee you will not cut one dollar from medicare or medicaid should you be confirmed to this position?
REP PRICE: I believe that the metric ought to be the care that the patients are receiving.
SEN WARREN: I’ll take that as a a no.
REP PRICE: That’s the wrong metric. E we ought to be putting forth the resources.
SEN WARREN: I’m asking you a question about dollars. . Yes or no?
REP PRICE: We should put forward the resources to take care of the patient.
SEN WARREN: Frankly the millions of Americans who rely on Medicare and Medicaid today are not going to be very reassured by your notion that you have metric other than the dollars that they need to provide these services. You might want to print out president-elect trump’s statement. I am not going to cut medicare or medicaid and post that above your desk in your new office because Americans will be watching to see if you follow through on that it promise.
