Transcript: 'Countdown' with Keith Olbermann (11-17-09)

Here's the complete transcript for Keith Olbermann's 'Countdown' program (11-17-09):

OLBERMANN: Have you decided yet whether you`ll vote for the health care reform bill?

WYDEN: I haven`t and it hasn`t been written. We haven`t seen it. And I`ll just tell you, I`m not going to vote for anything that doesn`t protect the typical consumer. I want the typical consumer to be able to say to their insurance company, "I`m giving you an ultimatum. If you don`t treat me right, I`m taking my business elsewhere." These bills don`t do that and they have to.

OLBERMANN: Your colleague, Senator Carper, claimed tonight that conservative Democrats are not likely to support a public option. You don`t know whether or not you`ll vote for a bill without a public option, because you don`t know what the bill looks like. When the majority whip, Mr. Durbin, says, as he did last night, he`s struggling to find 60 votes. His biggest problem there -- is it the conservative members of the caucus or is it the progressive members of the caucus?

WYDEN: I think what Democrats are saying is, we`ve got to have a bill that works for the typical American, not special interest. That means choice. It means competition.

You look, for example, what the House of Representatives did. They came up with a public option that has 6 million people in it. And they`re going to be mostly folks who`ve been sick and haven`t had coverage.

I look -- today, United Healthcare has 70 million subscribers. Now, how in the world are you going to hold the United Health people accountable with 6 million subscribers? United Health is not going exactly be quaking in their boots over that. And I want real choice and real competition because that`s how you hold the insurance industry accountable.

OLBERMANN: Senator Carper says he doesn`t even like the opt-out because it would be government-funded. So, he`s floated yet another compromise that would be a federal entity run by the government that would negotiate rates with providers based on affordability standards in the states. That`s, I guess, in essence, a trigger option without a delay. What`s your reaction to this latest of the 3,000 proposals?

WYDEN: What concerns many is you could come up with a very small pool of individuals and, again, not get a good deal for the consumer and not be in a position to take the insurance companies on. I mean, the reason members of Congress do well is we`re parts of big pools, Keith. We`ve got low administrative costs. The insurance companies can`t cherry-pick. They can`t discriminate against a member of Congress.

So, I`m not for this opt-out approaches that just reduce the size of the pool because it`s going to be even harder to get competition and choice.