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More Job Losses; Against Obama Healthcare Plan

Aired March 06, 2009 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We go inside the numbers to another career counseling center to find out where help is still wanted.

Big undertaking. Health care overhaul. We talked to two people who were at the negotiating table for the president's summit. It's today's snapshot across America.

And you can get more from the postal service than just stamps. Like how about this mansion? The story sparks outrage from South Carolina to Capitol Hill. It's Friday, March 6th, I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Wall Street started the day bracing for bad news on the nation's unemployment. The new numbers even worse than expected. Earlier this morning, we learned 651,000 Americans lost their jobs last month. Those numbers, as we said, a little worse than expected. Our unemployment rate now stands at 8.1 percent. That is the highest jobless rate in more than a quarter of a century.

The bright spot, though, there were new hirings in education, health care and government jobs. Here's the breakdown along racial lines too. Whites making up 7.3 percent of the nation's unemployed. Blacks nearly 13.5 percent. And Hispanics almost 11 percent. Asians, almost seven percent. A sign of work-place competition. Teens are now more than 21 percent of the jobless.

So happening right now on Capitol Hill, a joint committee hearing on the nation's soaring unemployment rate. Lawmakers will also be looking for signs of what's to come. Among those, scheduled to testify, a Labor Department official who will report recent developments in the labor market.

So where are the jobs? That's the question. And what are employers looking for? The answers can often be found at a career counseling center. So that's where we find our CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis. She is joining us now from Yonkers, New York. Good morning to you, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Heidi, good to see you. We're in an employment center where people are filing in right now to get advice on how to get a job. If you file for unemployment benefits here in the state of New York, you have to come to one of these centers, really to get assistance. And I've actually got a labor service representative with me right now, Steve Allston. He does this kind of work all the time. Steve, tell us a little bit about how many people are coming through the doors. STEVE ALLSTON, LABOR SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE: Oh, Gerri, we're talking about 300 people a week. And that doesn't include our walk- ins, those are just people that are scheduled to be here.

WILLIS: And is that a lot of the people compared to the number you usually have?

ALLSTON: Absolutely. The goal is above the norm. It's double about what we normally see.

WILLIS: A matter of fact you were telling us not too long ago that there were so many folks filing unemployment claims in the state of New York recently that the computer crashed. Did it impact benefits at all?

ALLSTON: No, actually, it didn't impact benefits. The system crashed because we have so many people getting laid off, and with that so many people trying to call in to file a claim. It's - it was bound to happen, because we never experienced the numbers that we're experiencing now. But it was fixed. I'm glad to say. And the problem has been smooth.

WILLIS: All right, Steve. Thanks for that. We want to introduce you to Kajuana over here. She has been looking for a job for some time. Come with me through the employment center over here. Hi, Kajuana. You're busy writing a resume letter. Tell us how long you've been looking for a job, and what is the market like out there?

KAJUANA HINES, JOB SEEKER: I've been looking probably for about three weeks. The market's pretty good. It's just that a lot of more people are looking for the same jobs, so it takes a little bit longer to hear back from these employers, and basically, that's it. But - I mean -

WILLIS: It's a tough environment for you out there. There's lots of competition when you walk in for a job interview. Do you see lots of other folks there?

HINES: Yes, yes. There are a lot of people, but I mean, there is jobs out there, as long as you keep looking for them.

WILLIS: It just takes a little more work, right?

HINES: Yes. Definitely.

WILLIS: All right. Kajuana, thank you for that. So Heidi, you can see people are really looking for jobs. They're going online, looking at some of the job service sites out there. They're getting help from counselors. They're talking to people to get the best information possible on where the jobs are. They actually match people here in specific occupations with specific jobs, really driving them to what's open. But Heidi, for some folks, it's going to be a very long time until they find the job they want.

COLLINS: Yes, unfortunately. Boy, the computers are crashing, and there's so much, you know, influx people trying to find jobs at that place. All right. We sure do appreciate it, Gerri Willis for us in Yonkers, New York this morning.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

COLLINS: And more help is as close as your computer. CNN.com debuts around that, job news from different regions. Look at this now. Latest employment trends as well as tips and advice. You can also see where the job fairs will be in the next month, and share i- reports of your own job search. Great job over there. Just go to our home page, cnn.com, and you will find the link. It's a good one, too.

