GOP Rep.: ‘No One’s Arguing’ Health Care Used To Be ‘Wonderful’ (VIDEO)

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, questions witnesses as the House Select Committee on Benghazi holds its first public hearing to investigate the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where a violent mob kill... Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, questions witnesses as the House Select Committee on Benghazi holds its first public hearing to investigate the 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where a violent mob killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

The chair of the House Freedom Caucus got in an animated debate over the effectiveness of free market health care Thursday, arguing that a “clean repeal” of the Affordable Care Act would be better than both that law, and the current proposal supported by most House Republicans.

“We know Obamacare’s a mess, fewer choices, higher premiums and higher deductibles, it’s a complete disaster,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said, before MSNBC’s Ali Velshi interrupted him

“I hear this talking point all the time,” Velshi said. “There have always been higher premiums. Higher premiums every year, and under Obamacare the premium increase has been lower.”

“No one is arguing that health care was wonderful before,” Jordan responded. “But what we’ve forgotten in America is what a health care market looks like. So think about what Obamacare did: More mandates, more taxes, more regulations, drive up the cost of insurance, mandate people buy it and if they don’t, they get penalized. What kind of deal is that? Let’s bring back affordable insurance for working class families.”

“There was never affordable insurance,” Velshi said, stopping Jordan again. “Nowhere on the face of the Earth is there a free health insurance market that works. If you could point me to one and say that a free market works – it’s just one of those areas that a free market doesn’t work.”

Jordan pivoted from that question, saying eventually that he supported Medicaid for the “disabled, [and] the really low extremely low income.”

“At least I got you to admit you sort of like government,” Velshi said. Jordan didn’t respond.

Watch below via NBC:

Latest Livewire
68
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. The solution is simple-import health care from China. When they get too expensive, import it from Vietnam and Cambodia. That’s worked for T shirts, even the poor can afford them. $5.99 bypasses before 4 PM on Tuesdays. right Congressman?.

  2. ‘No One’s Arguing’ Health Care Used To Be ‘Wonderful’

    trump: Wrong!. It was wonderful before Obama and will be wonderful again after Obama. Why? Becuase our health care will NOT be called ObamaCare. Black Muslim cant rule our health.

  3. One of the reasons Velshi was able to know down every single one of Jordan’s talking points is due to the fact that Velshi was at CNN for a couple of years as one of their financial correspondents. He knows what kind of BS to look for and how to refute it. Few other anchors have enough knowledge to be able to knock down the wall of stupidity.

    In addition, when Jordan brought up the old chestnut of “everyone comes to this country for health care” Velshi immediately destroyed that lie by bringing up the fact that he, himself, is from Canada and NO ONE he knows has ever come here for health care reasons.

  4. Jim Jordan is jealous of Louis Gohmert and wants to replace him as the stupidest dumbfuck in the House.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

62 more replies

Participants

Avatar for paulw Avatar for cassandram Avatar for ajaykalra Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for clunkertruck Avatar for headhunter212 Avatar for radicalcentrist Avatar for maksutov66 Avatar for commiedearest Avatar for bonnie Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for bonvivant Avatar for lastroth Avatar for stradivarius50t3 Avatar for quaker_in_a_basement Avatar for sanni Avatar for redraleigh Avatar for dickweed Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for meta Avatar for mataichi Avatar for gusfabriani Avatar for greysea Avatar for win

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: