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Max Baucus and Eric Cantor Talk Health Care Reform; Reform From Congress Point of View; Reaction to President Obama's Speech

Aired September 10, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Very quickly now, Senator Max Baucus -- he is the chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee -- is talking about health care reform right now.

Let's have a listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D), CHAIRMAN, FINANCE COMMITTEE: No, that's very helpful. On the other hand, the president is talking about something totally different that would not be helpful, but we're very close to being in sync here. And that's confidence building.

QUESTION: When are you guys going to tackle the pay-fors and the issues that you guys have with that?

BAUCUS: Well, we've pretty much tackled it. There are no issues there really.

It's -- most of this is (INAUDIBLE). It's Medicare, Medicaid, states. We don't want -- we don't want to come up with a proposal which is going to put an undue burden on the states. It's issues like that. The president didn't mention that last night, so that is an issue that we are (INAUDIBLE).

QUESTION: Senator, have you gotten any pushback on the individual mandate and the fines that would be imposed on people?

BAUCUS: No, there's no pushback on the concept with respect to what penalty someone has to pay if he or she does not (INAUDIBLE). I mean, we have hardship cases and ways for people to get out, and also minimums on -- make sure that premiums do not cost more than a certain percent of income.

And with respect to fines, it's, again, trying to find something that's fair. We have not discussed that. We're not getting any pushback, nor has there been a discussion. Not today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, guys.

BAUCUS: One more and I've got to go.

QUESTION: What kind of progress... HARRIS: All right. Senator Max Baucus, he chairs the Senate Finance Committee, which, as you know, yesterday decided to move forward with its proposal, the Baucus proposal, on health care reform, to get it marked up.

What's interesting here is, I've got to tell you that everyone I've talked to recently, including this morning, on the health care reform front is saying that this is the piece of legislation that has the very best chance of passing. So, we are going to continue to focus a lot of our attention on the proposals coming out of the Senate Finance Committee.

Fresh off of his prime-time push to revive health care reform, President Obama makes another pitch for overhauling the system. The president is trying to regain the momentum and persuade Congress to act.

He spoke to members of the American Nurses Association about an hour and a half ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let me 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: House Minority Whip Eric Cantor is speaking now. We want to give you a listen to what he is saying.

Let's go there now.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), MINORITY WHIP: And what we heard is much of what the president has been out saying before. In fact, there were at least 100 speeches prior in which this president talked about health care. Not much new came out of this speech.

The president did say he is open to the Republicans bringing forth ideas. Well, I'm going to take him at his word, just like we attempted to take him at his word when we began the process in January over the question of a spending stimulus bill that was in the makings then. I'm hopeful that this process will result in a better product for sure, especially as we're dealing with something that is so personal to the American families.

Now, if the president is serious and wants our participation, and wants our input, I think we ought to start in three directions.

One, is to provide and make sure that the American people know that we're going to guarantee that there will be no government substitute for the decision-making power that patients and doctors have over their health care.

Two, that there will be a guarantee for the American people that there will be no government rationing, that there will be no government-forced discrimination on any basis, as far as health care access and delivery is concerned.

And third, to guarantee to the American people that we're not going to break the bank in passing a health care bill.

People are very cognizant of the enormous amount of debt that's being piled up by this town, and they're asking the question all over the country, who is going to pay for all of this? So, if we can get straight on these type of perquisites and have some substantive agreement on that, there are some things that we can work together on.

You know, the president mentioned Senator McCain last night and his proposals that had to deal with pre-existing conditions. These are individuals who may face a disease such as MS, Crohn's disease, or what have you, that tend to cause insurance premiums to skyrocket. They may find themselves in the individual market and unable to afford insurance coverage.

Senator McCain has a proposal, sometimes called high-risk pools at the state level. I like the term "universal access programs." These are efforts I think we can have bipartisan agreement on and deal with the question of pre-existing conditions.

The other issue is the issue of portability. The president was right in saying that you shouldn't have to necessarily lose your health care if you lose your job.