Let's take a look now at the Dow Jones industrial averages. We are looking at a plus sign there, always a good thing, even though it's just double digits. 56 points to the positive, resting at 6650 right now. We will keep our eye on those numbers as usual right here.

The Senate puts the brakes on a controversial spending bill. The $410 billion bill has been criticized for containing about $8 billion in earmarks. CNN's senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash is joining us now live from Capitol Hill. So Dana, they were supposed to vote today on this budget and now they're not.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Actually, the vote was scheduled late last night, Heidi, and you know, it was about 20 minutes and then 25 minutes, the vote hadn't started and then finally the Senate majority leader came out and said, you know what, we're going to have the vote, we're going to delay the vote. And he was very clear about why. It was because he did not have the votes, the 60 votes needed to get past this procedural hurdle.

So the question, obviously, what happened? Because this is a spending bill to fund the government through the end of the year, coming into this democratic leaders thought that they would be OK, because historically, republicans vote for these kinds of measures. But as you know, we have been talking about this, Heidi, this particular bill raised the spending levels pretty much across the board, an average of eight percent for government agencies, and, of course, those earmarks, those 8,000-plus earmarks, which got a lot of publicity.

Those two things combined had republicans railing against this as wasteful spending, even though we should point out a reality check that a lot of those republican leaders combing this wasteful spending do have earmarks of their own, millions of dollars in earmarks in this bill.

COLLINS: Yes.

BASH: So basically, that is why the Senate majority leader and democrats did not have the votes to move on.

COLLINS: OK.

BASH: They are scrambling for another vote, and they hope to have it by next week. COLLINS: All right. So we'll definitely keep our eye on that. Do me a favor, Dana, this is kind of off-the-cuff, because I'm thinking about all of these billions of dollars that we keep reporting on. So we've got T.A.R.P., we got the economic recovery and reinvestment plan, and we got the health care deal. This is none of those.

BASH: You're exactly right. This is a spending bill to fund the government that was left over from last year. It would fund the government through the end of this particular year, and, in fact, Heidi, the senate and the house, they're going to have to pass a resolution today so that the government doesn't shut down. That's how late this spending bill is.

So it's $410 billion in total, and it is to fund the government this year. But, you know, we have - because you make a really good point. Because we're talking about so many hundreds of billions of dollars, that is supposed to be going to this bad economy. This spending bill, which, again, is a leftover from last year, and it just came at a very bad time.

COLLINS: Yes.

BASH: You're talking about raising spending for government agencies at a time where these lawmakers -

COLLINS: Right.

BASH: - are supposed to be talking about tightening their belts.

COLLINS: Wow. All I can do is keep wondering where the money comes from for all of it, but I think I know the answer to that too, unfortunately. All right. Dana Bash, Capitol Hill, thanks so much.

BASH: Thank you.

COLLINS: President Barack Obama headed right now to Ohio where his focus will be on jobs. At the top of the hour, scheduled to speak at the graduation ceremony for 25 police recruits. He says those jobs are among the first in what he hopes will be a lot saved by or created by the economic recovery plan. Let's get the very latest from White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Hi, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi, we are just getting official word from the administration, reacting to those numbers job numbers -

COLLINS: OK.

MALVEAX: -- from the labor secretary. I just want to read a part of the reaction. Saying that we'll continue to do whatever is necessary to break the destructive cycle of job loss in this country, and put Americans back to work. That includes our plans to restart lending for consumers and small businesses, help responsible homeowners pay their mortgages, and refinance their homes and address the long-term economic challenges we face. The high cost of health care our dependence on oil and the state of our schools.

This coming from the Labor Department, obviously, releasing some very grim news. I just spoke with the chair of the council of economic advisors, Christina Roamer, and she said look, there is no way to spin this. That these are terrible numbers -

COLLINS: Yes.

MALVEAUZ: And that's exactly why they believe this economic stimulus package is so important. That's what we're going to hear from the president later this morning in Columbus, Ohio. He's going to use as a backdrop, essentially, they're 25 police officers or cadets. They went through a six-month training program. They were told by the mayor of Columbus that they were not going to be able to graduate and be hired, because the money just wasn't there.

