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President Obama's Health Care Pitch; Lawmaker's Sex Talk Caught on Tape; Double Standard at Texas School
Aired September 10, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not the first president to take up this cause but I am determined to be the last.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The president speaks, the nation listens. A snap poll shows the prime time address achieved his goal and boosted public support but is it enough to push ahead on his top domestic priority?
CNN'S Elaine Quijano takes a closer look at health care.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Trying to retake control of the runaway health care debate, President Obama asserted...
OBAMA: The time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action.
QUIJANO: On the controversial public option staunchly supported by liberals but decried as a government health care takeover by conservatives, the president again tried to carefully thread the needle saying he prefers a bill include an option for government run care but added...
OBAMA: It is only one part of my plan and shouldn't be used as a handy excuse for the usual Washington ideological battles.
QUIJANO: Yet without mentioning Republicans by name, the president blasted what he called scare tactics by opponents calling the notion of a bureaucratic death panel a lie. And he insisted illegal immigrants would not be covered prompting an outburst from South Carolina GOP Congressman Joe Wilson.
REP. JOE WILSON, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: You lie.
QUIJANO: Wilson later called the White House to apologize.
As for specifics, the president did mention what he supports though much of it he's mentioned before including a ban on denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions, limits on out-of-pocket expenses and a new insurance exchange meant to allow individuals and small businesses to shop for health insurance at competitive prices.
Missing though were new details on how exactly to pay for the president's $900 billion plan aside from what he's already said before; finding money by cutting waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid.
OBAMA: And while there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe -- I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined.
QUIJANO: It was an emotional appeal as well.
As the widow of the late Senator Edward Kennedy looked on, President Obama recounted Kennedy's thoughts on health care in a letter delivered to Obama after Kennedy's death.
OBAMA: What we face, he wrote, is above all a moral issue. At stake are not just the details of policy but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Let's bring in our Elaine Quijano now in front of the White House this morning. Elaine, tell us more about what the next step will be after last night for the president?
QUIJANO: Well, we're going to see the president continuing to make his case before the public. In fact, shortly here we're expecting the president to make some remarks on health care reform here on the White House campus.
But behind the scenes as well the president is also expected to sit down with a group of about a dozen or so centrists Senate Democrats and that's where he's going to try to basically roll up his sleeves and pull some of these Democrats along here. But, again, on the public side of things, he's going to be using that bully pulpit and Heidi we're going to see that once again on Saturday. He'll be holding a public rally on health care in Minneapolis, Minnesota -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, very good. We'll be watching. Thanks so much Elaine Quijano.
QUIJANO: Thank you.
COLLINS: Let's return our focus now for a moment to the stunning outburst from a Republican Congressman last night. Listen closely and you'll hear South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson heckle the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms...
WILSON: You lie.
OBAMA: ... the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
WILSON: You lie.
OBAMA: It's not true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Wilson's outburst in which he shouted "you lie" has drawn swift criticism from both parties. He has since apologized. In his statement he said this: "This evening I let my emotions get the best of me. While I disagree with the President's statements, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility."
We should also mention that Rahm Emanuel did accept that apology.
So talking more about it this morning, his heckling has a lot of people talking as you would imagine and there is quite a backlash. It shows just how impassioned this debate has become.
In fact I want to get the latest from Capitol Hill now and our CNN Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar. Brianna, my question would be how much is this sort of outburst, if you will, overshadowing what the president's message was about last night?
Is all of it still able to come through to the people at home about their own health care?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think some of it is coming through. But certainly this is a distraction on one hand for Democrats it's a distraction because what they want to talk about is moving forward and being energized by the president's speech and for Republicans it's embarrassing.
So I think you have this aspect that it's kind of a double edged sword when you're talking about who it's really affecting here. But what we do know certainly Heidi is, it's a windfall for Congressman Wilson's opponent, Rob Miller.
He challenged Congressman Wilson in 2008 and lost a 54-46 margin. This is a man named Rob Miller. You see him right there. And he's challenging him again in 2010 during these midterm elections.
And Miller's campaign manager last night -- his last twit on Twitter said, that since the end of the speech in a course of about two to three hours, Miller had raised $55,000 in donations. Obviously a great increase that he's not used to seeing in the wake of Congressman Wilson's outburst.
