Talking Healthcare and Consumer Protection

Talking Healthcare and Consumer Protection

Talking Healthcare and Consumer Protection

Guest-hosting the Rachel Maddow Show, Nation DC editor Christopher Hayes talks to Rep. Diana DeGette on healthcare and Demos director Heather McGhee on consumer protection.

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Nation DC editor Chris Hayes guest-hosted The Rachel Maddow Show last night, covering topics including healthcare, immigration reform and consumer financial protection.

In this segment, Hayes talks to Rep. Diana DeGette about whether Rep. Bart Stupak, who opposes the abortion funding regulation in Obama’s bill, can bring down the healthcare.

DeGette says that Stupak is completely wrong when he says that the current bill provides government funding for abortions. DeGette explains that the "House version had a compromise…which kept the status quo in place because we want this to be a healthcare bill not an abortion bill."

When asked whether pro-choice Democrats would be willing to compromise with Stupak, Degette says no: "We’re not going to agree to final legislation that restricts a women’s right to choose beyond current law…History shows that if we pass [that] we’ll never get that back."

Hayes opens a segment about the consumer finance protection agency with a commercial starring reality star Heidi Montag, who is "putting every bit of her substantial power as a kinda-sorta-somewhat-famous-ish person into pushing for a consumer financial protection agency." Why does this proposed consumer watchdog agency need Heidi’s help? Chris explains that it is because the reform is at a very critical moment of compromise between Sen. Chris Dodd and Sen. Bobb Corker. Corker has said he could not support a standalone consumer protection agency.

Director of nonpartisan advocacy group Demos Heather McGhee agrees. "People shouldn’t have to learn that there’s a fight going on for the wallets from Heidi Montag and the SNL presidents but they have," she said. "The Democrats haven’t been able to take the mic…so we’ve got backroom deals…[Dodd] is going to give away a real opportunity."

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