Latest / Brian Thomas / AFP - Affordability Agenda for America

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AFP - Affordability Agenda for America · Brian Thomas

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  Speaker 1: Talk to Station.
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  Speaker 2: Seven thirty one thinky about Karsde Talks Station Happy Wednesday.
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  Speaker 2: After the top of the hour news a TOOFI was
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  Speaker 2: Congressman Thomas Massey, followed by Judge Ennaa, Paulatano, a couple
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  Speaker 2: of my favorite Libertarians, and we're gonna hear from Jesse
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  Speaker 2: Heiselding the power you sumon are on fraud in Minnesota.
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  Speaker 2: But without further ado, it's that time of week we
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  Speaker 2: get to talk with Donovan and Neil from Americans for
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  Speaker 2: Prosperita and today we got the affordability agenda and I
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  Speaker 2: really like what the key takeaways are from this national survey.
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  Speaker 2: Welcome back, Donovan and Neil. Great to have you on
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  Speaker 2: the show.
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  Speaker 1: Brian, always great to spend my Wednesday morning with you.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, it's a really great thing to see
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  Speaker 2: this very well done survey survey and you can talk
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  Speaker 2: about it public opinion strategies and what the vast majority
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  Speaker 2: of people want, which confirms kind of a lot of
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  Speaker 2: what my political philosophy is and it gives me kind
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  Speaker 2: of confidence in being on the side of what I
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  Speaker 2: think is right. We're talking cost of living and we're
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  Speaker 2: talking about what voters believe about government and whether government's
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  Speaker 2: going to solve our problems, make things easier or harder.
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  Speaker 2: And the bottom line is, I like what I see
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  Speaker 2: if we can just translate these numbers into people waking
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  Speaker 2: up and realizing what they want is the antithesis of
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  Speaker 2: what the Democrats are offering.
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  Speaker 1: Donovan absolutely, And I think what you oftentimes find in
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  Speaker 1: midterm elections, mid cycle elections, right and supplies, the Democrats
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  Speaker 1: and Republicans.
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  Speaker 2: Republicans are the.
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  Speaker 1: Ones doing it right now. They bunker down and get
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  Speaker 1: into a defensive posture and just try to you know,
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  Speaker 1: you get in that fetal position. You're just trying to
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  Speaker 1: take in coming fire and avoid you know, losing in November,
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  Speaker 1: minimizing your damages in November in an election. But what
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  Speaker 1: we're driving forward with the Supportability Agenda saying, here are
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  Speaker 1: the things the American people want, and while Republicans are
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  Speaker 1: still a control in Washington and voters are starting to
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  Speaker 1: tune in and pay attention to elections, these are the
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  Speaker 1: things we need to deliver on. And they're simple stuff. Brian, Right,
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  Speaker 1: Energy abundance to fuel the future. We're talking about empowering
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  Speaker 1: patients with their healthcare decision making off the system, reducing
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  Speaker 1: what it costs to rent by find it's a home,
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  Speaker 1: by cutting red tape and regulations. And then as you know,
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  Speaker 1: myself and my wife with we got three kids and
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  Speaker 1: they're getting older, Brian, as you know this with your
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  Speaker 1: own children over the years, was food and groceries that
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  Speaker 1: don't cost your whole paycheck, especially when you have teenagers
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  Speaker 1: in your home consuming large amounts of food. These are
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  Speaker 1: the things, right we can get out there and get
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  Speaker 1: done that are big wins when it cut you know,
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  Speaker 1: the pulling off firms that. So it's good policy equal
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  Speaker 1: in good politics. And we got the opportunity to get
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  Speaker 1: this stuff done if we just have the courage, right
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  Speaker 1: or allowmakers of the courage to do it. That's what we're
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  Speaker 1: gonna do it, b We're gonna give them the courage
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  Speaker 1: to do it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, no question about it. And you know, everyday essential
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  Speaker 2: driving economic anxiety. I understand that utility is one of them,
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  Speaker 2: you know, And that allows me to go back to
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  Speaker 2: the whole idea. The green agenda is intentionally causing the
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  Speaker 2: price of everything to go up. It is a self
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  Speaker 2: inflicted wound. Compare California to say some you know, like
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  Speaker 2: like Texas or some other state that's got energy independence.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, things are terrible out there, all because of
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  Speaker 2: the regulatory environment, which people point to as well well.
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  Speaker 2: In your survey, voters believe the government action raises prices
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  Speaker 2: point of itch. They say government regulations specifically increase cost. Well,
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  Speaker 2: it's nice to know the people who took this survey
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  Speaker 2: are aware of that. I mean, this seems to me
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  Speaker 2: it's low hanging fruit. Are the Republicans missing out on
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  Speaker 2: a messaging opportunity? Because I have heard these things, and
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  Speaker 2: if this is what people truly believe, I just can't
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  Speaker 2: really quite fathom the whole idea that anybody to go
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  Speaker 2: out and vote for a Democrat if they're worried about
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  Speaker 2: the cost of living.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and it's one of the things that you know,
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  Speaker 1: we sort of took a look around the room at
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  Speaker 1: America's Prosperity and said, hey, you know, we're the president's
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  Speaker 1: talking about these things. In the state of the Union.