Well, the mayor actually approached the Obama administration, said, I need some money out of the economic stimulus package. He got 1.25 million, now they're going to graduate and will be hired as police officers. So this is one of those good stories, if you will, in a rather gloomy day. Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. In fact, I think we have a live shot there of the police graduation ceremony. Just kind of throwing that up right now, as we wait for the president to come.

And we talked with Christina Roamer, too, just a little while ago, Suzanne. She is an incredibly cheery person so I hope that sort of translates over to what some of the plans are here for the economic recovery plan.

MALVEAUX: She says they're working really, really hard, and honestly, you have to be optimistic. But even she used the word "terrible" and said no way to spin this today.

COLLINS: Yes, no question. All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks for that. And make sure you stick around, because we will have live coverage of President Obama's remarks on jobs and the economic recovery plan scheduled for the top of the hour, 11:00 Eastern, 8:00 Pacific. We're going to bring it to you live. Columbus, Ohio.

In the red. Raising rates and possibly cutting service. How can the postal service shell out millions for mansions? And a restaurant setting you've got to see to believe. In fact, we don't believe it, either.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Is Craigslist an online bordello? An Illinois sheriff has filed a federal lawsuit against the popular classified ad website. He claims the site promotes prostitution, and he wants the site to eliminate its erotic ads section. A spokeswoman for Craigslist says using the site for criminal purposes is unacceptable. Craigslist has been working with state attorneys general to impose restrictions on the erotic ads. It could be three months before the California Supreme Court issues a decision on same-sex marriage. The court heard arguments yesterday in a bid to overturn a voter approved ban on gay marriage. The justices showed some reluctance. Proponents and supporters of the Proposition 8 measure demonstrated outside the courthouse while the hearing was being held.

Over to our severe weather center now where Reynolds Wolf is standing by with a look at today's forecast. Before that, though, Reynolds, look at his, we got some unbelievable video that we want to show.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right. I'm going to brace myself.

COLLINS: OK. Brace yourself, because, I don't know, this is really good stuff. We are talking about a new restaurant concept, believe it or not, that may make you really want to lose your appetite. Yes, those are toilets. It's the modern toilet restaurant in Hong Kong. And, yes, they do serve the food in those cute little toilets.

WOLF: Wow.

COLLINS: Always a good bet if you want to lose your lunch instead of eating it. There are so many jokes here.

WOLF: Well, it's kind of -

COLLINS: Classy.

WOLF: It's kind of the alpha and the omega of the whole digestive system. You don't want to go any farther than that. But it is the beginning and the end, and it's just morbidly disturbing.

COLLINS: It is really.

WOLF: Look at the seats. Look at what they're sitting on? And what's that thing on the right-hand side of the screen? This is family programming. I don't know if we ought to be showing this.

COLLINS: I know, I know. I'm dying to know how their business does over the course of the next few months. We'll watch that. Listen, also we have this. A cast made of cocaine. Airport police in Barcelona made the discovery when they started taking a closer look at a man coming in from Chile. He said he had cocaine in his luggage and a six-pack of beer in the leg of a stool and then they found it in the cast. He really did have a broken leg, but police think it was broken intentionally in case they tried to x-ray it.

WOLF: Wow.

COLLINS: Sad, right?

WOLF: I just could have found the two most bizarre stories in the planet right there. COLLINS: And we have put them right before you, so you can just take it from there.

WOLF: Lucky me. Let's show you what we have right now. People in Dallas are awfully lucky this morning. Temperatures are quite mild, in the 60s, but we're headed for high temperatures of 84 degrees. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Houston 81 degrees. Kansas City with 71. When you get up to Minneapolis, considerably cooler there, but the big story is going to be that warm-up.

That warm-up is going to continue for a good part of the weekend with parts of the central plains warming up some 20 degrees above normal, same deal for parts of the Ohio Valley, about 20 degrees above normal but at least 10. So many parts of the country that are covered with snow are going to enjoy this nice warm-up over the next couple of days.

Something else that we're going to be dealing with over the next couple of days, the possibility of some severe weather. Today, certainly some scattered showers possible for parts of the Ohio Valley. But look at what's going to happen in parts of Iowa and into northern Missouri. Later today, overnight and into tomorrow, we're going to see that possibility of severe weather spread southward in the central plains to Wichita, possibly Oklahoma City, and by late afternoon we have a chance of dealing with some damaging winds, large hail and perhaps even some isolated tornadoes.

Something else to add into the fray is the potential for some flash flooding in a few areas. Low-lying streets, places where you happen to have, say, poor drainage, that's where the water could really begin to stack up where you have these thunderstorms coming through. So certainly the advice that it could be a stormy weekend. We're going to keep a very sharp eye on this part of the country, and keep you posted on where it's headed. That's coming up.

Keep it here at CNN, and Heidi, send it back to you with less disturbing news.

COLLINS: Yes. I booked us for lunch in Hong Kong, by the way.

WOLF: Whew, gross stuff.

COLLINS: All right. Reynolds, thanks.

Back on the market, a mansion on a lake complete with an indoor pool. Why is the financially strapped postal service buying and selling properties like this?

And remedies for health care. It's our snapshot across America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: For sale signs everywhere you look. Millions of homeowners hoping for just one offer. You're more likely to make a quick sell, though, if you work for the post office. A special investigations unit correspondent Abbi Boudreau has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBI BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT: So where are you showing me?

BILLIE BIERER, NEIGHBOR: This is the house that the post office took over as a relocation package for an employee that transferred to Texas.

BOUDREAU: Oh, wow. It's huge.

BIERER: It is huge.

BOUDERAU: Look at this. It's an 8,400 square-foot home in rural south Carolina. One of the largest on this lake. Six bedrooms, four bathrooms. Two more half baths.

BIERER: It has an indoor swimming pool.

BOUDREAU: I saw those pictures online.

BIERER: Yes.

BOUDREAU: It's pretty gorgeous.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Quite a house.

BOUDREAU: Here's the listing online. A huge living room, gourmet kitchen, hardwood floors, and here's that indoor swimming pool and spa. A CNN investigation found the U.S. Postal Service bought this estate for $1.2 million from an employee who was being relocated.

In fact, the post office has purchased more than 1,000 employee homes in just two years. The average cost of those homes, $257,000. Billie Bierer owns the lot next door.

BIERER: This should not be allowed. In any company. In this economy. Things need to change.

BOUDREAU: Bierer wonders how the postal service can afford to buy a house like this, considering Post Master General John Potter recently told Congress that times were so bad they had already cut travel and frozen executive salaries.

JOHN POTTER, POSTMASTER GENERAL: If volume continues to decline, beyond what our expectations are, we might be forced to, you know, reduce the number of the days that we deliver.

BOUDREAU: And just last month, the Postal Service told CNN it also made changes to its relocation policy, to cut back costs and reduce the risk of not reselling the homes it buys. A spokesperson says it will now pay no more than $1 million to purchase an employee's home. But prior to that, the postal service had no limit on how much it would pay. The most expensive home it purchased cost $2.8 million.

PETE SEPP, NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION: At a time when the Postal Service is considering cutting back on delivery, raising stamp prices, perhaps even going to the federal government for a taxpayer bailout, this sends the wrong signal.

BOUDREAU: The Postal Service declined our request for an on- camera interview, but in an e-mail, the spokesperson said, when qualified employees relocate, the Postal Service can purchase their home through a company called Cartis Relocation, a government contractor. He wrote that only 15 of the 1,022 homes bought in the last two years remain on the market. All of the houses that cost $1 million or more have sold. Except for this one, which it just bought last month.

Real estate records show the Postal Service's relocation company purchased this five-acre property from the former Postmaster in Lexington, South Carolina and his wife. In a brief phone call, he told CNN the Postal Service was not making him move, he wanted to move to Texas to become the customer service manager there, a lateral move, not a promotion. He would not discuss their former house.

So in October, they put their house on the market. But it didn't sell for three months. That's when the Post Office, through its relocation contractor, had the house appraised, and went on to buy it in. In this down market, South Carolina realtor Dave Ruckrose says no one is buying right now.

Do you think a $1.2 million house would sell right now?

DAVE RUCKROSE, REALTOR: That would be very tough.

BOUDREAU; The Postal Service says the goal is to sell all the houses purchased without losing money. But that doesn't always happen. On average, it costs $58,000 on each sale, including commissions, and closing costs.

