Senate Democrats are "very willing" to sit with Republicans and discuss how more affordability can be included in the individual healthcare market, but the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill is not the answer, Sen. Maria Cantwell said Monday.
"This week's game is making sure that we stop this ill-conceived idea that our colleagues seem content on continuing to push, even though there are hospitals, physicians, organizations all across America who are saying this will gut our healthcare," the Washington Democrat told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program. "Please stop putting this proposal on the table. We have to fight that battle first."
Cantwell said she favors what she calls the "Costco model," meaning that if insurance is bought in bulk, people should get a discount.
"New York took the Affordable Care Act and did just that," she said. "They have about 650,000 people on a plan that they're buying for roughly about $500 a year instead of the $1,500 to $2,000 on the exchange. If you're the individual market and you don't work for a large employer, you should be able to get the same right that the other employees get. It's a state option that allows states to do that."