10year budget window where people say the problem is about a 4 trillion or 5 trillion problem. That maybe stabilizes the debt over the next 10 years, what happens in the 11, 12, and beyond . I got white hair. 30 years to you seems like a long time, its not. The time to address these challenges is now, but you have to do it with real information. Its a fiscal problem. You have to look at numbers. I realize peoples eyes glaze over real quick when you talk about numbers rbling but thats what we need to grapple with. Whats the numerical problem, and whats the numerical parts of the solution. Host heres james from caramel, yip, democrats line. Caller good morning, senator. I have a question about the Health Care System. That you want to repeal. We need a Health Care System. I remember in the 1960s when my wife had Insurance Plan and i had an Insurance Plan, its like we both owned Insurance Plans separately, but they covered each other of us. So its just like you buy two products and you get two items for it. Well, they used to pay double if we had 1,000 instance, we get 2,000 from our insurance company. Well, the Insurance Companies finally found out there is a way to get together and stop that and they did. Now even though we pay for two plans, we only get the service of one and 20 or Something Like that. What i have seen Health Design and declean, we have had cancer now and its going to be harder for me to get Health Care Insurance in the future. Everybody wants to repeal obamacare because its not a good plan. I would like you guys, in the senate, in the congress, to come up with a better plan and replace obamacare rather than repeal it. We need something. Im tired of going to the emergency room i see hundreds of people in there just going in there for common doctor appointments that have no insurance, that will never pay. Lot of them are illegals. They dont turn them away. They raise the cost of my insurance. Host thank you. Guest theres an awful lot of cost shifting. You mentioned the 1960s. What happened in the 1960s . We instituted medicare. When they initially passed medicare, they projected out 25 years and said medicare would cost 12 billion in 1990. It ended up costing 109 billion. Almost 10250eu78s the original timate 10 times the original estimate. It has driven up private insurance. We are subsidizing the government care within medicare. To me thats part of the root cause of the problem. Instead of increasing governments involvement in health care, lets start decreasing it over time. Put ourselves on a path, recognizing this is the system we have. Over time recognize that the only way you truly contain costs, the only way you truly improve quality and customer service, is through that free market system where individuals are in greater control of their own health care spending. Its a shame about obamacare from my standpoint. I provide health care for 31 years. Over the last three years of my involvement in my business we shifted to high deductible plans to reduce premiums. I didnt pocket those savings. I invested them in h. S. A. s. Within three years every one of the people who worked with me had 5,000 that was their honey in their h. S. A. Account to pay for those first dollar coverages. This is how the marketplace responded to that. Because of h. S. A. s, you had walgreens, walmart, c. V. S. Develop walk did in clinics, staffed by nurse practitioners. Sort of the first step in triage of medical care. Instead of as a parent taking your iled child to an emergency room, they are clogged. Now the marketplace gave you an option to go into walmart, rather than pay 200 for an midgecy room visit, get your kids ear infection diagnosed for 35. The free market is a marvel. It works well. We need to rely more on that type of freedom in the free market system rather than look to the federal government to solve the problem. Look how much harm they have done to our Health Care System since the 1960s. We want to provide a Strong Social safety net. We want to make sure elderly individuals have good Quality Health care. We are not going to have that system if government takes it over. We would be far better off if more individuals take consumer choices. Host whats the timetable you expect starting wednesday as far as a vote is concerned . Guest nobody knows. Thats the problem. Coming from the private sector it drives me nuts the utter dysfunction of this place thats not only september 30 is a surprise. I was talking to my colleagues about lets get a c. R. Passed before we left on august break. If you want to deFund Obamacare, lets do it, throw it on there, lets debate it. Lets have that discussion. Lets be prepared to in the end negotiate and compromise so we dont threaten a Government Shutdown. Thats not what we are in. Maybe the thing to do is pass a couple shortterm c. R. s from my standpoint. I like to work with people across the aisle. Lets fund the things we agree on. Lets get that done. Lets get this big shutdown off the table. If there are things we disagree about, lets leave that. That will be a small part of that budget. It would be far better than playing this brinksmanship. Host senator ron jon republican from wisconsin. Thanks for your time. Senator ron johnson is a member of the budget committee. He and his colleagues will be gathering on delill chill for a hearing looking at the possible effects of a Government Shutdown on american jobs and the economy. Among the witnesses is mark zandi, panel will start at 2 30 eastern live here on cspan. The senate is in recess right now after earlier today confirming todd hughs to be u. S. Court of appeals judge for the federal circuit. The vote was unanimous, 9le0. The senate is now in recess until 2 15. Just before they gavel back in, we are expecting comments and reaction following their meeting and then it will be back to work on temporary spending legislation. The first test vote on the bill is set for tomorrow. And