And then this morning, Heidi, I talked with a source from the Democratic Congressional campaign committee who said that number hit around $100,000 after eight hours after the speech.
COLLINS: Aha.
KEILAR: So at the very least you can see that it's bringing out some personalities that maybe you didn't know about before...
COLLINS: Yes.
KEILAR: ... and were really focusing on this race.
COLLINS: Yes, absolutely.
All right, Brianna, a very interesting side bar to all of it certainly. Brianna Keilar, our Congressional correspondent this morning. Thank you Brianna.
And we do want to hear from you on this. Do you think the president was successful in making his pitch for health care reform last night?
Go to our blog, tell us what you think. Cnn.com/Heidi and post comments there or you can always call the hotline to Heidi. That number is 1-877-742-5760.
We've already asked some of you what you think about the president's health care pitch. We have some new poll numbers to tell you about. And we'll hear from some people who work in the actual health care industry on the front lines of this fight. We'll talk to them in a moment.
New efforts though, today to force South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford out of office. CNN has learned a group of State Republicans is expected to seek a party resolution now calling for the embattled governor to resign.
Yesterday a majority of House Republicans wrote to Sanford demanding he step down. The governor says, "No, I'm staying." All of this follows Sanford's admission in June of an extra marital affair with an Argentine woman.
A California lawmaker's racy comments about sexual conquest have cost his job. As CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports unbeknownst to him, it was all caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Mike Duvall. A conservative Republican and self-described family values politician caught in a very embarrassing conversation here in the California State Assembly.
The lawmaker was unaware he was being recorded on an in-house channel at the state capitol repeatedly boasting about sexual exploits with a married woman to a fellow committee member before a meeting.
MIKE DUVALL, (R) CALIFORNIA: Yes I like it.
GUTIERREZ: The 54-year-old married two-term legislator from Orange County was talking about a liaison with a lobbyist who works for a firm that represents a utility company. Duvall served as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Utilities in Commerce. DUVALL: So, the other day, she came here with her underwear, Thursday.
GUTIERREZ: He was also heard bragging about a second woman, when the recording was made public, Duvall issued an apology. But after being removed from two committees, he decided to resign.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have such huge issues before the legislature and to have this become a distraction, he felt his responsibility was to step aside and to resign and to go home.
GUTIERREZ: Duvall had been awarded the Ethics in America Award by Chapman University in 2000. He received a 100 percent grade from a family values group and he has been an outspoken foe of gay marriage.
PROF. DAN SCHNUR, POLITICAL SCIENCE, USC: What finished Mike Duvall's career is not the fact that he's unfaithful to his spouse. Plenty of politicians of both parties have survived that. What killed Duvall's political career is that he talked about it in front of an open microphone.
GUTIERREZ: An episode that closed the door on his service in the California Assembly.
Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: From that storm to this. Rob Marciano standing by in our hurricane headquarters now to give us an update on all of the activity. What should we be thinking about first here -- Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Let's talk Fred and then we'll get into what may be affecting other folks of more immediate concern.
COLLINS: OK.
MARCIANO: This thing is not affecting anybody but some fish and maybe some -- not even really in the shipping channels yet. But it has grown to a Category 3 status yesterday. And at that point that's the strongest they've ever seen this kind of storm this far south and east of the Atlantic basin.
It has weakened a little bit, now it's down to a Category 2. And you notice that the -- this path has definitely made a turn to the north and the forecast is for even more of a turn to the north and then it kind of -- just kind of hanging out in this area.
Cooler waters, dry air, it's going to weaken but does it completely die off? And can we just write it off? I don't know, it's not ready to just -- to say that just yet, we'll see what happens.
This low -- not tropical but certainly over the Gulf Stream, so there's plenty of moisture it's acting a drift closer to the New Jersey coastline here over the next day or two and that's going to bringing a cool and at times wet pattern to not only New Jersey but the New York City area.
Here's a live shot from Central Park. There you go. Some clouds are rolling in. I think we'll see a couple showers this afternoon but it won't be nearly as sustained or heavy as it will be tomorrow afternoon. That will be your day of wet weather.
All right. Let's talk about good news as far as wet weather is concerned. And that is across parts of South Texas. We haven't seen this on the radar scope for quite some time and with rainfall from San Antonio to Austin and south to Corpus Christi, this is all great news.
