suffering, that they're still going to get funded as best they can, that no one indication of the pool. these children are socially aware and incredibly important to each one of us. >> voices from the road on c-span. >> joining us next is cokie giles, vice president of that organization and a supporter of bernie sanders cokie giles, thank you for being with us this morning . you're not from new hampshire, a nurse from bbangor maine , you've been campaigning in new hampshire last few days . obviously healthcare the senators campaign. what are you hearing from people that is resonating with you about senator sanders in his approach to. >> i've been a registered nurse for 42 years and practically every day i work, i hear stories of people who are suffering because they don't have healthcare or

adequate healthcare. so what bernie has been talking about for 20, 30 years is what our organization has been working for four 20 years. so we are very, very pleased with what his plan isfor the healthcare. iit's a profit driven healthcare and it's just not working . >> c1 you think the medicare for all type proposal that bernie sanders and horses, is that a realistic goal for the country? can it be paid for? >> i think what we're doing right now is unsustainable. this country pays way more than other countries who have healthcare for all and we have worse outcomes, i think can be done. i don't understand why the richest country in the world is not with all of the other industrialized countries.

>> are on the ground in new hampshire neighboring maine, what's been your week or so, hi what have you been doing? >> i don't canvassing both both in maine and new hampshire and what we've been doing trying to answer questions that people have and as you might expect, my emphasis comes from the healthcare part of it which affects everybody . and i've heard nothing except agreement that we have to do something different with our healthcare system. >> host: what are some of the things people are telling you about their personal stories with healthcare that they think medicare for all, the type of programs bernie is proposing can help them ? >> guest: well, one very sad situation, there e was a gentleman 58 years old and he did not havehealthcare . he had children, college aged children.

he was diagnosed with cancer and given his options, he decided to do nothing because he did not want to use the money and perhaps the value and leave his family, so he has decided to die rather than to get assistance for his diagnosis and i guess i can't leave without talking about my sonmatthew . he is 37, at 10 years old he became an insulin dependent diabetic. because he had surgery at18 months old to remove 95 percent of his pancreas, that was the treatment at the time . he actually had too much of a two years ago, , longer than that. 10, 12 years ago when he was no longer on my insurance, he

was working but he had jobs that didn't cover insurance. it was rationing his insulin and ended up going into a near, and being admitted in one years time, twice in the intensive care unit. so resulting high blood sugars can damage to his perhaps eyes, kidneys, heart which is what happens with high blood sugars area he had half of one foot amputated 2 years ago. so with medicare for all, he would have had insulin. he would have had what you need to care for him. >> so he's 37 now. so he never had the opportunity to take advantage of the affordable care act under your plan or whatever. >> number this was beforethe affordable care act . he would have kept going

until age 26. he was age 22 when this happened. and he does have, he does pay for health insurance now in his job. but because of his pre-existing and his diagnosis, he pays between his premiums and his diabetics for his pump, he pays thousand dollars a month for that . >>. >> host: cokie giles is our guest, vice president of national nurses united, a bernie sanders supporter. we welcome your calls and comments . for republicans, democrats 202-748-8000 and for independence and others that's 202748 8002. if you're in new hampshire, you can use the line 202748 8003.national nurses united, cokie giles?

>> this is an organization, a union of registered nurses and it's the largest registered nurses union in the country. >> has her union come out in support of bernie sanders? >> yes we have.. >> primarily because of what his policies, what his values are are the same as nurses. we fight for our patients, we fight for our communities. we fight for ourselves and in bernie sanders, aconference.. we're on the same page . >> we have a color from new hampshire, allentown new hampshire, christine rea . a >> my question is i hear a , lot about this having this medicaid that's going to be

almost free and i want to know who this woman who's complaining about her son, i'm sorry about her son but this is not her for him. i just want toknow who bernie thinks is going to pay for the costs because you know he's going to go into our pockets, he doesn't have any pockets you want to dig into so the only person paying for all this free stuff isn't free after all since were going to be paying through our taxes . you have an answer for that? >> seems taxes, when i look at my w-2 i see i'm already paying for medicare andsocial security, pain in my share for my later years , coming up soon. and also, i'm guessing i'm already paying for my health care between premiums, co-pays, deductibles but 30 percent is what we pay in this country goes to private insurance, it goes to the ceos, and i'm sorry, i will mention my son again area is insulin has quadrupled in the last 3 years and it's the same insulin he's been taking for the last 27 years.