you can see the senate live when they gavel back in at 2 15 eastern on our companion network, cspan2. Remarks now from virginia democratic congressman james moran. He joined us this morning to talk about the congressional ebate on the federal budget. Host joining us now is democratic representative serving the eighth district which includes arlington, compearna, and falls church. Welcome. Give us your thoughts on whether you think a shutdown will happen or not . Guest i do not think a shutdown will occur as of october 1, but if the continuing resolution to continue funding government for the next 45 days is not resolved by november 15, i think there is a higher likelihood we could have a Government Shutdown then because there is a confluence of the need to fund the government as well as the need to raise the ebt ceiling. Both of those will come due by then, and right now we do not have a plan to get us beyond that point of contention. I would not be at all surprised if there is a Government Shutdown before the end of the calendar year. Host if the senate sends back a clean bill to the house, are there any indications as to what Speaker John Boehner will o . Guest i think he will turn to the democrats to get him the votes to get it past the white house has indicated they would sign a clean bill for a short ime. Now, that level of funding and you dollars that level of funding is going to be in a hundred 80 total. 988 billion dollars total. All a 21 billion reduction all of which comes from the Defense Department because the sequester is a calendar year. It begins january 15. I think the white house figures it has 15. A level by mid november or mid december to get a deal that will not only raise the debt ceiling until the end of 2014, but would also keep the government funded and perhaps shelf the whole idea of the sequester. Host what does that 900 900plus figure do as far as how the government operates . Guest it is still invasive financial reduction. The 960 7 billion is almost a drastic cut to the defense establishment, not only contractors, but federal employees. A number of our weapons programs and intelligence and Technology Programs within the defense epartment. I expect a whole 21 billion in the final analysis will not all be taken from defense. Is the discretionary programs that have taken all of the reductions since last january. The increase in spending is actually occurring in the nondiscretionary programs, the socalled mandatory entitlement rograms. That is where the money is going, yet cuts are coming in he discretionary area. Of course, that is really what provides the secord in the uture. In terms of education, research, infrastructure, National Security, all of those programs that we think of as the government, but thats where we have taken the cuts. Thats where well continue to take the cuts unless we resolve this sequester which no one wanted. Frankly, unless we put more revenue on the table, as well as reforms to entitlement rograms. Host you serve arlington, alexandria, falls church how is that area affected by sequester . Guest we are affected as much as any part of the country. It is part of the washington metro area. I have tens of thousands of federal employees, and even more people that are on contract with the federal government in defense and every other iscretionary agency. So, it would severely impact our economy and the lives of our citizens. It needs to be avoided, but the sequester, unfortunately, is death by 1000 cuts over the next eight years. Frankly, its a brief Government Shutdown was to resolve result in a its a brief Government Shutdown was to result in resolving the sequester, it would be worth t. Host you can reach out to us on our twitter page and send us email. What should be done about the debt limit . Guest the debt limit should be abolished. Denmark is the only other country you visit. Country that uses it. It is to decide whether or not we will pay the bills that are already do. If we do not want to incur the debt, we should not authorize programs, but this is after the fact. This is to say those treasury bills, notes, and bonds that are outstanding, are we going to pay interest on them, are we going to pay them when they are due . Thats what anyone does. To default on the debt is unthinkable. The fact that members of Congress Take this in a cavalier way is astounding. The debt limit was raised 17 times under president reagans term, who seems to be there theological hero. The idea that they would hold the government hostage and jeopardize the currency system for the whole world the dollar is the most stable currency. They could shake up International Financial markets in a way that would produce chaos and suffer substantial losses to not only the American Economy, but economies all over the world. Obviously, we are interdependent now in a Global Economy, and we are dependent on a stable economy in the United States, and certainly a stable urrency. This would introduce the kind of instability that could have longterm damages. So, even the thought of it destabilizes International Financial markets. Certainly, if we delayed paying our debt, it is almost inconceivable. No matter how irresponsible the congress has shown itself to be, i cannot believe that it could possibly be that irresponsible. Host our guest joining us until 9 15 a. M. The first call is from albany, georgia. Ohnny. Caller i am just calling to say if we change the name of obamacare to some caucasian senators name, it would go through with ease. It to republicans are so determined to shut the government down to keep a black mans name from being on legislation, shut it down. It would be the weakness of the democratic government to stand by and allow the republicans to press their will on the country like they are doing it. Let it shut down. Do not argue with them. Guest i appreciate your thoughts and perspectives, sir, but if we shut it down, a lot of people will