I'll point this out, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: As we go on through time, this little disturbance over the next day or two is going to get into the Gulf of Mexico and our computer models are kind of doing some funny things in this area, maybe developing a low that could become tropical.
This is a time of year we are in prime time...
COLLINS: Yes.
MARCIANO: ... tropical storm and hurricane time.
The next two days is really the peak. And anything can flare-up in the Gulf of Mexico within really just a matter of hours if not half a day. So keep an eye on what's cooking here as well. Good to see you up there in New York.
COLLINS: All right, very good. Yes, thanks, man. We'll talk with you in a little while.
MARCIANO: OK.
COLLINS: Thank you.
The bank bailout, $700 billion of your money. A new watchdog is demanding answers on how that money is being spent. She'll tell us why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: There are some encouraging numbers from the job market to talk about this morning. New government figures show first-time claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week. The new number -- 550,000 compared to 576,000 the week before. The decline shows companies are laying off fewer workers as the economy slightly improves.
Another encouraging sign, the number of people continuing to receive benefits fell about 6.1 million -- fell to about 6.1 million, that is. That's the lowest level in fact since early April.
One of the key elements of the recession has been the housing crisis as you know and today we have a progress report on that for you. According to the real estate company, RealtyTrac, the number of repossessed homes fell nearly 13 percent last month compared to the month before. Experts are not sure whether it means the government aid programs are paying off or if banks are merely delaying those repossessions.
Looking ahead, one in every 357 U.S. homes received a foreclosure filing last month. That's a decline of half a percentage point from the month before.
This hour on Capitol Hill lawmakers take a closer look at how your tax money is being spent specifically, they're focusing on the $787 billion in the stimulus package. Remember that? Members of the Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee want to know how much of the money has actually been spent and where. Many experts say the economy is just now feeling the first benefits of the spending.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Capitol Hill today but he's not testifying before Congress. Instead, he'll be talking to the woman in charge of tracking billions in TARP money. Before she talks to Geithner, she spoke with cnnmoney.com's Poppy Harlow as it should be.
Poppy is joining us now. Good morning to you Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Good morning to you, Heidi. We spoke with Elizabeth Warren yesterday. She chairs the panel created last year which is an independent panel that oversees TARP, of course that's the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program.
She's a Harvard professor and she'll be grilling Geithner this afternoon. She really wants some answers. Here's what she would like to know.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH WARREN, CHAIRMAN, CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT PANEL: I would still like to know where the money has gone. I also want to look forward on what his plans are and what his strategies are for getting out of support not just in the auto industry but in the financial services industry. How long is our money going to hang out there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: How long is all of that money going to go unanswered for? That's the question. Getting answers, Heidi, that's going to be tough. The Treasury Department does not require the banks to disclose exactly how they use TARP money.
They say, listen, it's like pouring water into the ocean. It diffuses so quickly it can't really be tracked. Warren does say, and I should note, that things are getting better. She's getting some more answers from Treasury but not as many as she would like -- Heidi.
COLLINS: What's this about a request for confidential documents in the panel's latest report?
HARLOW: You have to dig through it. It was on page 120 of this report that came out yesterday. They want copies of confidential documents from the Fed and Treasury about investments they made in Bank of America and Citigroup.
Really during this entire collapse that started, you know, more than a year ago, she said she couldn't tell me exactly what she's looking for in those documents but that they may be a subject of a future report. So they want some more details on the hundreds of billions of dollars that went to Bank of America and Citigroup. She also said greater transparency is certainly here to stay.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARREN: The days when Treasury, when the Federal Reserve, when the FDIC can just go off in secret and do their business, those days are over. They are over when this much money, American taxpayer money, is at stake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Quickly though on that request for those confidential memos, the panel has heard back from Geithner and not from Fed chief Ben Bernanke as of yesterday. You can see more of her interview with us on cnnmoney.com.
We're watching that hearing it starts at 1:00 Eastern time today on Capitol Hill -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. Thanks very much. Poppy Harlow, we'll be watching. Appreciate that.
A Texas school district decided not to show President Obama's live address to school kids but is now planning to bus students to an event where former President Bush will be speaking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Want to get you straight to the president right now. We are watching some live pictures of him making his way to the Executive Office Building. He is going to be speaking about health care once again today but this time specifically on health insurance reform.