pharmaceutical companies have s.huge profits. that's where a lot of the money is going to be coming from. i don't have, if you want to know where the plans, where it comes down to paying for medicare for all, if you google medicare, the number four .org it's laid out there as to how it would be paid for and i would be willing and a lot of people out there that either don't have insurance and work, they would be willing to pay a percentage to have healthcare that costs you nothing when you go in and have it done. >> we will go to terry next, brook ridge illinois, republican line. >> good morning, i hope everybody's nice and warm. i want to make a couple of questions really fast. let me say there's only three. one, i think the most important thing into put

ssomebody in the white house, which i never hear no candidate ever say is what's best for our country. and number two , bernie sanders has been in capitol hill how many years? and how come he's never brought this up, got the democrats altogether and got it together when he had a democratic president and number three, bernie's saying that he's only going to tax the income, 30,000 end up to help pay for this medicare for all. the math doesn't add up. there's no way he can come up with that much money and by giving illegal immigrants free hospitalization, free education and everything, that's for our country. so i will wait for your answer. >> several things there,

cokie giles. we talked alittle bit about medicare for all but you want to touch on bernie's experience as a senator, about his track record, what's your view ? >> guest: with bernie, he has never changed what he wants to see out there. he has always just like fdr when ethey brought in later on with johnson, with the health care plan, with social security, these were all social programs that would help all of us. if you're a society you have to take care of society issues, social issues and part of the time, democrats are not always on the same page because when you look at the lobbyists in bc , the largest expenditure of money is the health care system. they go through both democrats and republicans and give them money for their campaign. so they keep that down and as bernie has said, he cannot as president make this happen.

it has to be all of us because it's all in our interest. to have healthcare and it should be a human rights. >> host: cokie giles, bernie sanders comes to this as an independent senator. do you think being independent helps him or hurts him as far as winning over the rest of the democratic party ? >> .. . people are excited about bernie's candidacy and arm behind him. they want to see him progress but as you said, he can't do it alone. it has to be a grassroots organization, all of us have to be behind him to force our

senators and our congress to do the right thing for the most people, not the wealthy or the ceos and not the billionaires. >> host: let's go next to fort lauderdale, florida. ellie on the independent line. >> caller: yes, i just want to support cokie giles this morning because she is giving out information to your audience. things i think our current president is doing with his latest budget is cutting $2 trillion from his budget and cutting medicare, medicaid and you know, the thing that i don't understandrs about this whole situation and the people he will hurt most with this are red states. these people are some of the poorest supporters of his.

what he needs to do is pull back a little bit and not spend too much money on military and help the people people are hurting and so say medicare save medicaid and help his supporters. i thank you so much. >> host: ellie, thank you. cokie giles, any thoughts? >> guest: first of all, he said cookie, my real name is carolee but only my mom and dad call me that. i agree with everything he said. when they look -- president trump promised he would never cut social security, medicare, medicaid paid the revolt again party has been after that for t everyone, those programs. there is a lot of money in those programs but it is like death for people.

my parents winter in florida and they are living on just social security. there is no pension and they don't have a savings account so how would those people be expected to continue living? i would increase the amount of income you tax, that would work. if you're making 600 billionaires in the united states tax some of them higher to help pay for these programs. i agree military and i -- it's important we stay safe but i do think there's an awful lot of money spent there and not just military men and women but for big corporations that make equipment for that military. >> when you hear the president or thehe president supporters cs senator sanders and call his supporters socialist or communist, what is your reaction? >> guest: i think as bernie

continues he will get more of a platform. if you look up the definition of communist, fascist, socialist what is socialist is everybody contributes to a big pot which funds public schools, fire departments, police departments, garbage pickup, libraries and those are all -- medicare, social security those are all social programs. that is a socialist countries. our country is a capitalist system and that is primarily those who have it get to keep it. that is why we have such an income inequality in this country. >> host: john, democrats line in pennsylvania. >> caller: good morning. whenever anyone calls up and asks how will we pay for this

