CNN host Dana Bash used billionaire Warren Buffett as a pretext Sunday for asking Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price how much he would save under the Republican health care bill, but Price brushed it off.
Bash started the line of questioning by showing Buffett question in May how much wealthy congressmen would save from the passage of the House Obamacare replacement, called the American Health Care Act.
Bash then repeated the question to Price: "So what's your answer? How much would you save under the House and Senate bills?"
Price dodged an exact number but noted that "Obamacare taxes were put in place to build a whole new government program, government-run health care."
"There's 6.5 million Americans right now who are paying $3 billion in penalties in taxes for the purpose of not purchasing health care coverage. That system isn't working for those 6.5 million. How about lowering the taxes for those 6.5 million?" Price said.
"I understand that, but when it comes to the bill before the United States Senate, the fact of the matter is that people like you are going to get a tax cut," Bash said.
Price continued by saying the the system is broken and that many counties do not have an insurer.
"I'm not sure Warren Buffett will be satisfied that he got an answer to his question, but I appreciate—" Bash responded to finish the interview, but Price had more to add.
"I'm not sure that Warren Buffett is interested in insuring patients in those counties that won't have insurance," Price said. "We need to look at every single American citizen and every single individual across this land that they get the coverage they want for themselves and their family, not that the government forces them to buy."