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  Speaker 1: You talk to an elected official or their staff and
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  Speaker 1: they're talking about these things. You talk to a voter, neighbor, friend, fellow,
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  Speaker 1: you know, citizen about these things and they're tuned in.
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  Speaker 1: But we've got to bring it all together. And that's
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  Speaker 1: what we can do at AFP right as a grassroots organization,
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  Speaker 1: the leading grassroots organizations. We've got to bring that package,
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  Speaker 1: that agenda together and then get out there and talk
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  Speaker 1: to our friends and neighbors about it. So that's what
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  Speaker 1: we're you know, that's why we were launching this with
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  Speaker 1: a multimillion dollar spend, is to take these spring and
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  Speaker 1: summer months to really go out there and hammer home
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  Speaker 1: what these solutions can be that are going to have
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  Speaker 1: an impact on the American people in a positive way
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  Speaker 1: and it doesn't involve more government government intervention.
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  Speaker 2: Oh let's pause. Bring Donovan Neil for Americans for Prosperity back,
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  Speaker 2: probably have a call of action website. We can get
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  Speaker 2: this survey.
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  Speaker 1: The Dog Station.
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  Speaker 2: It's seven forty fifty five kercity talk station, Brian Thomas
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  Speaker 2: with Donovan and Neil from Americans for Prosperity going through
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  Speaker 2: this Affordability Agenda for America and some outstanding points in
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  Speaker 2: the at least in terms of you identify first what
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  Speaker 2: people's largest concerns are. You get this comprehensive national poll,
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  Speaker 2: and of course, you know affordability generally speaking is a problem,
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  Speaker 2: but broken down into subsets like energy, for example, and
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  Speaker 2: healthcare is another one. And this sounds like a wonderful idea.
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  Speaker 2: It's not like you guys came up with it, but
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  Speaker 2: the whole point, school choice is kind of gaining a
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  Speaker 2: lot of steam in this country, Donovan. I know you've
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  Speaker 2: noticed that more and more states are allowing options for
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  Speaker 2: school choice, a lot of them maybe allowing the money
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  Speaker 2: to flow to the family slash child as opposed directly
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  Speaker 2: to the schools. I like that, And there may be
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  Speaker 2: a solution for lowering healthcare costs. Why not allow the
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  Speaker 2: Americans to have control over the dollars so everything doesn't
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  Speaker 2: go directly to insurance companies get the money flowing to
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  Speaker 2: the individual that gives them the choice of where they
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  Speaker 2: get their medical care. And that, of course would result
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  Speaker 2: in more competition. Donovan.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. In fact, ninety percent of healthcare spending flows through
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  Speaker 1: insurance companies or government programs. And you know, a lot
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  Speaker 1: of folks I think equate insurance insurance equals healthcare. We
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  Speaker 1: know that's not true, right. Insurance just means you you
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  Speaker 1: you know, you pay a premium for the privilege to
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  Speaker 1: be able to go to a select sect section of
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  Speaker 1: you know, healthcare professionals, and then you got to kind
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  Speaker 1: of work. You don't know what you're gonna end up
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  Speaker 1: paying at the end, even with price transparency. What we're
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  Speaker 1: advocating for is funding patients, not insurers. Let folks have
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  Speaker 1: start to work to expand these health savings accounts. The
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  Speaker 1: existing policy, but we want to expand it. We want
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  Speaker 1: to make it so that more folks have access to
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  Speaker 1: these programs, and with government subsidies, like you know, we're
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  Speaker 1: a long way away, unfortunately, Brian, from ever cutting or
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  Speaker 1: making strong substantial reforms to these government subsidy programs that
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  Speaker 1: are draining the American economy. But what we could do
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  Speaker 1: right is instead of funneling them over to the six
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  Speaker 1: largest health insurance companies, why not put that money in
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  Speaker 1: the hands of people through hsas who need that healthcare
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  Speaker 1: right Medicaid, medicare, and let them make those decisions about
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  Speaker 1: their health care health care needs. What you do is
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  Speaker 1: you then begin to create a market. Right, you create
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  Speaker 1: some market, you create some competition. You have folks who
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  Speaker 1: understand what it costs to go do a doctor's visit.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe folks are a little more prudent about when they're
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  Speaker 1: consuming that product. At the end of the day, it's
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  Speaker 1: a win win win, right. It's a win for the
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  Speaker 1: American people with the growing debt burden that we have
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  Speaker 1: in this country. It's a win for the healthcare professional
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  Speaker 1: because they're not stuck making decisions based on an insurance middleman.