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R), IOWA: When you talk about a million dollars, that sounds outrageous.

BOUDREAU: We showed Senator Chuck Grassley, a long-time critic of the relocation policy what the $1.2 million house looks like.

GRASSLEY: I'm going to write a letter to the inspector general. We're going to get this policy nailed down. We need to know that the Postal Service, for the patrons of the Postal Service, the people that are buying stamps, the people that are supporting it, that they're getting their money's worth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The Post Office is not the only agency with a relocation policy. Take the Food and Drug Administration. It gives employees who are moving up to $330,000 for their houses. Senator Grassley's office tells us the inspector general is now reviewing all policies like this.

Sitting in on the president's health care reform. We'll hear what it was like from a couple of people who have front-row seats. It's a snapshot across America.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly I want to show you a couple of pictures, things happening right now. Of course, we've been keeping our eye on President Obama. He has now arrived aboard Air Force One there on the left side of your screen in Columbus, Ohio.

On the right side of your screen, that's where he's headed. He's going to make some remarks at the Columbus police graduation ceremony. There will be 25 recruits that are now graduating, and that's when we will catch up with him very shortly.

Just one day after President Obama held a White House summit on health care reform, opponents are lining up against it. The president says he's ready, even if everybody doesn't see eye to eye. CNN national political correspondent Jessica Yellin is joining us now from Washington.

Hi there, Jessica.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. President Obama has said he's learned from the mistakes that President Clinton made. He is not going to deliver a completed health care plan to Congress. Instead, he wants to collaborate with members on creating a plan. So as you can imagine, interest groups are lining up on both sides for a furious fight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democrats and Republicans...

YELLIN (voice-over): President Obama knows a fight is coming.

OBAMA: We won't always see eye to eye. We may disagree, and disagree strongly about particular measures.

YELLIN: Outside groups are gearing up to influence those measures, prepared to spend more than $55 million influencing just what reform will look like. On the right, a media campaign to limit government's role in the health care system. The group's chairman runs urgent care clinics.

RICK SCOTT, CHAIRMAN, CONSERVATIVES FOR PATIENTS' RIGHTS: The free market works. It's always worked. The things that don't work is more government involvement.

YELLIN: He's committed $5 million of his own money and hopes to raise another $15 million for ads like this.

SCOTT: Let's remind the politicians, Americans know what works. Choice. That means choosing your own doctor.

YELLIN: On the left, a number of coalitions have formed in anticipation of health care industry resistance. ETHAN ROME, HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA NOW: And the insurance industry, the drug companies are lining up to oppose reform. And our job is to win reform and to make sure that it doesn't get watered down.

YELLIN: His group wants to expand coverage to the uninsured and widen patient protection. It plans to spend $35 million on ads similar to this one, run against John McCain during the campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Under John McCain's health care plan, 20 million people could lose their insurance at work. I could be one of them.

YELLIN: In all of this, the devil is in the details. For example, the insurance industry says its on board...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to work with you.

YELLIN: ... but already objects to some of the White House's initial ideas regarding how to control Medicare costs.

ROBERT ZIRKELBACH, AMERICA'S HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS: We believe that we can get the resources needed to fund health care reform without relying on one segment of the population to fund a disproportionate share of health care reform.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YELLIN: And Heidi, as if pressure from all those outside groups isn't enough, the president also faces some pressure from within his own party among some Democrats who disagree about whether there should be a health care option that would be run by the government and also about how quickly this legislation should happen -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Good questions. Jessica Yellin, thanks for that. Those are, in fact, just some of the challenges ahead for health care reform. There are many steps to make.

But the first may have been yesterday's health care forum at the White House. A summit, if you will. Let's go ahead and talk to a couple of people who were actually in the room. Joining us from Washington this morning is Jane Delgado from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and Marian Wright Edelman from the Children's Defense Fund.

Marian, we want to go ahead and begin with you. Obviously, you are very interested in the welfare of children in this country. What was your takeaway from the summit?

MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN, PRESIDENT, CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND: Well, I was very encouraged by the summit. I applaud the president for bringing the key stakeholders together, to restate his sense of urgency about health care reform for all Americans now, including our 9 million uninsured children. He's promised a children's health mandate, and we look forward to working with him to achieve that. I really applaud his sense of urgency in the sense that he knows we cannot get economic equilibrium without having health care reform and controlling health care costs, and it was a very open, transparent debate and I think a major step forward. Now the hard work begins to insure choice, including the choice of a public health insurance program.

COLLINS: Well, specifically what was talked about regarding children, and as you mentioned, the 9 million uninsured?

EDELMAN: Well, you know, he mentioned the fact that they had passed the CHIP bill, the children's health insurance bill, but I think it was just a down payment on what we have to do to finish the job. He's promised a child health care mandate. The CHIP bill covered only 4 million of the 9 million uninsured children, a number which is probably much greater now because of economic downturn and the loss of parental jobs and health insurance. And we want to make sure that the kind of structural reforms that are necessary to ensure that children have access and comprehensive benefit packages will be forthcoming.

CHIP was not child health reform. It was not a child health mandate, but I applaud and thank them -- him and the Congress for moving forward. But we have much more to do to get all of our children and all of our pregnant women -- and while there was much discussion correctly about the importance of prevention, children are prevention. And the best way we can begin to get a hold of escalating health care costs is to see that we're getting our children immunized and seeing that they're getting good primary care.

COLLINS: Sure. And clearly, you said it yourself, the issue becomes cost, as always. You feel good about how all of this will be funded.

EDELMAN: Well, cost is about reform. Because one of the key things is, people who are saying he's trying to take on too much. But we can't control the kind of soaring problems in our economy and the inequities in our health care system and in our economy without dealing with health care costs. And so it is crucial to begin to get some sense of recovery in our economic health to have health care recovery and health care change.

All right. So clearly, you took away a lot, and you are feeling very, very good. Marian Wright Edelman, sure do appreciate this.

And we want to get over to Jane Delgado now and ask sort of the same questions, if you will. Jane, obviously, you are very interested in the health of Latinos in this country. But according to your organization, one in every three Latinos do not have insurance. What was your takeaway from the summit?

JANE DELGADO, PRES., CEO, NAT'L ALLIANCE FOR HISPANIC HEALTH: Well, the summit was a very bold step from the president. And I think the most important thing is that he said both short term and long term, we have to look at what the solution will be. Short term, there will be more increased costs, because in the United States, we need to cover all those people who are not covered, and we also have to have better insurance for those people who are underinsured. He was very clear that access is only part of the problem. What happens once you get into the system? How is that going to really affect each and every patient?

You know, it was wonderful to hear him say, whatever solution we have will be clearly an American solution. We are not like other countries, where single payers, you know, would be the kind of decision we want...

COLLINS: Yes.

DELGADO: ... or do we want just a free market. We want something which is a combination, which really answers to us as Americans.

And for Hispanics, remember, the reason we have the highest rates of uninsurance is because our community work, but they work in jobs where they either do not earn enough money to pay for the premiums, or their employer does not offer it. So, insurance for us is very important, especially for the laboring, working communities throughout this country.

COLLINS: I have to ask you the same question. The cost, as you mentioned off the top, it comes back to that. Are you comfortable with the amount of money that is being put into this? And how long are you willing to wait to see some of these results?

DELGADO: Well, we've been waiting for years, for decades. You know, when this country passed Medicare in the '60s, the idea that we were going to take over our older adults and give them wonderful care, and compared to any other country in this world, we do that. For people over 65, we provide them a lot more access in care than other countries do, especially those countries where they have centralized decision-making about care.

So, I think that we have to look at the cost question in two ways. First of all, health is an economic driver. There are jobs, there are opportunities, there are lots of things that we can do to rethink, what is the discussion in the United States we need to have about providing care to our people. And that discussion we've never really had.

We're starting it. I think the president has been very enthusiastic and very strong in trying and getting bipartisan conversations going. This is a good beginning, and, of course, the details are to come. But we're right here working with them.

COLLINS: Yes, and the other questions, too, I mean, they're boundless, really. But you know, how comfortable are people who can afford health insurance with paying for those who can't, and then just maybe the overall price of insurance in general. Any insurance folks in there? DELGADO: Well, yes, but part of the issue is, once you insure everyone, the costs will come down. Because right now, a lot of insurance is based on risk. So, the concept of making sure everybody's covered will sort of spread the risk around and change the way that we do it now. And we have to change the way we do it now.