Clearly that was part of his address last night to the joint session of Congress so we'll hear a little bit more on that very topic this morning. It was originally for 10:15 but as we see him make his way into the building we, of course, will take that live just as soon as he gets up to the podium there.
Live shot for you; we'll keep our eye on it.
Meanwhile, the search is on in New Haven, Connecticut, for missing Yale University graduate student. Campus police say 24-year- old Annie Lee disappeared on Tuesday. Family, co-workers and friends have not seen or heard from her since.
Lee is described as an Asian woman with brown hair and brown eyes who stands 4'11" and weighs approximately 90 pounds. She was last seen at a campus laboratory. The Yale Daily News was reporting Lee is planning to get married on Sunday.
A man authorities say hijacked an Aero Mexico jetliner claims he did it because of the date 9/09/09. Officials say the 44-year-old man told them he hijacked the plane in Mexico City because 9/09/09 held special significance for him. The hijacker threatened to blow up the plane unless he was allowed to speak with Mexico's President. Police arrested the hijacker when the plane landed in Mexico City. No one was hurt.
A NATO commando operation to rescue a kidnapped "The New York Times" reporter has angered some local journalists. Taliban militants kidnapped Steven Farrell in Kunduz Province last week along with an Afghan reporter. NATO forces rescued Farrell during a pre-dawn raid yesterday but the Afghan journalist was shot to death during the mission and his body left behind. The media club of Afghanistan called NATO's actions, quote, "reckless."
Some parents in Texas are crying foul. They accuse the Arlington Independent School District of having double standards. They want to know why Arlington chose not to show President Obama's live address to students on Tuesday when officials are planning to bus students to an event where former President George Bush will speak.
More on that now from Chris Hawes of our affiliate WFAA in Dallas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REV. DWIGHT MCKISSIC, CORNERSTONE BAPTIST CHURCH: I was just baffled when I learned that.
CHRIS HAWES, WFAA DALLAS: It describes a, quote, "amazing opportunity;" speeches by both former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush. AISD students will not miss out on this event. In two weeks a select group of 500 to 600 fifth graders will be bussed to hear the speeches at Cowboys Stadium. It's part of an education program's kickoff that includes players and other speakers.
So why are (INAUDIBLE) to go to the event at Cowboys' Stadium?
VERONICA SOPHER, ARLINGTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: We actually have a scheduled field trip that was scheduled several months ago.
HAWES: By contrast, district spokesperson Veronica Sopher tells AISD learned of President Obama's speech last week after lesson plans were already in place.
Pastor McKissic is not buying it. MCKISSIC: It's such an inconsistency. It's so blatantly obvious that there is favoritism and partiality in how these two situations are being handled.
HAWES We contacted Arlington ISD school board members about the decision.
Only Wayne Ogle (ph) responded saying, quote, "Sometimes we go to the zoo, sometimes we go to the aquarium and sometimes we get a unique opportunity like this we have to go to."
The pastor and district do agree on one point. Students should still hear the Bushes speak.
MCKISSIC: To deny that opportunity to me would be equally as wrong as the opportunity to hear Barack Obama. And as my mama tells me two wrongs wouldn't make it right. I don't know how you can make it right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The Arlington Independent School District said they made President Obama's speech available on their Web site allowing teachers to use it in their lesson plans later.
We have new numbers this morning on the number of Americans living without health care insurance. According to the Census Bureau, 46 million Americans were not insured in 2008. That's compared to 45.7 million the year before. The reason experts say is the erosion of employer provided coverage.
Some health care officials respond to the president ahead in our snapshots across America. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Let's get you straight to president Obama talking about health care insurance.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nurses, again, it is great to be with Becky. I want to acknowledge -- I want to make sure I get them in order. Nate, this is Linda and that is Sonya, right? I got it right? And I want to thank all of them for appearing with us today and I want to also acknowledge Dr. Mary Wakefield (ph), our health resources and service administrator, our highest ranking nurse in the administration.
You know, thank you, Becky, for your leadership on behalf of nurses. I want to thank you for leading an extraordinary organization, the American Nurses Association. I was mentioning to Becky the first time we met when I was in the state legislature I was chairman of health and human services committee and one of my strongest allies in Springfield, Illinois, in the state Capitol there was the Nurses Association. We did a lot of work together to make sure that nurses were getting treated properly, were getting paid properly, getting the overtime they needed, getting time off that they needed, getting the ratios that they needed.