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  Speaker 1: And it's a win most importantly for the American healthcare
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  Speaker 1: consumer because now they're in the driver's seat. They're not
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  Speaker 1: waiting to find out Blue Cross, Blue Shield or Anthem
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  Speaker 1: are going to approve their healthcare. They go and they
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  Speaker 1: have that decision making because of the health Savings Account.
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  Speaker 1: It's phenomenal policy, and I think it puts Republicans. It
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  Speaker 1: gives Republicans an opportunity they really get out there and
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  Speaker 1: advocate for this stuff hard. The opportunity for the first
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  Speaker 1: time in what fifteen some years, to be in the
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  Speaker 1: driver's seat and win on healthcare policy in this country.
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  Speaker 2: Sounds like a great idea, what I mean, Donald and Neil. Also,
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  Speaker 2: you also point to another thing a component of this,
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  Speaker 2: and I wrote down PBM's pharmacy benefit managers and when
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  Speaker 2: that God in God's name, can we get rid of
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  Speaker 2: those allowed direct consumer sales of medical items, including prescription
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  Speaker 2: drugs working directly with the manufacturer as opposed to dealing
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  Speaker 2: with like three layers of middle men, including the PBMs.
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  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, and I think in a lot of cases right,
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  Speaker 1: whether it's PBMs for you know, so called price controls,
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  Speaker 1: or direct to the medical the health care industry through
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  Speaker 1: you know, safety mechanisms that the FDA said that they
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  Speaker 1: need to have because you know, Brian, we can't trust
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  Speaker 1: consumers to make smart decisions here. We need a government
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  Speaker 1: bureaucrat in the middle of all of this. We can
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  Speaker 1: break down some of the red tape barriers and regulations
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  Speaker 1: that just artificially drive up the cost of health care.
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  Speaker 1: I was talking to a senator last night, actually a
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  Speaker 1: state senator last night and a then Columbus who is
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  Speaker 1: looking at healthcare, and he's talked about how other countries.
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  Speaker 1: You know, we've got a phenomenal health care system in
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  Speaker 1: this country, right, no doubt about it. But the barriers
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  Speaker 1: to access to care, to being able to get that
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  Speaker 1: care that can maybe meet that need or fulfill his treatment.
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  Speaker 1: It's not available here, but it's available in other countries
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  Speaker 1: because they don't have the same bureaucratic red tape things
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  Speaker 1: are all messed up in healthcare. We have a really
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  Speaker 1: good system for business. A business model for healthcare in
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  Speaker 1: this country makes a lot of profit for the health
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  Speaker 1: insurance companies and the hospitals, but we don't have a
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  Speaker 1: good way to make it available to more people. And
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't mean letting the government take control, by the way.
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  Speaker 1: It just means bringing the same market forces that have
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  Speaker 1: made this country great and create opportunity around the world.
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  Speaker 1: Bring the free market to it, allow competition, allow consumers
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  Speaker 1: to be in the driver's seat, not bureaucrats in middlemen.
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  Speaker 2: All right, Well, you also have some policy solutions for
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  Speaker 2: dealing with the cost of rent, buying or financing a home.
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  Speaker 2: You deal with food and groceries, it shouldn't cost you your
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  Speaker 2: whole paycheck. A whole lot of ideas and thoughts, agenda
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  Speaker 2: items from Americans for prosperity and Donald and you. I
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  Speaker 2: appreciate you bringing at least a lot of this to
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  Speaker 2: our attention this morning. Where do my listeners go to
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  Speaker 2: see the entire affordability agenda for America? And what's the
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  Speaker 2: call to action today? Donovan? How do we get the
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  Speaker 2: word out on this or what do you need the
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  Speaker 2: listeners to do to the extent they have pretty much
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  Speaker 2: any free time, because I know you'll take as little
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  Speaker 2: or as much as people can offer.
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  Speaker 1: Yep, go to Americans for Prosperity dot org. You can
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  Speaker 1: look up the affordability agenda there. And then what we
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  Speaker 1: need folks to do is get involved in our county chapters.
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  Speaker 1: We got chapters across the state, all over southwest Ohio.
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  Speaker 1: Go to Americans for Prosperity dot org. Sign up, take action,
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  Speaker 1: join us. We're gonna not only save the country, but
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  Speaker 1: we're gonna we're gonna make America the next twinter fifty
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  Speaker 1: years of America more prosperous than ever before.
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  Speaker 2: Love your optimism, Donovan Andelan. I really will encourage my
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  Speaker 2: listeners to do just that. It's Americans for Prosperity dot Org.
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  Speaker 2: Great organization. They make it so easy to help out,
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  Speaker 2: and I encourage all my listeners to do that to
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  Speaker 2: save America. Yeah, let's get for another couple of hundred years. Donovan.
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  Speaker 2: Great having you on the program. Keep up the great work,
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  Speaker 2: my friend. We'll talk again next week.
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  Speaker 1: Talk soon, Bryan.
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  Speaker 2: It's seven forty seven right now. If fifty have KCD
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  Speaker 2: talk station,