Well, let's go ahead and work on that. We can do that. We can provide the flexibility in the insurance laws to make sure that no one has to lose their health care if they lose their job.

And lastly, the area of medical liability reform that Senator Kyl mentioned, I, too, was very disappointed by the proposals being suggested by this president, and that somehow we're going to be able to accomplish real medical liability reform, the end of lawsuit abuse, by somehow administratively engaging in pilot projects.

HARRIS: We are, as expected, as anticipated, getting more and more reaction to the president's speech last night from Republicans and Democrats. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor there, planning to take the president up on his pledge that if there are good ideas out there, we want them, send them in. Eric Cantor says there should be no government rationing in health care moving forward, no government system should stand between you and your doctor, and no new system should break the bank.

And you also heard the House minority whip talking about the health care proposals from Senator John McCain. We will certainly explore those in the days ahead.

Lawmakers from both parties really dissecting, debating last night's speech by President Obama. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi applauded the president's call for action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: Probably the most important initiative any of us will ever be a part of in the Congress. Members know that responsibility. They understand it, and they're ready to work to achieve that goal of health insurance for all Americans that is accessible, quality, and affordable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Republican Senator John McCain says the president didn't go far enough, especially on the issue of malpractice reform.

On CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE," McCain said Republicans still have concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: There are a lot of things we can agree on, Larry. There's many things that we can agree on and work together.

Republicans want reform. We know that the system is broken, particularly Medicare, but we are very concerned about the cost. We're very concerned about this "public option." Frankly, some tests on medical malpractice reform doesn't get it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Two-thirds of those who watched President Obama's health care speech now say they favor his proposals. That's according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.

Bear with me as we work through these numbers here.

It shows 67 percent of the president's audience favor the plan he laid out. Going into the speech, only 53 percent did. Those opposed to the plan dropped to 29 percent from 36 percent. When asked if the president clearly stated his health care goals, 72 percent say yes, 26 percent no.

Now, bear in mind, the survey only reflects the views of Americans who watched the speech. And as typically occurs with presidential addresses -- you know where I'm going here -- members of his party were more likely to tune in than members of the opposition party.

One thing lawmakers from both sides of the aisle agree on is this -- it was disrespectful of South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson to heckle President Obama. Wilson came out just minutes ago to discuss what happened. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Well, I, last night, heard from the leadership that they wanted me to contact the White House and state that my statements were inappropriate. I did.

I'm very grateful that the White House, in talking with them, they indicated that they appreciated the call and that we needed to have a civil discussion about the health care issues. And I certainly agree with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. So, let's take you back now to the offensive outburst during President Obama's speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: There are also those that claim our reform would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.

REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: You lie!

OBAMA: It's not true.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Wilson's opponent in next year's election raised more than $200,000 last night.

You can read President Obama's plan for yourself. It is posted online at WhiteHouse.gov. Details are spelled out on the president's promise to provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance, provide insurance to those who don't, and lower the cost of health care for everyone.

First-time claims for unemployment insurance fell by 26,000 last week; 550,000 Americans -- still a big number -- filed for new benefits, down from 576,000 in the previous week. And the number of households threatened with foreclosure held steady last month. More than 358,000 foreclosure-related filings were recorded in August, down .5 percent from July, an indication government programs to help homeowners may be starting to have a bit of an impact.

Now a closer look at our top story.

What happens now with health care reform after the latest push by the president? Lisa Desjardin is the Capitol Hill correspondent for CNN Radio, and she joins me live.

Lisa, look, I want to start with what's happening today on health care. We are seeing a lot of senators, representatives come forward, reacting to the president's speech last night. But what's going on behind closed doors? LISA DESJARDINS, CNN RADIO: Well, you know, right behind me, there is actually a long line of lobbyists trying to get into the Senate office buildings as well. You're right, a flurry of activity. Let's break down what's happening as Democrats are essentially on, let's say, the football field of health care, and they still have to figure out what their plays are going to be.

Number one, what's happening today? Democrats are behind closed doors caucusing amongst themselves. At this moment, Tony, the House and Ways Committee Democrats, Democrats only, are meeting to try and form a game plan.

Now, Ways and Means, as you know, those are the money guys. They're going to try and figure out, how do they lift this legislation to the next spot? How do they get it to the House floor? That's going on right now.

Now, later today, key Democrats are getting the big call down Pennsylvania Avenue. They will be going to the White House.

We are told by sources that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will be meeting with the president. He's significant not only because he's number two in the House, but he's also a key moderate.

He doesn't always say the same things as Speaker Pelosi does. So, he will be down there at the White House, and we're told perhaps with some other pivotal moderate Democrats.

HARRIS: I see.

DESJARDINS: The last thing, flurry of news conferences. You just had Eric Cantor on. And, you know, Tony, that was actually the third health care news conference we've had today. We've got one more right now from Senate Democrats. It really is just a blitz.

HARRIS: OK. Now, this is interesting, because you mentioned the work that's going on now, the House Ways and Means Committee. And this is important, because it seems moving forward -- and Lisa, I'm going to tap into your reservoir of knowledge here.

DESJARDINS: All right, bring it.

HARRIS: All right. Here we go.

What I am hearing from stakeholders in this debate -- and we're talking about hospitals, we're talking about doctors, and we're talking about insurance companies -- what I heard just this morning from one of those stakeholders is that moving forward, the Baucus bill out of the Senate Finance Committee is the only bill -- forget about what's happening on the House side -- is the only bill that can pass, so that perhaps the strategy that is being discussed right now on the House side is how we take our language and bring it more in line with what the Senate Finance Committee is working on and drafting right now.

DESJARDINS: That is certainly a very popular sentiment. But again, going back to the football analogy, you know, you always have a top team coming into the game, and that is not always the team that wins.

If you talk to House Democrats, they will say that they think their bill is just as strong. They've got that public option in it and the Senate Finance doesn't. But House Democrats say they can't get a bill passed, some of them say this, without that public option.

Is that true? We don't know. But the truth is, in the end, there's two players on the field here.

The House will have a bill. The Senate will have a bill. That Senate bill will probably look more like that Senate Finance Committee bill.

The advantage goes to the Senate a little bit, because it is tougher to pass things in the Senate. But the truth is, even though it's very popular right now to say that the Senate Finance Committee will be more like the final bill, I'm not so sure yet. I would lean that direction if I was a Las Vegas odds maker.

HARRIS: Yes.

DESJARDINS: But I think a lot has to play out, still.

HARRIS: Send me notes. Let me know what you're...

DESJARDINS: You got it.

HARRIS: ... finding.

Lisa Desjardins, CNN Radio.

I appreciate it, Lisa. Thank you.

DESJARDINS: You got it.

HARRIS: Yesterday I spoke with a couple of people who feel very strongly about health care reform and asked them what they wanted to hear form the president. They're back today to tell us if the president delivered.

We're back with this discussion in a moment.

Kristan, good to see you.

Kathie, good to see you.

KRISTAN HAWKINS, OPPOSES CURRENT HEALTH CARE REFORM: Hi.

KATHIE MCCLURE, FOUNDER, VOTERHEALTHCARE.ORG: Good to be here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Boy, just a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill right now. Democrats holding news conferences. Republicans holding news conferences right now, talking about health care reform and the president's speech.

You're looking at House Minority Leader John Boehner, speaking now. Let's have a listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: According to CBO and others, millions of Americans could be forced out of their plan. And so it may not require you to change your plan, but if you look at the employer mandate and what it means on employers, it's clear that some number of employers are going to drop their plan, pay their eight percent tax, and their employees will be forced into the government option.

Secondly, if you look at the language in the plan, all employer- provided plans would have to have their plan approved by the Department of Labor and the new health choices czar within the first five years. The result of that is that a lot of plans offered by employers are going to end up being dropped as a result of that requirement. And so, there are organizations that have estimated tens of millions of Americans could, in fact, be forced out of their employer-provided coverage into the government plan.