And so I've got a wonderful history working side by side with all of you to make sure that we've got the best health care system in the world.
And as a consequence, I want to say thank you for all the support you're providing for health insurance reform for the American people. I am so pleased to be joined by all of you.
And I've said it before and I will say it again, I just love nurses. I don't know what it is.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, I love -- I love nurses. Michelle knows about it; it's OK.
(LAUGHTER)
I'll never forget how compassionate, how professional, and how dedicated nurses have been to Michelle and I when we needed them most. You know, when our daughters were born, one of our best friends was -- is an OB/GYNie (ph). And she presided over the delivery, but the truth of the matter is, we only saw her for 10 minutes.
(LAUGHTER)
That was it. This is one of our best friends. The rest of the time we spent with nurses, who not only eased the nerves of an anxious father, but made sure Michelle was doing all right, cared for our newborn babies.
When our youngest daughter, Sasha, was diagnosed with meningitis when she was just 3 months old, it was one of the scariest moments of my life. And we had to have a spinal tap administered, and she ended up being in the hospital for three or four days, and it was touch and go. We didn't know whether she'd be permanently affected by it. It was the nurses who walked us through what was happening and made sure that Sasha was OK.
So, you know, that continues in joy of birth, but also, obviously, in -- in -- in tougher times, when my mother passed away from cancer, when my grandmother passed away. Each time nurses were there to provide extraordinary care, but also extraordinary support, and so I'm thankful for that.
And as a father, and as -- as a son and a grandson, I will forever be in debt to the women and men of your profession. And I know that millions of other families feel the same way. You're the bedrock of our medical profession. You're on the front lines...
(APPLAUSE)
You're on the front lines of health care and small clinics and in large hospitals and in rural towns and big cities all across this country. So, few people understand as well as you why today's healthcare system so badly needs reform. One...
(APPLAUSE)
Now, one part of the problem is the uninsured. And this morning, the Census Bureau released new data showing not only that the poverty rate increased last year at the highest rate since the early 1990s,but also that the number of uninsured rose in 2008.
And we know from more up-to-date surveys that, since the recession intensified last September, the situation has grown worse. Over the last 12 months, it's estimated that the ranks of the uninsured have swelled by nearly 6 million people. That's 17,000 men and women every single day. And we know that, during this period of time, the number of adults who get their coverage at the workplace has dropped by 8 million people.
But I don't have to tell you about all the problems plaguing the health care system and the fact that they don't just affect the uninsured. Most Americans do have insurance and have never had less security and stability than they do right now. Because they're subject to the whims of health insurance companies, many people fear that they'll lose their health insurance if they move or if they lose their job, they change jobs, or that insurance just won't cover them when they need it the most.
Because insurance companies can deny coverage if a person has a pre-existing condition, many people fear they won't be covered when they get sick. Because there's no cap on how much a person can pay in out-of-pocket expenses each year, many others fear that a single illness will lead them into financial ruin even if they have insurance.
And every day I get letters from people. I just got a letter two days ago from a woman who had been changing jobs, had just gone to sign up for her new Blue Cross Blue Shield policy. But in January, before she had taken her new job, she had felt a lump and had been referred to -- to do a mammogram and found out, unfortunately, she had breast cancer.
Well, the new insurance policy just said, "This is a pre-existing condition," won't cover it. She now owes $250,000. This happens all the time, all across the country. You see it every day. It is heartbreaking. It is wrong. And as I said last night, nobody should be treated that way in the United States of America, nobody.
(APPLAUSE)
So the reason I need nurses so badly is because now is the time to act, and I will not permit reform to be postponed or imperiled by the usual ideological diversions or...
(APPLAUSE)
We don't need more partisan distractions. If there are real concerns about any aspect of my plan, let's address them. If there are real differences, let's resolve them. But we have talked this issue to death, year after year, decade after decade, and the time for talk is winding down. The time for bickering has passed. We're not the first generation to take up this cause, but we can and have to be the last.
(APPLAUSE)
So just in case folks weren't tuned in last night...
(LAUGHTER)
... if they -- if they were watching "So You Think You Can Dance"...
