Al Franken: Repeal The ACA? 'We Will Stop That.'
Al Franken looks ahead to how Democrats in the Senate will deal with a President Trump.
Al Franken appeared on Last Word on Wednesday. He spoke for a lot of us:
I feel the way you talked about, on that Ferris wheel. Nauseated. Two days before the election, he came to Minnesota. First time he made a public appearance in Minnesota. and he was so offensive. You can compile the 271 most offensive things he said. and I've been offended by every one of them. Two days before the election, he came here and slandered the Somali Minnesota community in a way that was so ignorant and appealed to such ignorance and hatred that I really today, you know, the last day has been really tough.
He gave some hope to people dependent on Healthcare Reform for their insurance, too:
SEN. FRANKEN: He has talked about repealing and replacing the ACA, I'd like to see what he is going to replace it with before he repeals it. And we will stop that. Because we want people to be able to get insurance if they have a preexisting condition. And we want them not to have annual or yearly caps so that if they go through them, they go bankrupt or die. I want to see what he is talking about. This is 20 million people who have health insurance now who didn't have it because of Obamacare.
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: Do you see the repeal of Obamacare as the biggest fight that you will have in the Senate?
FRANKEN: I think it will be one of -- yes, probably the biggest. He has promised to do that on day one. But he said repeal and replace it on day one. I haven't heard anything from him on -- you know, he is someone who if he is going to get my support or trust, he is going to have to demonstrate some things like that he is interested in public policy. He has shown no interest at all in understanding anything about health care. The only thing he has ever said is allow insurance across state lines. Thing about that, there is no federal law against it. Six states allow it. Not one insurance company has done it. Because one of the main things insurance company does is set up a provider network. How are you going to set up a provider network for Idaho if you're in Alabama? He doesn't know what he is talking about.
And Franken ended the interview with a challenge for Trump: "So if he is going to get -- if he is reaching out for everybody's support, I'd like him to start talking about things in a way that doesn't represent an alternate reality." Good luck with that, Senator Franken.