COLLINS: And covered for what was the other question, too. Unfortunately, as usual, we could talk about it forever. Jane Delgado, we sure do appreciate your time today. Again, Jane is with the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. And Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund. Thank you, ladies, very much.

Staying on health care reform, how realistic is it, especially in this economy. CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining me now to talk a little bit more about that. Because you can't ignore, and not that our guests were, but, I mean, everybody is talking about, it would be lovely to have, you know, health care for everybody and make it very affordable, take care of American citizens.

It just plain costs money. So, figuring out how to do that is clearly the issue.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, $634 billion.

COLLINS: Over ten years.

COHEN: Over ten years. I mean, that is certainly a lot of money. And so, what President Obama has sort of been focusing on is, we're going to tax the rich more. We're going to make them pay more. And also, that we are going to -- so, we're going to tax the rich more, and we're going to get rid of waste. He's been emphasizing getting rid of waste in medicine. Which everyone agrees with. There should be less waste.

COLLINS: Meaning?

COHEN: sMeaning, for example, oftentimes tests will get done twice. You go to your doctor's office, he gives you an X-ray. You go to the hospital, they do the same X-ray. I mean, stuff like that happens all the time. Everyone agrees it's terrible. But is that really -- even if you put those two things together, that's not going to spend -- that's not going to pay for $634 billion worth of care. There are some concerns that other people are going to get hit in the process of trying to pay for this.

COLLINS: Absolutely, OK. So, 46 million Americans uninsured. We've been hearing this number a lot lately. And it is a big number. What about the folks who already have insurance? I mean, is health care actually going to get better for them? Will it get more expensive for them? I mean, will it cut down for the care that they can get, because now we're trying to take care of everybody?

COHEN: Right. That remains to be seen. However, there is one statistic that I want to point out here, because a lot of people don't realize that. You and I are paying for the uninsured right now, as we speak. That's because we have insurance through our employer.

So, we get insurance through our employer for ourselves and our families. That's $14,000 per person. So, $14,000 per person that our employer and that we're paying for. Out of that, $922 is spent not to cover us and our kids but the uninsured.

So, in other words, we're paying for it right now, because it gets kind of built into the system. And the reason why that happens, Heidi, is that when someone goes to the emergency room and they don't have insurance, the hospital gives them that care for free. They don't get paid for that. So, the hospital then says golly, we're giving out this free care. We've got to raise prices for those who do pay.

COLLINS: That's why the cotton swabs and the cotton balls end up costing like $700 a patient.

COHEN: Right. Right. The $700 Q-tip, or whatever. Right, exactly. So, then the insurance companies have to pay those prices, and the insurance companies say, this is getting expensive. We've got to pass the price down to Heidi and Elizabeth.

COLLINS: So, then, it must already be built in, and none of that is going to change, how much people like you and me pay.

COHEN: Right. It is built in. And one theory would say, well, once we take care of these uninsured, Heidi and Elizabeth won't have to pay for them anymore. So, that's one theory...

COLLINS: Who does?

COHEN: ... as to how it would work. This new health reform system. But will we end up paying for that in higher taxes? Who knows.

COLLINS: All right. Very good. It's a start, anyway, right?

COHEN: It's a start, right.

COLLINS: I mean, it's obviously...

COHEN: It's a long conversation, absolutely.

COLLINS: ... a lot more to talk about. But the first summit, very interesting, hearing what was said in the room. Elizabeth Cohen, sure do appreciate that.

And back to the economy, because as we've been hearing, that is sort of the crux of all of this, isn't it? A live look now at the Dow. Stocks trying to rebound from another loss yesterday. But will today's unemployment numbers send the market back down again? We are watching Wall Street.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: On Wall Street, investors are grappling with another brutal jobs report: 651,000 positions were cut last month. But stocks are rising ever so slightly. Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. She is watching all of those numbers for us. She is standing there, but unfortunately, I'm hearing the little bird in my ear tell me that we won't be able to hear her. So, we'll check back with her later on.