(LAUGHTER)
... a show Michelle likes, by the way -- let me explain - just explain more briefly than I did last night what health insurance reform will mean for ordinary Americans. Simply put, it will mean that, as folks go about their everyday lives, one thing they won't have to worry about as much is their health care.
It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance, it will provide insurance to those who don't and slow the growth of health care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government.
For the hundreds of millions of Americans who have health insurance, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Nothing will change for you if you have insurance. Nothing in the plan will require any changes.
What this plan will do is make the insurance you have work better for you. It will put in place strong consumer protections that will make it illegal for insurance companies to deny a person coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition. We will make sure...
(APPLAUSE)
We will make sure that we place a limit on how much folks have to pay for out-of-pocket expenses. For the tens of millions of Americans who are uninsured, we'll create a new insurance exchange, the marketplace where uninsured Americans and small businesses can choose health insurance at competitive prices from a different -- a number of different options.
And by pooling the uninsured and small business together as one big group, we give insurance companies an incentive to participate and give consumers leverage to bargain for better prices and quality coverage.
And as I've said from the outset and repeated last night, one way to give people a real choice when it comes to their health care and keep insurance companies honest is by making one of the options available in such a marketplace a not-for-profit public option. But...
(APPLAUSE)
But let me just repeat, because this is the source of the rumor that we're plotting some government takeover of health care. It would just be one option among many. No one would be forced to choose it.
And everybody believes that the vast majority of people will still be getting their insurance through private insurance. Add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around $900 billion over10 years, $90 billion a year.
That's real money, but it's far less than we've spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars...
(APPLAUSE)
... and it's less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration.
(APPLAUSE)
The cost of this plan will not add to our deficit. The middle class will be rewarded with greater security, not higher taxes. And if we're able to slow the growth of health care costs by just a fraction of 1 percent each year, we will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term.
And by the way, when we stop spending money on things that don't improve quality, then we can start spending money on things that do improve quality, which means, for example, that we can start paying our nursing professors more money to train more nurses so that we can actually have the kind of quality care that we need.
(APPLAUSE)
Just one example, a random example that I chose.
(LAUGHTER)
Now, amid all the chatter and the noise on radio and TV, with all of the falsehoods that are promoted by not just talk show hosts, but sometimes prominent politicians, sometimes it can be easy to lose sight of what the debate over reform is all about.
It's about stories like the one told by an oncology nurse named Theresa Brown. A few weeks ago, Theresa wrote a blog post about a patient of hers. He was in his 60s, recent grandfather, Steelers fan...
(APPLAUSE)
... spent the last three months of his life worrying about mounting medical bills. And she wrote, "My patient thought he had planned well for his health care needs. He just never thought he would wake up one day with a diagnosis of leukemia. But which of us does?" she asked. And then she wrote: "That's why we need healthcare reform."
Nurses, that's why we need health care reform. I am absolutely confident that, if you continue to do your part -- nurses, you guys have a lot of credibility. You touch a lot of people's lives. People trust you.
If you're out there saying it's time for us to act, we need to go ahead and make a change, if all of us do our parts not just here in Washington, but all across the country, then we will bid farewell to the days when our health care system was a source of worry to families and a drag on our economy, and America will finally join the ranks of every other advanced nation by providing quality, affordable health insurance to all of its citizens.
That's our goal. We are going to meet it this year with your help.
Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
COLLINS: All right. There you have the president addressing the American Nurses Association today. Prior to him getting to the podium we heard from them say that they will be endorsing -- or are endorsing health care reform and hope to see that passed this year. Once again, in front of the American Nurses Association talking about the specific issue of health insurance.
So, it seems like the perfect time after the president there to check in across the country on the issue of health care reform. In our "Snapshot" today, one doctor who is against reform, one who is for it, and one man who says the current system killed his father. We'll get their thoughts right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We're using our "Snapshot Across America" today to get reaction to the president's speech last night. Joining us this morning from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dr. Rani Whitfield, a family practice physician who calls himself the Hip-Hop Doc
And also, here in New York, Dr. Panchali -- good morning. Dr. Panchali Dhar. She is an anesthesiologist at the New York Presbyterian Hospital here in New York.
And David Goldhill, media and technology expert whose article, "How American Health Care Killed My Father" appears this month in "The Atlantic Monthly."
Thanks to all of you for being with me this morning. A lot to talk about here. Dr. Whitfield, I want to start with you. In the past, you said you support President Obama's plans to reform health care. How do you think he did last night? DR. RANI WHITFIELD, FAMILY PHYSICIAN IN BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA: I think, as someone said earlier, a home run. He did a great job. I think he attempted to win liberals back. It was passionate and emotional. The president really got into the speech last night. I think it was a home run as far as winning liberals back and getting his point across about what he's been stating all along. Health care coverage for all in a system that's in shambles and needs reform.
COLLINS: OK. Dr. Dar, what about you? You've actually said the Democrats' health care plan is a, quote, "disaster for doctors." How do you think the president did last night? Did he change any opinions?
DR. PANCHALI DHAR, ANESTHESIOLOGIST: Heidi, I think that the president has some fantastic ideas. They sound fantastic on paper, but let's see what happens when they are implemented.
The president is also not bringing up the fact there's a shortage of primary care physicians, which he needs to support the millions of new patients that are going to be siphoned into the system. In the medical school system, most medical students choose what are called the road specialties. R-O-A-D. Radiology, opthamology, anesthesia, and dermatology. There has to be a system where primary care is made attractive for medical graduates. That's not happening in his proposal.
Also, he alluded to tort reform and malpractice insurance reform, but with public option, how is this going to support the specialists who have to pay $150,000 a year in malpractice insurance and continue to see public option patients?
COLLINS: All right. David, unlike our other two guests, you are not a doctor but certainly learned a lot about the health care system, hospitals, the way they run when your father was so ill. And eventually died. Again, our condolences to you on that experience. I know it was tough for you, but it certainly prompted you to really start looking into this issue of health care. How do you think the president did last night?
DAVID GOLDHILL, SAYS HIS FATHER DIED IN CURRENT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM: Heidi, I think the president's goals are completely admirable, particularly providing a safety net for all Americans.
My concern is the problems in our health care system are fundamental. There are a series of perverse incentives, poor competition, that has produced ever rising prices, negative changes in quality and in service. And unless you get at the fundamental problems, the structural problems, we won't afford that safety net, or that safety net will not be as secure as the president hopes.
COLLINS: Yes. You can't talk about this issue without talking about costs. I think it's a very fair point. Dr. Whitfield, what do you think needs to happen in order for reform to pass? Do you think it will now after last night?
WHITFIELD: Yes. I think he was speaking to the liberals. I think it shifted in his support. I agree with actually everyone on the panel that something needs to be done. Waiting to postpone this and put it off will cause major problems.
I mean, we're looking at a huge deficit in our country. If we don't address health care now, what will happen in the future? I think (INAUDIBLE) wanted us to postpone this and wait and try to start things off later. But something has to be done now in insurance reform.
I don't think we're talking about total health care reform. The crux of our problem, Heidi, is that we're an unhealthy country. So, we need to become healthier, but we need to at least address insurance reform now. Insurance companies -- it's unaffordable for Americans, and people aren't provided health care.
There are 687,000 children in California that won't be insured as of October 1. So, something has to happen now. And as far as medical liability reform, yes, it needs to be addressed. It's not a silver bullet, as hey says, but it affects me -- my medical practice insurance that's gone up each year. So it's going to impact us directly, so something has to be done now.
And I don't think there's any perfect answers. The president attempted to be bipartisan in the speech, but he did speak to other populations in the speech. But something needs to be done now.
COLLINS: Yes. We did just hear him speaking again to the American Nursing Association (sic) talking about the issue of insurance. New census numbers today say that more people are without insurance. Last year, it went from something like 45 million to 46 million roughly, so still seeing a lot more people who don't have insurance.
Dr. Dhar, what's your opinion? What needs to happen to stop the reform from passing, because you are not in favor of it.
DHAR: Well, I am in favor of some form of reform.
COLLINS: Not as it is, however, right?
DHAR: Not as it is. You need access to health care. You need access to see a doctor. The question is, we already have established systems such as Medicare and Medicaid that are not efficiently run by the government. And how do we know that this public option plan is going to be run efficiently? Why don't we revamp what we already have, and see if that can be changed and approved and have the insurance -- private insurance companies, work with the government in that aspect? There is something that can be done. We don't need to restructure and create another bureaucracy.
COLLINS: David, do you have any agreement with these statements that you're hearing or where do you fall in all of this?
GOLDHILL: You know, I think as I mentioned, my concerns are more structural. We'll spend close to $2.5 trillion next year on our health care system. And I think before we put any patches on the structure, we have got to ask, why is 2.5 trillion not enough to cover all of our health care needs and most of our health care wants?
COLLINS: Yes. In fact, we should remind everybody in speaking with you before, you really look at this whole issue as a business model. I think that's interesting.
GOLDHILL: I think there's a lack of the type of discipline on prices and service in quality of health care that you see in everything else in our economy. Health care is obviously different in many ways. But at almost one out of every $5 we spend, if we can't bring discipline into health care, ultimately we won't be able to afford what we need.
And we can continue trying to stretch the safety net and control costs from above. We've had 50 years of it not working. We have bigger and bigger holes in the safety net for those who are even fortunate enough to be covered now. There's no reason to believe that by continuing to do what we do, we're going to get different results.
COLLINS: Well, the discussion continues, as you might imagine. We certainly appreciate all of your insights. Dr. Whitfield, Dr. Dhar and Mr. Goldhill, thanks again for being with us today.
WHITFIELD, DHAR AND GOLDHILL: Thank you.
COLLINS: We, of course, are asking you whether you think the president was successful in making his pitch for health care reform. Lots of calls into the "Hotline to Heidi." Here's some of what you said.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I really don't feel like he answered my questions. He doesn't really say why he's doing it -- or he said why but he doesn't say how he's going to do it. And I don't feel any better about things after his speech.
CALLER: I think he was on point with all of the agenda items. He answered the questions. He delivered full disclosure of how he'll pay for it, and he asked for unity in getting this passed to people.
CALLER: I'm very statistical (ph) about the president's health care reform, and I think he made the point last night, but I'm still having questions about the quality (ph) option.
CALLER: I think it's great that he's doing it. We need a president that can stand up and takeover. We need it so badly.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COLLINS: Tired of searching for power outlets as your labtop slowly fades to black? Are you ready to cut the cord? Researches say they have unlocked the secrets to get this wireless electricity. Josh Levs is joining us now with a closer look. What's this all about?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I love this, Heidi. I have actually thought about it. Someday, hopefully, it will seem outdated to plug everything in to get that power. This is from CNN.com/tech. This is where it's all at. "Edge of Discovery" right here. You can learn a lot more there, but I'll show you a piece of video right now. Look at what we've got.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC GILER, CEO OF MIT-INSPIRED WITRICITY: I'll plug that in. It creates a magnetic field here. It causes one to be created out here. As I said, in sort of about ten seconds we should start to see...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: That TV just came on all by itself because it was in the general area in which this power is being emitted. He does the same thing with a handheld phone. Take a look here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GILER: You'll see as I get sort of close -- you're looking at a cell phone powered completely wirelessly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Of course, people are eating that up, Heidi. They're saying it is possible that within five years that could be the norm for everyone.
COLLINS: All right. Very good. We want to remind everybody this is sort of a new segment we do here...
LEVS: Yeah!
COLLINS: ... where you can bring us cool techie stuff that's out there, right?
LEVS: In fact, yes. I'll show you how to weigh in. Anything you see that's the best new gadget or curious about technology, this is how you get in touch with us. We've got the blog, cnn.com/josh. Facebook or Twitter, JoshLevsCNN. We'll post links to this story that we're showing you here so you can get a lot more information about how all of this can work maybe some day for you.
COLLINS: Very good. Thank you. Josh, thank you. Appreciate it.
If you love electronics, you may have a couple new must-haves to add to your list. Yesterday, Apple unveiled a revamped iPod Nano that will include an internal video camera, voice recorder and FM radio that can be paused live. So cool.
The iPod Touch has undergone big changes. It will come with more flash memory and run 50 percent faster.
NASA managers are looking into whether Discovery will have to dodge a piece of space junk as the shuttle makes its way home. This evening's planned landing in Florida may have to be pushed back if forecast of thunderstorms actually hit. The shuttle could stay up until Sunday or possibly touch down in California.
All right. I'm Heidi Collins. The CNN NEWSROOM continuing in just a moment with Tony Harris.
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