Axelrod: ‘If the Admin Is Smart,’ They’ll Embrace GOP Ideas to Improve Health Care

BARNICLE: “What is going to be the administration’s response to this consistent assault on this piece of legislation? The Republicans want to kill it.”
AXELROD: “Well, I don’t think they are going to take the ACA out and then they sort of signaled that they are going to go for pieces of it: the equipment; the medical equipment tax --”
BARNICLE: “Then it collapses.”
AXELROD: “-- funding aspect of it. So, yeah. Well, the question is which are hits to the main engine and which can be sustained. Look, nobody including the president suggested this program can't be improved and if the administration is smart they will embrace ideas that can improve the program and they will find areas which he can compromise. He's not going to sign any legislation that would collapse the program. He’s thoroughly committed to the program. So I think the key is to — are there areas in which they can move; is it number of hours from 30 to 40, you know, in terms of how people are categorized for the program and what businesses have to do; whether a 30 hour week is enough to qualify for the program or whether you need more hours. Those are things they ought to able to compromise on. But on the core of it they are not going to compromise because as you said, Mike, all over this country there are people benefiting from this program today many of whom would not have insurance, some of whose lives have been saved."