Again, looking at the Dow Jones Industrial Averages. There you see to the positive by about 21 points at this point in the day. We'll continue to follow the numbers as always right here.

Tonight, a CNN survival guide on a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360." Ali Velshi and some of the sharpest minds in money take on that February jobs report. Who's firing, who's hiring and what it means to you. Get answers from the CNN "MONEY SUMMIT" tonight, 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

Times are tough all over. The recession has swept across much of the world, even in countries that were seeing tremendous growth just a few months ago. Here's a couple of those economic snapshots now from across the globe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BOULDEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jim Boulden in London. Three sectors of the British economy are being particularly hit hard: Housing, banking and manufacturing. House prices fell hard in February and are now down around 20 percent compared to the peak of August of 2007.

In banking, two big banks and this mortgage lender have had to be rescued by the government. In manufacturing, there are worries some 140,000 jobs will go on factory floors. The auto sector is being hit particularly hard. And that's one big reason why unemployment is now over 6 percent at a 12-year high.

ANJALI RAO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Anjali Rao in India's business capital, Mumbai. Name a major industry here, and it's almost certainly suffering the effects of the global economic downturn. Everything from autos, steel, real estate, textiles and petrochemicals.

India's economy had been booming, but as the downturn deepens, demand for Indian exports diminishes, and that's leading to fewer jobs. In the last quarter of 2008, this country lost half a million jobs, bringing the unemployment rate for the entire year to 6.8 percent.

And the situation is only likely to get worse. As the number of jobs available shrinks, the number of those looking for work is on the rise. Keep in mind, some 14 million new workers enter the Indian market every year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Here's a measure of how the world economies are linked. This morning, European markets are mixed, largely because of the bleak jobless numbers in the U.S. And overnight, international markets sank on General Motors's warning that it could face bankruptcy.

So, back here in the U.S., more help is as close as your computer. CNN.com debuts a roundup of job news from different regions, latest employment trends, as well as tips and advice. You can also see where the job fairs will be in the next month and share iReports of your own job search. Check it out. Just go to our home page, CNN.com, and there you will find the link.

Will so-called green jobs give you enough green to live on? We have a reality check in today's energy fix.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Today's dismal employment report underscores how badly the country needs job creation. The White House is promising millions of green jobs, but how much will they pay? Stephanie Elam has our "Energy Fix" now from New York. Hi there, Stephanie. It's a good question.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: It is a good question, Heidi. You're right. The stimulus bill set aside $500 million to train people for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy. And the Obama administration says getting that training can make a significant difference in a worker's paycheck. Here's what the vice president said last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Green jobs will pay 10 to 20 percent more than other jobs of a similar nature. Ten to 20 percent more.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: But not everyone is convinced green jobs always pay better. A recent report from nonprofit researcher Good Jobs First says pay varies widely. It found a California recycling processing plant paying $8.25 an hour, just 25 cents above California's minimum wage. And it says wages at many solar and wind plants are below the national average for manufacturing jobs. The group says job quality standards should be attached to any subsidies green employers receive to ensure green jobs are also good jobs, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, it makes you wonder where the vice president got the information that he was sharing there. You know, we look closer at some of these green jobs, we always talk about weatherization. What kind of money do those specifically pay?

ELAM: Right. Well, the National Community Action Foundation says pay starts around $9 to $11 an hour. But the group says it's planning to put workers on a career track to higher-paying jobs as energy auditors and inspectors.

More than 100,000 weatherization jobs could come from the stimulus plan. That can involve anything from adding caulk and insulation to changing out the furnace. State and local agencies are already running want-ads and taking applications. Hiring could actually begin this month. And, of course, if you want to have more of an "Energy Fix," you can log on to CNNmoney.com. We've got plenty more there, Heidi.

COLLINS: Terrific. Thanks, Stephanie.

ELAM: Sure.

COLLINS: NASA set to start a new search for planets just like Earth. They're are scheduled to launch a new telescope in space tonight that will try to find planets circling other stars in our galaxy. It will be the largest space telescope ever launched. The Kepler spacecraft will spend the next few years watching 100,000 stars in just one small section of the Milky Way.

Quickly now, want to take you back to Columbus, Ohio. President Barack Obama is getting ready to come to the microphone there at the police graduation ceremony.