Thirdly, he said, illegal immigrants wouldn't get government benefits. But the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, on August 26th, says, in part, "HR-3200 does not contain any restrictions on non-citizens participating in and paying for coverage available through the exchange whether the non-citizens are legally or illegally present or in the United States temporarily or permanently." And this CRS report makes it pretty clear.

Secondly, there were two opportunities in committee for House Democrats to make clear that illegal immigrants would not be covered by putting in requirements to show citizenship. Both of those amendments were, in fact, rejected.

And then fourthly...

HARRIS: OK. We are going to continue to monitor the comments from the House minority leader, John Boehner. We're particularly interested in the question-and-answer session that will follow this statement, and we'll turn around a bit of that for you.

We are also listening to a wide range of voices and views on health care reform. And we want to bring back two members from yesterday's fiery panel to talk about the president's speech last night.

Kathie McClure, founder of votehealthcare.org, which promotes guaranteed, affordable health care.

Kathie, good to see you.

MCCLURE: It's great to be back.

HARRIS: She is in our Atlanta studio. And Kristan Hawkins, her son was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, and she opposes the current health reform plans.

Kristan, good to see you again.

HAWKINS: Thank you.

HARRIS: And Kristan is joining us from Washington.

All right, let's see here. Kathie, let me start with you.

Did you hear what you wanted to hear from the president last night?

MCCLURE: Yes, I did. I thought the president did an excellent job of putting forth a reasonable plan for bringing quality, affordable health care to every American.

What I heard him say was that he was going to bring security and stability not only to the people who currently have good health insurance coverage through their employers, but also the promise of security and stability for working Americans who can't buy affordable coverage at this time because either they're individuals who have pre- existing conditions like, as I explained yesterday, my children...

HARRIS: Yes.

MCCLURE: ... or because they're entrepreneurs, they're self- employed, farmers, a whole host of people who would benefit from the exchanges and the public option.

HARRIS: All right. We're going to mix this up in just a second.

Kristan, did you hear what you wanted to hear from the president last night?

HAWKINS: No, I didn't hear any specifics. What the president was talking about sounds great. There are great ideas, but when you look at the reality, the practicality of putting these things into practice, it's not going to happen.

The president did not address once this rationing aspect of, what's going to happen when you don't have enough money to pay for care? He has said that there's going to be a provision in the bill which states that if costs start to outweigh the savings, they're going to start making cuts.

My question is, where are the cuts going to happen? Who's going to start stopping getting care? Because if you look at Great Britain, this is what's happening in Great Britain right now. They've run out of money and they are making cuts. And people aren't getting quality health care because they don't have any money.

HARRIS: OK. All right.

Let's do this, ladies, because this is the moment right here, this is the back-and-forth right here. I want you to talk to one another a little bit.

Now, Kristan, you absolutely believe there needs to be some reform in the system...

HAWKINS: Exactly.

HARRIS: ... that it is unsustainable the way it is operating now.

And Kathie, you definitely believe that there needs to be reform in the system.

So, where do you guys agree?

Kristan, start. Where do you agree with Kathie?

HAWKINS: Sure. Well, I definitely agree, there should not be pre-existing clauses. You know, people like Gunner (ph), my son, either he has to stay on my health insurance, or he'll have to get a job that provides health insurance so he'll keep his health insurance.

So, one, we need to eliminate that.

I think we all agree that all Americans should have quality, affordable, accessible health care. I think the disagreement comes as to who is going to administer that. And right now what's going on in Congress is they're saying the government's going to administer. The government is going to come in and, through their government health insurance exchange, tell us which plans to buy, force us to buy plans.

I believe we go back to a capitalistic system.

HARRIS: All right.

And Kathie, jump in here.

MCCLURE: I would love to answer her concerns.

First of all, we are not headed toward any system even remotely akin to what there is in Canada or Great Britain. I want to allay Kristan's fears on this point, because I believe that she has been given bad information. That is not a part...

