Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet blasts Republican health-care efforts, hopeful for bipartisan answer
Bennet, D-
District 6 Superintendent
Bennet took a variety of questions from a sympathetic audience of about 150 people, but health care was a recurring theme.
"It's crazy to me that they wrote a bill like that," Bennet said, before sympathizing with
The answer, going forward, is to work together, Bennet said. That's already happening, as Sen.
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Although Bennet told The Tribune he doesn't think the fix will go far enough without more help, that's a better endorsement than what he provided previous Republican plans.
Speaking about his conversations with constituents, especially those who don't like the Affordable Care Act, Bennet said, "Nobody has said, 'The key to my health care is for you to give a tax cut to the richest people.' "
Bennet drew laughter several times, punctuating his easy-going demeanor with sharp jabs at President
He said, for example, he's not philosophically opposed to allowing insurance companies to sell insurance across state lines.
"I said that when I was running for office, so it must be true," Bennet said to laughter.
But the town hall often shifted into more serious territory, and Bennet was able to provide at least some answers to what he would prefer to see in the wake of Republican failures to repeal Obamacare.
"I think if you work full time in this country, you shouldn't have to worry about whether you're going to be covered for health care," Bennet said.
He flirted with the idea of a single-payer system, as suggested by a resident, before saying he would support a public option.
He said Trump ought to stop threatening to defund marketplaces, lest he continue to throw uncertainty into the equation.
And he lamented the choices -- saying they outnumbered people in the room -- citizens must make when it comes to health care. Bennet said those choices include having to stay in a job you hate because you have health insurance, the loss of insurance or not being able to get a job.
"Is there hope for bipartisanship?" Bennet said. "I hope so, because that's the only way we're going to get anything done."
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Bennet's answers
Sen.
-- On voter suppression -- "If you live in a democracy or a republic, everybody should be for everybody voting. You should not have, as part of your strategy, intimidating other people from voting.
-- On immigration reform (Bennet was part of Gang of Eight) -- "I think it's part of who we are as Americans that we're committed to the rule of law. We should secure the border, and we should know who's here. If they commit crimes, they should go...(
-- On
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