suffer. Head start families will not be able to go to school. Social security benefit applicants will not be able to have their Social Security applications process. The same thing for the veterans dministration. National parks will be closed. There will be real suffering across the board if we were to shut down the government. We would realize the role that the government plays in our lives in a beneficial way. With regard to obamacare, president obama had some issues with calling it obamacare initially, and i think he realized it was going to be his legacy. It is the law. It is going to continue to be the law. It is going to be implemented, and over the long run i think president obama is going to take pride when it is implemented and the cost of health care goes down, insurance rates go down as well, and where when people do not suffer because they do not have affordable, accessible insurance available to them. Host rosemary from rome, georgia. Republican line. Guest caller two quick points. Clearly it is senator harry reid threatening the shutdown to make political points, and one part of the process is a supported supposed shutdown could have been avoided if this was worked out in july and august instead of taking six weeks off in august and part of september nstead of working. Whether republican or democrat, we are paying you to work, and that is what we expect. Thank you. Guest well, we did work through july. I agree with you with regard to august. Of course, i live not far from the capital, so it is easy for me to say. I generally work anyways when we and my staff works even harder district work periods. The congress doesnt take the time off. They are back in their districts listening to their constituents. The problem is we have not done anything when we have been in session. We will go back into session tomorrow, wednesday, but on the house, we will have to wait for the senate to act. With regard to senator harry eid, he made it clear that the house version of the continuing resolution is not going to pass because obamacare is not going to be repealed, but he is going to put forth a continuing resolution that will be signed y the president. So, i do not know why you have decided that senator harry reid is at fault. He wants to put forward legislation that has a chance of passage, and that is what we are all supposed to be doing. Host our previous guest said the law was not ready, and there is a front page story on usa today on what they describe as a glitch that could leave some kids out of it. Is it ready . Should there be a pause to maybe think some of these things before the full rollout happens . Guest we have to look at the history of other such rollouts of large programs. With regard to medicare, there was a great deal of resistance from the Republican Party in 965. In fact, there were some glitches after it went into effect. You do not know what the glitches will be until after it goes into effect, and there were refinements to the program that took place over months and years to the point where people on medicare want to keep their medicare, are loath to anyone that wants to take it away from hem. I think we will see a similar thing with the Affordable Care act. There are glitches in legislation and regulations that will begin implementation. I think this particular issue hat denied some people affordable coverage is because the law applied to individuals that are working, but did not specifically identify their families. So, there are some children of people who would be covered by employers that might not be included. We can fix that, and i would hope we could do so in a bipartisan basis. Host was it a good decision to delay the employer mandate . Guest i do not think it matters a whole lot. I just assumed we had not elated. I think it would delayed it. I think there would have been glitches there as well, but there was pressure to do so and so many things to do by october 1 and the implementation by next year, i think the administration said we do not need the employer mandate immediately. So, he really does not matter a lot in the long run. Host donis from romney, west virginia. Republican line. Caller good morning. My comment is my Health Insurance, we have been notified in west virginia, that it could increase as much as 50 . I believe that the republicans re going to let this bill take effect, and by june of next summer you will see an outraged public across this country because they will hit him so hard in their pocket books. Congressman moran, im wondering if the Democratic Party has any plans for this outraged ublic . My mother manages a business in winchester, virginia, and they are beside themselves. He did not know how they will afford all of this expense. It is concerning that congress can not discuss things instead of having a person like harry reid telling everyone the way it is going to be here and i will like to see more cooperation on both sides of the fence. Thank you for listening to my complaint. Guest thank you, sir. I, too, would like to see more cooperation on both sides of the fence. Do not believe you will see the increases in insurance premiums that have been suggested by Insurance Companies and brokers. People do not know what they will be paying because the exchanges will not be set up, and then you could compare what you choose to pay and what coverage you want to the benefit of competition. You will have several plans. It was planned to be more comprehensive. The prices so far, across the country, have been significantly less than anyone anticipated. Ealth care inflation, in fact, has been less than it had been before obamacare was legislated. Insurance companies are limited to not taking more than 20 off of the top for their own urposes. 80 has to go into health care. We are going to bring in the socalled free riders who do not have insurance and go to the emergency room when they need health care. That is the most e