program just tell them the same way we pay t for the military. budget is unbelievable and enjoy the was billed call cost $4 billion. 53 billion in synthetic low-cost 1.5 billion magazine where the waste is. she is right about the social programs. the mid- story is the biggest socialistic programs we havee. whenever anyone asks how we will pay for this essay the same way we pay for the military. thank you and goodbye. >> host: any follow-up, cokie giles? >> guest: no, i guess i left military outs. we all pay for that. we pay p for aid to other countries and everything we are taxed for. i find it -- some of the talking points from the republicans and the big pharma and insurance companies have been sending out

how do we pay for this and panicking people that they will have to pay more. of all the things my taxes pay for i would be willing to pay for healthcare for everyone, not just for me but for everyone. >> host: susan is next, republican line, pennsylvania. >> caller: hello. i have been a nurse for 28 yea years, rn. whenever i hear this medicare ffor all i just have to questin how much the folks who are saying that understand how medicare works. you know, currently medicare does not coverow c one 100% of everything for people on medicare. it pays, you know, 80% of outpatient doctor visits andgs those types of things. most people in this country, the seniors on medicare half to purchase a supplemental plan or they choose a medicare advantage plan and t so there is some othr coverage that they need.

medicare will not cover. everything. thalso, when they talk about --i mean, ms. skiles, is she willing to take a pay cut? medicaid reimburses capitals and providers where they lose money. that is why many providers don't accept it. medicare they are lucky if they break even which is another reason why providers may not participate with medicare. it is the third-party payers or the insurance companies that are providing a reimbursement rate high enough for hospitals to stay open to develop you know, new treatments, research to happen to pay for increased allergies for the workers so like i said, every time i hear medicare fori all i am like, do

you know how medicare works to oubegin with that it is not this wonderful thing that everybody or everything you need done is covered one 100% and as a nurse, i don't want it. that is a misnomer that all nurses want medicare for all. >> host: susan, we will get a response from cokie giles. they keep speaking yes, thank you for your call. i guess what i would like to start with is medicare for all bill that bernie has is primarily improve and expand medicare. my parents, just like you spoke, have an anthem part d and they have to pay $6000 a year in order to cover everything. they don't get a. bill when they have cancer, infusions and things like that but what tha that -- the new bill that he is

bringing out would cover vision, dental, hearing and long-term care which is where a lot of the medicaid goes into. that is where a lot of that is spent. as far as medicare advantage that is very low money, if any, but it does not cover specialists. down in florida when i was taking my parents two different providers if they were private they said we do not accept medicare advantage because that is the lowest reimbursement. as far as whether we are willing wto take a pay cut this is -- nurses are primarily a female organization and over the years we have fought to get our wages to where they are and we don't plan on taking a back step there. anymore than we expect the doctors to order any more than we expect any of the other tax paid for professions in the country.

you are right, i don't speak for every nurse but i speak for my organization and we feel that this is the best tool, vehicle, to get or to have healthcare for everyone in the country. >> host: cokie giles, did bernie sanders when the primary in new hampshire and did you support the bernie sanders in 2016? >> guest: yes, we did. i was going to say i spent a lot of time in new hampshire can see it i want to state something. can best in very many in new hampshire have the best most organized system of canvassing o of all i'd been to that i have ever seen. a fabulous job people out to

m happy with where bernie was. what i like about bernie is he is -- he gets his point across, and he can excite people without knocking down other people. host: we go to illinois,

independent line. caller: good morning. very interesting guest. i have been in the medical field for over 50 years. here are my concerns. proposal -- not that the ,roposal is flawed, but first with any -- would any other private insurance be allowed? d arere part b and part means tested. would they be means tested? politically viable is any proposal where different incomes are paying more or less the same service? would that work? would a person at a higher

income be willing to pay more for food? not income taxes, but more for food? if you have medicare for all, how could the hospitals not be ultimately nationalized? they have different cost structures. and medicare has become so broad that it covers visits, transportation to visits. host: bill put several items on the table there, and our nurse will respond. thanks for the call. guest: ok, you said the word nurse. that is where my focus and expertise is. i do know a few things in there. -- iknow that in canada don't want to call it medicare for all. they copied hours.

officer: the senate will come to order. under the previous order, all postcloture time has expired. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: