December 19, 2025 • 29 mins
1. ACA Marketplace Fraud
- GAO (miswritten as “GOA”) found “significant fraud vulnerabilities” where fictitious applicants with “fake or invalid Social Security numbers” were still approved for subsidies. It says “nearly all of the fake applicants were accepted.”
- Duplicate subsidy payments, repeated payments tied to the same SSN, and “tens of thousands” of subsidies connected to deceased individuals.
- Brokers switched plans and enrolled people without sufficient verification, driven by commissions.
- Quantifies “billions” in improper payments annually, citing a figure of $27 billion, but admits “exact figures are hard to find.”
2. GOP Leaders & Policy
- Sen. John Thune describes the marketplace as “rife with waste, fraud, and abuse,” mention auto‑enrollment by insurers, and claim a “95% failure rate” (19 of 20 fictitious GAO applications approved).
- Speaker Mike Johnson is quoted arguing the COVID‑era premium tax credit affects “7% of Americans” and—if extended without reforms—would cut premiums for that group by “5.7%.” He promotes the “Lower Premiums for All Americans Act,” said to reduce premiums “by at least 11%” and save “tens of billions.”
3. Gender‑Affirming Care for Minors
- RFK Jr. and the Trump administration have “six decisive actions” to restrict gender‑affirming procedures for minors; claims CMS will propose barring hospitals from performing such procedures as a condition of Medicare/Medicaid participation.
- A “peer‑reviewed report” by HHS claims doctors violate the Hippocratic oath.
- Singles out Vanderbilt University’s TransBuddy program, implying monetary motives.
4. Economy & Inflation
- A “tumble” in inflation to 2.7%, is attributed to Trump’s energy expansion, tariffs, deregulation, renewed market confidence, and fiscal restraint. Democratic critics were wrong about inflation risks.
Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening
X: https://x.com/benfergusonshow
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fraud has become a major headline, especially when it deals
with the Affordable Care Act, which we now know is
anything but affordable. And now we're finding out more about
your tax dollars going to insurance programs companies, and in
fact the beneficiaries don't even know it's even giving them coverage.
(00:22):
I want to take you backwards to where we learned
a lot of this from the GOA fraud investigation. The
Government Accountability Office, used by Republicans of the centerpiece of
their new expose A has found significant fraud vulnerabilities in
how the ACA, the Affordable Care Act marketplace processes enrollment
(00:44):
and taxpayer subsidies. Some of the key findings are truly shocking.
The GOA created fictitious applicants with fake or invalid social
Security numbers, and the ACA marketplace still approved them for
subsidies and policies. In fact, nearly all of the fake
applicants were accepted. The report found instances of duplicate and
(01:08):
repeated subcy payments tied to the same social security numbers,
including one social Security number appearing on many separate policies,
and that suggested poor verification systems. In other words, the
insurance companies know that they're going to get paid for
people that don't deserve the coverage, but who cares if
(01:30):
you're getting paid. Tens of thousands of subcy payments also
were connected to deceased individuals as well. That's right, your
tax dollar is going to dead people. And what better
client for these big insurance comings than someone that's literally dead.
You don't have to worry about any claims at all.
(01:50):
It's free money, all because of fraud. We also now
know that the payments were going to brokers. Brokers were
able to enroll a lot of people and switch plans
on half of people without clear verification procedures. What does
that mean? Big incentives for them, Commissions going for each
(02:11):
person they were signing up, including multiple people under the
same Social Security number, or dead people all together. The
estimates are also rising. Republicans are now suggesting billions, not
hundreds of millions, but billions in improper payments annually, including
potentially twenty seven billion they're now saying in inproper subsidy payments,
(02:37):
though exact figures are hard to find why because there's
so much fraud now, Republicans are now demanding that the
system be changed because it is filled with systemic fraud, waste,
and abuse in the ACA marketplace known as Obamacare. It's
costing taxpayers and then driving up dreemiums for legitimate human
(03:01):
beings that aren't dead, legitimate enrollees. And that is where
John Thune comes in. Center thom the Democrat from South Dakota,
and other GOP leaders are now citing the GOA findings
as a justification for opposing the extension of the Affordable
Care Act and the premium tax credits without structural reforms.
(03:25):
Here's Center Thune talking about Obamacare and just how broken
the system is.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Option a little over a decade ago, premiums have gone
up two hundred and twenty one percent. Here's what you
said last time we talked end of September. The premium
tax credit issue is something we're willing to have a
conversation about. But the fact of the matter is it
is rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. It needs reforms.
But you're willing to work on this issue in particular. Yeah,
(03:51):
I mean, part of this is that the base event
Obamacare program is not going to be affected. What's going
to be affected is the enhancements that the Democrats added,
when they have the majorities. But we're willing to have
that conversation. But you got to do that. You can't
do that in the context of a hostage taking situation.
Did they win the hostage taking situation? As far as
(04:11):
the politics here, because there's a lot of people that
are going to see their healthcare premiums skyrock, Yeah, and
in that marketplace, which represents about seven percent of the
American people who get their insurance through the Obamacare exchanges,
particularly those that are above the four hundred percent poverty level,
which is where the Biden COVID bonus is kicked in. Yeah,
(04:33):
there's seeing some increase. Now, there are other things they
can do, they can shift around at different markets, But
the fact of the matter is we're open to fixing
and addressing this, but you've got to do it in
a way bread that actually solves the problem and lowers costs.
If you stay on this path right now with all
the waste, fraud, and abuse, The same thing is true
today that I said last September, and that is that
there are no income caps, there are zero dollar premiums.
(04:55):
There are literally millions of people in the exchange. You
don't even know they're covered because the payments directly from
the federal government to the insurance companies, and so people
are automatically they're auto or rolled by the insurance companies.
And there's no accountability in this program. And the Government
Accountability Office sisted and audited this program and of the
twenty FAY claims they submitted, nineteen of them got approved.
(05:17):
That's a ninety five percent failure rate. So it's got
to be reformed and we're open to that, and if
the Democrats want to work with us, we won't get
it done before the Christmas holiday, but we come back
in January. There are discussions that are going on right now.
We have folks who are interested in fixing it.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
There seems to be real momentum now by Republicans because
of this amount of fraud that they should oppose the
extensions of the ACA and the premium tax credits because
there needs to be reformed. The insufficient fraud protections in
the Democratic proposals is also a major problem. Democrats don't
(05:55):
want to fix this problem because they're biggest donors, which
is the healthcare industry. The health insurance companies are giving
them millions and millions of dollars in campaign donations, and
that's exactly why Democrats are doing this right now now.
Pressuring Democrats to include verification and anti fraud measures in
(06:17):
these subsidy extensions is something Republicans need to mandate. Center
Thune and other Senate Republicans have framed the debate as, quote,
you can't extend subsidies without fixing fraud and integrity issues first.
They want legitimate legislative language requiring stricter eligibility checks and
(06:39):
stronger fraud deterrence mechanisms before supporting further funding. Now here's
also with the House Speaker Mike Johnson had to say
about this on CNBC of the covid.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Era enhanced subsidy, the premium tax credit has been a
big issue around here of debate for months now. We
knew that we were coming to the end of the
year when it would expire. And remember, the Democrats created
this COVID era subsidy. They are the ones that put
the expiration date on it. And now they're turning to
Republicans as if we should we should save that in
(07:12):
some way, we couldn't find consensus on it with the
body in order to pass it. Here's the reason everybody
needs to understand there's a false narrative out there about
these these subsidies. Its subsidized in insurance companies, and when
you do that, you're masking the costs, the rising cost
of healthcare, and you're rising making the premiums rise even further.
But here's here's the false narrative. The Democrats are pretending
(07:35):
as though this affects everybody in the country. It affects
seven percent of Americans this extended subsidy. And of those,
even if it was extended without any reforms at all,
it would only reduce that small group of Americans premiums
by five point seven percent.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
The Democrats are a million Americans. No, I understand the
ass is not for everybody, but it's twenty two to
twenty four million Americans and a Republican some Republican Republicans
whose districts are going to face some real trouble and
some real issues with us. We've talked to some of them.
I understand that Michael Awler from New York was particularly
(08:12):
upset yesterday that he was kind of furious about it. Said,
it's idiotic, it's political malpractice. That's what he told Axios.
On some of this. They said they could hear him
yelling from outside the room yesterday where all of.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You were meeting.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, no, no, I was in that room with him
and Mike Lauler's one of my close friends. In fact,
I was with him in his district in New York
City just two weeks ago, campaigning for a couple of days,
raising him money and helping him get reelected. He's an
essential member of our conference and a really smart guy.
And what he was arguing for is this seven percent
of Americans. But here's the point. What we're going to
do today is the first of multiple steps to help
(08:48):
not just seven percent of Americans, but one hundred percent
of Americans reduce their premiums, actually reduce their premiums, not
subsidized insurance companies to raise the premiums, but reduce them.
And the first of those votes is today. This is
the Lower Premiums for All Americans Act we're going to
have on the floor, and it's going to actually achieve
if it's signed in a law, exactly what we're saying.
(09:08):
It has many components. Among them are the cost sharing
reduction programs, which will reduce all premiums across the board
by at least eleven percent, and by the way, save
taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. We have the Health
Association Health plans that will be a part of this today,
which will give more flexibility to small businesses and others,
and insurance in the marketplace. You've got PBM transparency as
(09:31):
a part of this, and the choice accounts, so there'll
be a lot more flexibility in the system. Consumers will
be able to have more choices and their cost will
go down. Will also increase access to care through these reforms,
and again this is just the first of many. We're
going to do more of this in the first quarter
of next year. Republicans are the ones who will fix healthcare.
(09:52):
It is the Democrats who broke it.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Republicans will fix healthcare, and Democrats are the ones who
broke it. Operation Overlord the D Day Beaches. You and
I share a passion for history, so I hope you'll
join me next spring on the D Day Beaches in Normandy.
That's right, the invasion that sealed Hitler's doom. O Maha
and Utah. You're gonna discover the sacred patch of sand
(10:17):
with me. Ten days in Europe luxury hotels and fully
escorted by America's leading expert on France and the D
Day invasion. Can chase fifty seven fifty seven and that
includes your airfare. You're going to stand at General Patton's
grave site by Stone Point Duhal and Mulberry Harbor. Call
my friends a Conservative Tours on your cell phone. Just
(10:39):
dial pound two fifty and say the keyword Conservative Tours,
or go to Conservativetours dot com an A plus rating
with the BBB all your sight seeing in Paris too,
Dial pound two fifty say the keyword Conservative Tours. You'll
have the option to receive a one time auto dialed
text message from my Heart Media. It is a major
(11:03):
move from the Trump administration that we all should be celebrating.
RFK Junior has announced actions finally some sanity against transgender
procedures being done on children. As RFK Junior put it,
it is not medicine, it is mal practice and there's
(11:24):
many who are getting rich off of this practice. The
Trump administration is taking six decisive actions against transgender procedures
on children, Health and Human Services Secretary announced on Thursday.
According to the press release detailing the actions, HHS is
aiming to carry out President Donald Trump's executive order directing
(11:48):
HHS to end the practice of sex rejecting procedures on
children that expose young people to irreversible harm. Quote unquote,
the doctors assume a solemn obligation to protect children. Doctors
across the country now provide needless and irreversible sex rejecting
(12:12):
procedures that violate their sacred hippocratic oath, endangering the very
lives that they are sworn to safeguard, Kennedy said during
the announcement. He went on to say more, and I
want you to listen to what he had to say.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Doctors assume a solemn obligation to protect children. Doctors across
the country now provide needless and irreversible sex rejecting procedures
that violate their sacred hypocritical oaths and dagering the very
lives that they are sworn to safeguard. The American Medical
Association the American Academy of Pediatrics mettle the lie that
(12:50):
chemical and surgical sex rejecting procedures could be good for
children who suffer from gender this asphoria. They betray the
estimated three hundred thousand American youths ages thirteen to seventeen
conditioned to believe that sex can be changed. They betrayed
their hippocratic oath to do no harm. So called gender
(13:12):
affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on
vulnerable young people. This is not medicine, it is malpractice.
We're done with junk science driven by ideological pursuits, not
the well being of children. A beer reviewed report published
(13:33):
by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
last month confirms that sex rejecting procedures imposed medical dangers
and lasting harm on children who receive these interventions. So
today we are taking six decisive actions, guided by gold
standard science and the week one executive order from President
(13:57):
Trump to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation. This
morning I signed a declaration sex rejecting procedures are neither
safe nor effective treatment for children with genderness.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
For you, it's really sad that it took this long
for us to get back on track, with the insanity
of the medical community and the radical left that have
been forcing this for years and ruining young people's lives.
I love the fact that there RFK Junior said quote,
We're done with junk science driven by ideological pursuits, not
(14:31):
the well being of children. A peer reviewed report published
by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health
last month confirmed that sexual rejecting procedures impose major medical
dangers and lasting harm on children who receive these interventions.
These six decisive actions, guided by what he described as
(14:55):
the gold standard of science, as well as the executive
order from the present is it's about one thing, protecting
children from chemical and surgical manipulation. The Centers for Medical
and Medicaid Services will release a notice by the way
of proposed rulemaking to bar hospitals from performing sex rejecting
(15:17):
procedures on children under the age of eighteen as a
condition a participation of Medicare and Medicaid programs. Nearly all
US hospitals participate in Medicare and Medicaid, and this action
is designed to ensure that the US government will not
be in the business with organizations that intentionally or unintentionally
(15:38):
inflict permanent harm on children. The CMS is proposing this
rulemaking pursuant to its long standing authority, and they say
it is the Social Security Act as well, which authorize
the agency to establish standards necessary to protect patient health
and safety of Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals now to
(15:58):
Health and Human Services, say Terry Kennedy Junior, today signing
this declaration based on the peer review report finding that
the procedures do not meet professionally recognize standards of health care,
and under the declaration, practitioners who perform sex rejecting procedures
on minors would be deemed out of compliance with these standards.
(16:21):
The CMS administrator, doctor Oz, in a statement, said this
children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions performed on them
that carry life altering risks with no reliable evidence of benefit.
This proposal, he went on to say, seeks to clarify
(16:41):
that hospitals participating in our program cannot conduct these unproven
procedures on children. CMS will ensure that federal program standards
reflect our responsibility to promote the health and safety of children.
The press release also note so that the AHHS is
working to reverse the Biden administration's attempt to include gender
(17:05):
dysphoria within the definition of a disability. That's the loophole.
This all represents a drastic change, by the way, from
the Biden administration, which actually had Rachel Levine, a man
who believes he is a woman, serve as the assistant
sigcretary for health. While advocating for transgender procedures on children.
(17:29):
For example, Levin said quote, it only takes one supportive
adult to increase a queer young person's quality of life
and reduce the risk of self harm. It can be
a parent or family member, but it may not be.
It can be a doctor, coach, or other supportive figure,
even if they don't work in healthcare, asserting that transgender procedures,
(17:51):
or as the left calls them, gender affirming care, are
medically necessary, safe, and effective for transgendered and non binary youth,
thad and adults. That is literally the policy of the
Biden administration. It is again shocking that it took us
this long to get back to sanity. He also went
on to claim in the same speech, those who attack
(18:14):
our LGBTQ plus community are driven by an agenda that
has nothing to do with science and medicine, which brings
me to one final point. How did we get to this?
It's real simple, follow the money. A perfect example is
Vanderbilt University. They were making millions of dollars and basically
(18:36):
looking at children his cash cows because they know that
once you start the process, the treatments and the drugs
never stop, because you're trying to fake your body into
believing it's the opposite sex of what it actually is.
And what did Vanderbilt University do And how bad did
they want to get these kids and take all their
money for the rest of their lives while Vanderbilt had
(18:59):
what they described is gender affirming care and a buddy
system to normalize their treatment. Take a listen to the
trans Buddy program coordinator who is on tape.
Speaker 6 (19:12):
My name is Sean Riley and I am the program
coordinator for Transbuddy at the Program for LGBTQ Health at
Vanderbilt University. Transbudy provides trained peer advocates for transgender patients
who are coming for doctor's appointments or other healthcare related services.
Speaker 7 (19:27):
Whether you're looking for something that's related to medical transitions
such as formone therapy, or something completely unrelated like breaking
an arm or going to an ant, we are here
to help support any transgender patients that come through our doors.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
The Transputty program was organically created through the efforts of
transgender people and continues to consistently be led by.
Speaker 7 (19:47):
Trans people in Middle Tennessee. Transputy program is one of
a kind in the nation, and institutions are looking to
Vanderbilt to replicate and expand programs like ours.
Speaker 8 (19:56):
We're not seeking to find solutions often for people's problems,
or just to be there and to a company and
to be a friendly face and to be a non
medical face in a place where everybody coming in the
room is going to be a healthcare provider and may
be unsafe.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Nothing says healthcare like playing lullaby music for children while
trying to recruit them. Vanderbilt also said the time that
they had some individuals who started gender firming hormones at thirteen.
Why because they can make millions. So here we are
another example of the President of the United States of
America working with his administration to protect our children from
(20:41):
the radicals at Vanderbilt University and other universities claiming as
healthcare when really it's all about making money. Could it
be that the media and the Democrats got it wrong
yet again on the economy, The same people that to
convince you that there was no such thing as Biden inflation,
(21:04):
and instead they want you to believe that the economy
was incredible shape when Joe Biden was in office. Well,
once Donald Trump got elected, they want you to believe
everything is terrible. Well guess what. Now there's more data
show they're just a bunch of liars. And this time
it was bigger than even conservatives could have imagined. There
was a sharp and honestly an unexpected tumble. Not a decline,
(21:29):
but a tumble in inflation to two point seven percent
is more than just positive data point. It's a clear
rebuke of the economic pessimism pushed by critics of President
Donald Trump. It's also a powerful validation of Trump policies
that his administration has been advancing. Saying, trust me, it's
(21:51):
going to work. The White House was absolutely right. For months,
economists and political opponents of Donald Trump have warned that
Trump's aggressive economic agenda, including the tariffs that have brought
in record dollars to the US, the energy expansion, deregulation,
and pressure on global trade partners, would fuel, as they
(22:15):
described it, inflation. Instead, the opposite has happened. Inflation not
only did it not spike, it fell in a major way,
and it fell faster than anyone, including those at the
White House were even willing to mention, much less claim
it was going to become a reality. Energy dominance is
(22:36):
doing exactly by the way, what Donald Trump said it
was going to do. One of the biggest drivers behind
the falling inflation is energy prices, and this is where
Trump's policies are having an outsized impact. Under Trump, federal
barriers to domestic oil and gas production have been rolled back,
leasing and drilling approvals have accelerated. The administration signaled that
(23:00):
America would return to energy independence in even a bigger
way than it did when he was in office the
first time. That confidence alone stabilized the markets, and then
when supply expectations rise, prices fall not just at the
pump but across the entire economy, which is exactly what
we are now witnessing having a huge impact on inflation.
(23:24):
Lower energy costs, reduced transportation expenses, manufacturing input costs, and
grocery distribution prices. All of that good for the economy.
As President Trump said on the campaign trail, energy and
the price touches everything. Trump understood that from day one,
(23:45):
and inflation numbers are now proving him to be exactly right.
We also know that the media and the Democrats lied
to you about the tariffs. They said over and over
and over again, the tariffs were going to caused massive inflation.
They said that shelves would be empty at places like Target, Walmart, Costco,
(24:07):
and Sam's Club. That also never happened. One of the
loudest criticisms of President Trump's economic strategy was by the
left of the media, and they said the tariffs would
not only raise consumer prices, but there would be massive
supply chain issues. They then said that would make inflation
skyrocket even more. That argument has also now flat out collapsed.
(24:31):
What actually happened is this, the tariffs pressured foreign producers
to actually absorb the costs that did not get passed
on to Americans the way that the left tried to
claim supply chains adjusted instead of breaking again, no empty
shelves and no backlogs of basic necessities that Americans need.
(24:53):
That was also a lie. It also had another huge impact.
American manufacturing expanded rapidly, reducing the reliance on volatile foreign inputs,
something the President said was a part of us having
security and safety literally on a national security forefront. Instead
of inflation spiraling upwards, which the left in the media
(25:16):
said was a guaranteed thing. Prices stabilized and markets recalibrated.
Trump's tariffs weren't random, they were targeted leverage, forcing fairness,
and restoring balance. Inflation falling to two point seven percent
shows that smart trade and enforcement doesn't punish the consumers,
(25:40):
it actually protects them. And then the issue of deregulation,
that is something that had a huge impact on the
numbers we're witnessing right now. Deregulation reduced hidden inflation, and
Americans have never been able to see the receipts before
until Trump got into office. Inflation isn't just about sticker prices.
(26:00):
It's also about compliance costs, regulatory delays, and bureaucratic drag
from a government that just got way too big. Trump
administration said, hey, we're going to cut thousands of pages
of federal regulations. We're going to reduce permitting delays, We're
going to lower compliance costs for small and medium sized
(26:22):
businesses with something else they said was vitally important. And
when businesses spend less money navigating Washington, that's when you
get what we're witnessing right now. Products that are faster
the market. They end up hiring more people and they
keep prices lower. This invisible inflation, as the White House
(26:42):
described it, rarely makes headlines, but removing it has a real,
end measured effect. The two point seven percent inflation figure
reflects those savings working their way through the economy, and
then it comes down to confidence has returned to the
marketplace and the markets have actually responded. Inflation is also psychological.
(27:05):
When consumers and businesses believe prices will rise, they behave
in ways that make it happen well. Trump's leadership clearly
restored economic confidence. Businesses began investing again, consumers stopped panic buying,
markets adjusted expectations downwards. That confidence reduces volatility, and volatility
(27:28):
is a major inflation driver. Washington elites expected chaos, the
markets and the people saw clarity and they understood the
rules of the game because of a president that was transparent,
which brings us to fiscal discipline, and that was reassuring
itself to the American people. A renewed emphasis on fiscal
(27:50):
restraint of our government DOGE was a large part of that. Again,
made people feel more confident in their government. Trump is
consistently pushed for cutting weight wasteful spending, targeted, bloated bureaucracies,
and challenged runaway federal programs. Even the signal of restraint matters.
When investors and lenders believe government spending will be controlled,
(28:13):
inflation expectations drop, which is exactly what we're seeing now.
All of this has turned into one thing. Now it's
showing in the real numbers. So what is the massive
takeaway from this? This is a gigantic wind for every American,
especially lower and middle class American families. The drop in
(28:34):
inflation to two point seven percent didn't happen by accident,
and it didn't happen despite Donald Trump's policies. It happened
because of Donald Trump's policies. Energy dominance lowered costs, economy
wide tariffs restored balance without triggering price spikes. Deregulation reduced
(28:55):
hidden inflation, confidence returned to the markets, fiscal disciplines, stability.
The so called experts yet again predicted disaster. The data
delivered a reality check to them. So this inflation report
isn't just good news. It's proof that Trump's economic playbook
works even under intense political and global pressure. Thank goodness,
(29:19):
we have a present that's willing to stay the course.
And not chase an approval rating number. And now what
we're witnessing is the real effects of what Trump's economy
is at the end of his first year. And now
you know what to expect moving into twenty twenty six.
Don't forget to share this podcast, by the way, with
your family and your friends on social media wherever you
(29:40):
can hit that subscribe or auto download button and I'll
talk to you again tomorrow.
Fraud has become a major headline, especially when it deals
with the Affordable Care Act, which we now know is
anything but affordable. And now we're finding out more about
your tax dollars going to insurance programs companies, and in
fact the beneficiaries don't even know it's even giving them coverage.
(00:22):
I want to take you backwards to where we learned
a lot of this from the GOA fraud investigation. The
Government Accountability Office, used by Republicans of the centerpiece of
their new expose A has found significant fraud vulnerabilities in
how the ACA, the Affordable Care Act marketplace processes enrollment
(00:44):
and taxpayer subsidies. Some of the key findings are truly shocking.
The GOA created fictitious applicants with fake or invalid social
Security numbers, and the ACA marketplace still approved them for
subsidies and policies. In fact, nearly all of the fake
applicants were accepted. The report found instances of duplicate and
(01:08):
repeated subcy payments tied to the same social security numbers,
including one social Security number appearing on many separate policies,
and that suggested poor verification systems. In other words, the
insurance companies know that they're going to get paid for
people that don't deserve the coverage, but who cares if
(01:30):
you're getting paid. Tens of thousands of subcy payments also
were connected to deceased individuals as well. That's right, your
tax dollar is going to dead people. And what better
client for these big insurance comings than someone that's literally dead.
You don't have to worry about any claims at all.
(01:50):
It's free money, all because of fraud. We also now
know that the payments were going to brokers. Brokers were
able to enroll a lot of people and switch plans
on half of people without clear verification procedures. What does
that mean? Big incentives for them, Commissions going for each
(02:11):
person they were signing up, including multiple people under the
same Social Security number, or dead people all together. The
estimates are also rising. Republicans are now suggesting billions, not
hundreds of millions, but billions in improper payments annually, including
potentially twenty seven billion they're now saying in inproper subsidy payments,
(02:37):
though exact figures are hard to find why because there's
so much fraud now, Republicans are now demanding that the
system be changed because it is filled with systemic fraud, waste,
and abuse in the ACA marketplace known as Obamacare. It's
costing taxpayers and then driving up dreemiums for legitimate human
(03:01):
beings that aren't dead, legitimate enrollees. And that is where
John Thune comes in. Center thom the Democrat from South Dakota,
and other GOP leaders are now citing the GOA findings
as a justification for opposing the extension of the Affordable
Care Act and the premium tax credits without structural reforms.
(03:25):
Here's Center Thune talking about Obamacare and just how broken
the system is.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Option a little over a decade ago, premiums have gone
up two hundred and twenty one percent. Here's what you
said last time we talked end of September. The premium
tax credit issue is something we're willing to have a
conversation about. But the fact of the matter is it
is rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. It needs reforms.
But you're willing to work on this issue in particular. Yeah,
(03:51):
I mean, part of this is that the base event
Obamacare program is not going to be affected. What's going
to be affected is the enhancements that the Democrats added,
when they have the majorities. But we're willing to have
that conversation. But you got to do that. You can't
do that in the context of a hostage taking situation.
Did they win the hostage taking situation? As far as
(04:11):
the politics here, because there's a lot of people that
are going to see their healthcare premiums skyrock, Yeah, and
in that marketplace, which represents about seven percent of the
American people who get their insurance through the Obamacare exchanges,
particularly those that are above the four hundred percent poverty level,
which is where the Biden COVID bonus is kicked in. Yeah,
(04:33):
there's seeing some increase. Now, there are other things they
can do, they can shift around at different markets, But
the fact of the matter is we're open to fixing
and addressing this, but you've got to do it in
a way bread that actually solves the problem and lowers costs.
If you stay on this path right now with all
the waste, fraud, and abuse, The same thing is true
today that I said last September, and that is that
there are no income caps, there are zero dollar premiums.
(04:55):
There are literally millions of people in the exchange. You
don't even know they're covered because the payments directly from
the federal government to the insurance companies, and so people
are automatically they're auto or rolled by the insurance companies.
And there's no accountability in this program. And the Government
Accountability Office sisted and audited this program and of the
twenty FAY claims they submitted, nineteen of them got approved.
(05:17):
That's a ninety five percent failure rate. So it's got
to be reformed and we're open to that, and if
the Democrats want to work with us, we won't get
it done before the Christmas holiday, but we come back
in January. There are discussions that are going on right now.
We have folks who are interested in fixing it.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
There seems to be real momentum now by Republicans because
of this amount of fraud that they should oppose the
extensions of the ACA and the premium tax credits because
there needs to be reformed. The insufficient fraud protections in
the Democratic proposals is also a major problem. Democrats don't
(05:55):
want to fix this problem because they're biggest donors, which
is the healthcare industry. The health insurance companies are giving
them millions and millions of dollars in campaign donations, and
that's exactly why Democrats are doing this right now now.
Pressuring Democrats to include verification and anti fraud measures in
(06:17):
these subsidy extensions is something Republicans need to mandate. Center
Thune and other Senate Republicans have framed the debate as, quote,
you can't extend subsidies without fixing fraud and integrity issues first.
They want legitimate legislative language requiring stricter eligibility checks and
(06:39):
stronger fraud deterrence mechanisms before supporting further funding. Now here's
also with the House Speaker Mike Johnson had to say
about this on CNBC of the covid.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Era enhanced subsidy, the premium tax credit has been a
big issue around here of debate for months now. We
knew that we were coming to the end of the
year when it would expire. And remember, the Democrats created
this COVID era subsidy. They are the ones that put
the expiration date on it. And now they're turning to
Republicans as if we should we should save that in
(07:12):
some way, we couldn't find consensus on it with the
body in order to pass it. Here's the reason everybody
needs to understand there's a false narrative out there about
these these subsidies. Its subsidized in insurance companies, and when
you do that, you're masking the costs, the rising cost
of healthcare, and you're rising making the premiums rise even further.
But here's here's the false narrative. The Democrats are pretending
(07:35):
as though this affects everybody in the country. It affects
seven percent of Americans this extended subsidy. And of those,
even if it was extended without any reforms at all,
it would only reduce that small group of Americans premiums
by five point seven percent.
Speaker 4 (07:51):
The Democrats are a million Americans. No, I understand the
ass is not for everybody, but it's twenty two to
twenty four million Americans and a Republican some Republican Republicans
whose districts are going to face some real trouble and
some real issues with us. We've talked to some of them.
I understand that Michael Awler from New York was particularly
(08:12):
upset yesterday that he was kind of furious about it. Said,
it's idiotic, it's political malpractice. That's what he told Axios.
On some of this. They said they could hear him
yelling from outside the room yesterday where all of.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You were meeting.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Well, no, no, I was in that room with him
and Mike Lauler's one of my close friends. In fact,
I was with him in his district in New York
City just two weeks ago, campaigning for a couple of days,
raising him money and helping him get reelected. He's an
essential member of our conference and a really smart guy.
And what he was arguing for is this seven percent
of Americans. But here's the point. What we're going to
do today is the first of multiple steps to help
(08:48):
not just seven percent of Americans, but one hundred percent
of Americans reduce their premiums, actually reduce their premiums, not
subsidized insurance companies to raise the premiums, but reduce them.
And the first of those votes is today. This is
the Lower Premiums for All Americans Act we're going to
have on the floor, and it's going to actually achieve
if it's signed in a law, exactly what we're saying.
(09:08):
It has many components. Among them are the cost sharing
reduction programs, which will reduce all premiums across the board
by at least eleven percent, and by the way, save
taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. We have the Health
Association Health plans that will be a part of this today,
which will give more flexibility to small businesses and others,
and insurance in the marketplace. You've got PBM transparency as
(09:31):
a part of this, and the choice accounts, so there'll
be a lot more flexibility in the system. Consumers will
be able to have more choices and their cost will
go down. Will also increase access to care through these reforms,
and again this is just the first of many. We're
going to do more of this in the first quarter
of next year. Republicans are the ones who will fix healthcare.
(09:52):
It is the Democrats who broke it.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Republicans will fix healthcare, and Democrats are the ones who
broke it. Operation Overlord the D Day Beaches. You and
I share a passion for history, so I hope you'll
join me next spring on the D Day Beaches in Normandy.
That's right, the invasion that sealed Hitler's doom. O Maha
and Utah. You're gonna discover the sacred patch of sand
(10:17):
with me. Ten days in Europe luxury hotels and fully
escorted by America's leading expert on France and the D
Day invasion. Can chase fifty seven fifty seven and that
includes your airfare. You're going to stand at General Patton's
grave site by Stone Point Duhal and Mulberry Harbor. Call
my friends a Conservative Tours on your cell phone. Just
(10:39):
dial pound two fifty and say the keyword Conservative Tours,
or go to Conservativetours dot com an A plus rating
with the BBB all your sight seeing in Paris too,
Dial pound two fifty say the keyword Conservative Tours. You'll
have the option to receive a one time auto dialed
text message from my Heart Media. It is a major
(11:03):
move from the Trump administration that we all should be celebrating.
RFK Junior has announced actions finally some sanity against transgender
procedures being done on children. As RFK Junior put it,
it is not medicine, it is mal practice and there's
(11:24):
many who are getting rich off of this practice. The
Trump administration is taking six decisive actions against transgender procedures
on children, Health and Human Services Secretary announced on Thursday.
According to the press release detailing the actions, HHS is
aiming to carry out President Donald Trump's executive order directing
(11:48):
HHS to end the practice of sex rejecting procedures on
children that expose young people to irreversible harm. Quote unquote,
the doctors assume a solemn obligation to protect children. Doctors
across the country now provide needless and irreversible sex rejecting
(12:12):
procedures that violate their sacred hippocratic oath, endangering the very
lives that they are sworn to safeguard, Kennedy said during
the announcement. He went on to say more, and I
want you to listen to what he had to say.
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Doctors assume a solemn obligation to protect children. Doctors across
the country now provide needless and irreversible sex rejecting procedures
that violate their sacred hypocritical oaths and dagering the very
lives that they are sworn to safeguard. The American Medical
Association the American Academy of Pediatrics mettle the lie that
(12:50):
chemical and surgical sex rejecting procedures could be good for
children who suffer from gender this asphoria. They betray the
estimated three hundred thousand American youths ages thirteen to seventeen
conditioned to believe that sex can be changed. They betrayed
their hippocratic oath to do no harm. So called gender
(13:12):
affirming care has inflicted lasting physical and psychological damage on
vulnerable young people. This is not medicine, it is malpractice.
We're done with junk science driven by ideological pursuits, not
the well being of children. A beer reviewed report published
(13:33):
by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
last month confirms that sex rejecting procedures imposed medical dangers
and lasting harm on children who receive these interventions. So
today we are taking six decisive actions, guided by gold
standard science and the week one executive order from President
(13:57):
Trump to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation. This
morning I signed a declaration sex rejecting procedures are neither
safe nor effective treatment for children with genderness.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
For you, it's really sad that it took this long
for us to get back on track, with the insanity
of the medical community and the radical left that have
been forcing this for years and ruining young people's lives.
I love the fact that there RFK Junior said quote,
We're done with junk science driven by ideological pursuits, not
(14:31):
the well being of children. A peer reviewed report published
by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health
last month confirmed that sexual rejecting procedures impose major medical
dangers and lasting harm on children who receive these interventions.
These six decisive actions, guided by what he described as
(14:55):
the gold standard of science, as well as the executive
order from the present is it's about one thing, protecting
children from chemical and surgical manipulation. The Centers for Medical
and Medicaid Services will release a notice by the way
of proposed rulemaking to bar hospitals from performing sex rejecting
(15:17):
procedures on children under the age of eighteen as a
condition a participation of Medicare and Medicaid programs. Nearly all
US hospitals participate in Medicare and Medicaid, and this action
is designed to ensure that the US government will not
be in the business with organizations that intentionally or unintentionally
(15:38):
inflict permanent harm on children. The CMS is proposing this
rulemaking pursuant to its long standing authority, and they say
it is the Social Security Act as well, which authorize
the agency to establish standards necessary to protect patient health
and safety of Medicare and Medicaid participating hospitals now to
(15:58):
Health and Human Services, say Terry Kennedy Junior, today signing
this declaration based on the peer review report finding that
the procedures do not meet professionally recognize standards of health care,
and under the declaration, practitioners who perform sex rejecting procedures
on minors would be deemed out of compliance with these standards.
(16:21):
The CMS administrator, doctor Oz, in a statement, said this
children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions performed on them
that carry life altering risks with no reliable evidence of benefit.
This proposal, he went on to say, seeks to clarify
(16:41):
that hospitals participating in our program cannot conduct these unproven
procedures on children. CMS will ensure that federal program standards
reflect our responsibility to promote the health and safety of children.
The press release also note so that the AHHS is
working to reverse the Biden administration's attempt to include gender
(17:05):
dysphoria within the definition of a disability. That's the loophole.
This all represents a drastic change, by the way, from
the Biden administration, which actually had Rachel Levine, a man
who believes he is a woman, serve as the assistant
sigcretary for health. While advocating for transgender procedures on children.
(17:29):
For example, Levin said quote, it only takes one supportive
adult to increase a queer young person's quality of life
and reduce the risk of self harm. It can be
a parent or family member, but it may not be.
It can be a doctor, coach, or other supportive figure,
even if they don't work in healthcare, asserting that transgender procedures,
(17:51):
or as the left calls them, gender affirming care, are
medically necessary, safe, and effective for transgendered and non binary youth,
thad and adults. That is literally the policy of the
Biden administration. It is again shocking that it took us
this long to get back to sanity. He also went
on to claim in the same speech, those who attack
(18:14):
our LGBTQ plus community are driven by an agenda that
has nothing to do with science and medicine, which brings
me to one final point. How did we get to this?
It's real simple, follow the money. A perfect example is
Vanderbilt University. They were making millions of dollars and basically
(18:36):
looking at children his cash cows because they know that
once you start the process, the treatments and the drugs
never stop, because you're trying to fake your body into
believing it's the opposite sex of what it actually is.
And what did Vanderbilt University do And how bad did
they want to get these kids and take all their
money for the rest of their lives while Vanderbilt had
(18:59):
what they described is gender affirming care and a buddy
system to normalize their treatment. Take a listen to the
trans Buddy program coordinator who is on tape.
Speaker 6 (19:12):
My name is Sean Riley and I am the program
coordinator for Transbuddy at the Program for LGBTQ Health at
Vanderbilt University. Transbudy provides trained peer advocates for transgender patients
who are coming for doctor's appointments or other healthcare related services.
Speaker 7 (19:27):
Whether you're looking for something that's related to medical transitions
such as formone therapy, or something completely unrelated like breaking
an arm or going to an ant, we are here
to help support any transgender patients that come through our doors.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
The Transputty program was organically created through the efforts of
transgender people and continues to consistently be led by.
Speaker 7 (19:47):
Trans people in Middle Tennessee. Transputy program is one of
a kind in the nation, and institutions are looking to
Vanderbilt to replicate and expand programs like ours.
Speaker 8 (19:56):
We're not seeking to find solutions often for people's problems,
or just to be there and to a company and
to be a friendly face and to be a non
medical face in a place where everybody coming in the
room is going to be a healthcare provider and may
be unsafe.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Nothing says healthcare like playing lullaby music for children while
trying to recruit them. Vanderbilt also said the time that
they had some individuals who started gender firming hormones at thirteen.
Why because they can make millions. So here we are
another example of the President of the United States of
America working with his administration to protect our children from
(20:41):
the radicals at Vanderbilt University and other universities claiming as
healthcare when really it's all about making money. Could it
be that the media and the Democrats got it wrong
yet again on the economy, The same people that to
convince you that there was no such thing as Biden inflation,
(21:04):
and instead they want you to believe that the economy
was incredible shape when Joe Biden was in office. Well,
once Donald Trump got elected, they want you to believe
everything is terrible. Well guess what. Now there's more data
show they're just a bunch of liars. And this time
it was bigger than even conservatives could have imagined. There
was a sharp and honestly an unexpected tumble. Not a decline,
(21:29):
but a tumble in inflation to two point seven percent
is more than just positive data point. It's a clear
rebuke of the economic pessimism pushed by critics of President
Donald Trump. It's also a powerful validation of Trump policies
that his administration has been advancing. Saying, trust me, it's
(21:51):
going to work. The White House was absolutely right. For months,
economists and political opponents of Donald Trump have warned that
Trump's aggressive economic agenda, including the tariffs that have brought
in record dollars to the US, the energy expansion, deregulation,
and pressure on global trade partners, would fuel, as they
(22:15):
described it, inflation. Instead, the opposite has happened. Inflation not
only did it not spike, it fell in a major way,
and it fell faster than anyone, including those at the
White House were even willing to mention, much less claim
it was going to become a reality. Energy dominance is
(22:36):
doing exactly by the way, what Donald Trump said it
was going to do. One of the biggest drivers behind
the falling inflation is energy prices, and this is where
Trump's policies are having an outsized impact. Under Trump, federal
barriers to domestic oil and gas production have been rolled back,
leasing and drilling approvals have accelerated. The administration signaled that
(23:00):
America would return to energy independence in even a bigger
way than it did when he was in office the
first time. That confidence alone stabilized the markets, and then
when supply expectations rise, prices fall not just at the
pump but across the entire economy, which is exactly what
we are now witnessing having a huge impact on inflation.
(23:24):
Lower energy costs, reduced transportation expenses, manufacturing input costs, and
grocery distribution prices. All of that good for the economy.
As President Trump said on the campaign trail, energy and
the price touches everything. Trump understood that from day one,
(23:45):
and inflation numbers are now proving him to be exactly right.
We also know that the media and the Democrats lied
to you about the tariffs. They said over and over
and over again, the tariffs were going to caused massive inflation.
They said that shelves would be empty at places like Target, Walmart, Costco,
(24:07):
and Sam's Club. That also never happened. One of the
loudest criticisms of President Trump's economic strategy was by the
left of the media, and they said the tariffs would
not only raise consumer prices, but there would be massive
supply chain issues. They then said that would make inflation
skyrocket even more. That argument has also now flat out collapsed.
(24:31):
What actually happened is this, the tariffs pressured foreign producers
to actually absorb the costs that did not get passed
on to Americans the way that the left tried to
claim supply chains adjusted instead of breaking again, no empty
shelves and no backlogs of basic necessities that Americans need.
(24:53):
That was also a lie. It also had another huge impact.
American manufacturing expanded rapidly, reducing the reliance on volatile foreign inputs,
something the President said was a part of us having
security and safety literally on a national security forefront. Instead
of inflation spiraling upwards, which the left in the media
(25:16):
said was a guaranteed thing. Prices stabilized and markets recalibrated.
Trump's tariffs weren't random, they were targeted leverage, forcing fairness,
and restoring balance. Inflation falling to two point seven percent
shows that smart trade and enforcement doesn't punish the consumers,
(25:40):
it actually protects them. And then the issue of deregulation,
that is something that had a huge impact on the
numbers we're witnessing right now. Deregulation reduced hidden inflation, and
Americans have never been able to see the receipts before
until Trump got into office. Inflation isn't just about sticker prices.
(26:00):
It's also about compliance costs, regulatory delays, and bureaucratic drag
from a government that just got way too big. Trump
administration said, hey, we're going to cut thousands of pages
of federal regulations. We're going to reduce permitting delays, We're
going to lower compliance costs for small and medium sized
(26:22):
businesses with something else they said was vitally important. And
when businesses spend less money navigating Washington, that's when you
get what we're witnessing right now. Products that are faster
the market. They end up hiring more people and they
keep prices lower. This invisible inflation, as the White House
(26:42):
described it, rarely makes headlines, but removing it has a real,
end measured effect. The two point seven percent inflation figure
reflects those savings working their way through the economy, and
then it comes down to confidence has returned to the
marketplace and the markets have actually responded. Inflation is also psychological.
(27:05):
When consumers and businesses believe prices will rise, they behave
in ways that make it happen well. Trump's leadership clearly
restored economic confidence. Businesses began investing again, consumers stopped panic buying,
markets adjusted expectations downwards. That confidence reduces volatility, and volatility
(27:28):
is a major inflation driver. Washington elites expected chaos, the
markets and the people saw clarity and they understood the
rules of the game because of a president that was transparent,
which brings us to fiscal discipline, and that was reassuring
itself to the American people. A renewed emphasis on fiscal
(27:50):
restraint of our government DOGE was a large part of that. Again,
made people feel more confident in their government. Trump is
consistently pushed for cutting weight wasteful spending, targeted, bloated bureaucracies,
and challenged runaway federal programs. Even the signal of restraint matters.
When investors and lenders believe government spending will be controlled,
(28:13):
inflation expectations drop, which is exactly what we're seeing now.
All of this has turned into one thing. Now it's
showing in the real numbers. So what is the massive
takeaway from this? This is a gigantic wind for every American,
especially lower and middle class American families. The drop in
(28:34):
inflation to two point seven percent didn't happen by accident,
and it didn't happen despite Donald Trump's policies. It happened
because of Donald Trump's policies. Energy dominance lowered costs, economy
wide tariffs restored balance without triggering price spikes. Deregulation reduced
(28:55):
hidden inflation, confidence returned to the markets, fiscal disciplines, stability.
The so called experts yet again predicted disaster. The data
delivered a reality check to them. So this inflation report
isn't just good news. It's proof that Trump's economic playbook
works even under intense political and global pressure. Thank goodness,
(29:19):
we have a present that's willing to stay the course.
And not chase an approval rating number. And now what
we're witnessing is the real effects of what Trump's economy
is at the end of his first year. And now
you know what to expect moving into twenty twenty six.
Don't forget to share this podcast, by the way, with
your family and your friends on social media wherever you
(29:40):
can hit that subscribe or auto download button and I'll
talk to you again tomorrow.
Host
Ben Ferguson
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.