HARRIS: Well, hang on. Don't say that. Hang on.

Kristan, let me help you for a moment.

Kathie, let's just sort of keep it -- she's doing her own research. She's getting her own information. Just to the extent you can, tell me where you agree with her, not where she's flat-out wrong and getting misinformation.

MCCLURE: Well, OK. So, where I agree with her is that we all believe we should have access to affordable health care.

What I understand is that Kristan currently has coverage through her husband's employment with -- at the state of West Virginia. And what I know is that the HR-3200 and other bills explicitly provide that people in Kristan's situation would be able to retain their coverage as it exists today. So, I want to reassure her on that.

And then also to point out the flip side here. The flip side is, what happens if Kristan's husband loses his job?

HAWKINS: Or what happens if the government comes in, passes nationalized health care, and my husband's employer says, you know what? It's only an eight percent fine, so we're going to drop employer health insurance and now everybody has to go to the national government exchange.-

HARRIS: OK.

HAWKINS: And now we're thrown in with everybody, ,and then we lose our health care.

HARRIS: All right. Let's do this -- it's my promise. We'll do this incrementally.

We don't have enough time. We never seem to have enough time, but you're both so passionate about this. Let's do it incrementally, the way they're working through it on the Hill, and let's see if we can get to some common ground on moving forward.

Both sides agree?

MCCLURE: Sure. I think that sounds great.

HARRIS: Kathie, Kristan, I appreciate it. I've got to roll. Thank you.

If your insurance company cancels your health policy, what are your options? Gerri Willis is going to join me in just a couple of minutes with some "Top Tips" for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: I'm in Gerri's house.

Thousands of Americans have found themselves with a canceled health insurance policy just when they needed it the most. And California insurers paid out about $19 million in fines for marooning policyholders who had fallen ill.

Boy, we need to spend some time on this. Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is here.

Gerri, good to see you.

What do we need to know here?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: You know, the insurers call this recession. That's when they cancel your policy because they've been misled on something about your past. Let's say you were hospitalized for heart pains and you don't report that to your insurer, you don't tell them about it when you get on their plan. And then they look back and they say, boy, we didn't know that and you should have told us.

But I've got to tell you, Tony, it happens the opposite way, too. There was a California insurer who was actually fined $1 million for incenting employees, giving them bonuses, to find ways to kick them off their policies.

HARRIS: Really?

WILLIS: Yes. So what you need to know here is that typically -- typically -- the insurers have about two years to look back into your history to find if there's something that's not right in your documentation and do the recession. That's the word, recession.

HARRIS: All right, so what can you do here, Gerri, if your policy has, in fact, been cancelled?

WILLIS: Well, you find out the reason why, right? You go to your insurer, you say, why was I dropped? What is the reason? Then you appeal. And the right person to appeal to is the state health insurance department. Those are the regulators. Those are the people who are looking over the shoulders of the insurers. Then when you do apply for coverage, go to a different carrier because, at the end of the day, look, you sort of sullied your name, even if it wasn't your fault, with that insurer.

HARRIS: Gotcha.

WILLIS: And if I can just give you a little bit of advice on these applications.

HARRIS: Please, please.

WILLIS: When you're filling out applications with your insurer, if you don't know the right date, if you're unsure of the doctor's name, do not put it on the application forms because that can be a reason to get you off the policy, to rescind your coverage so that you would have no coverage at all. Make sure everything you put on those applications is absolutely right.

HARRIS: Got one more for you. What happens if you've been -- if your claim has been denied? What do you do? What are your options?

WILLIS: Let me tell you, the California attorney's general office found in that state 40 percent -- four in 10 claims -- were denied, which I think is a huge number out there.

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: So the good news is, there is an appeals process for this typically. You appeal directly to your insurer. You usually have 60 days to do that. And then you got to make sure you got all the paperwork.

HARRIS: Right.

WILLIS: You need all the information, all the data about your bills, if you were referred to the doctor. You have to have all that on hand as well.

HARRIS: And who keeps all that stuff? But you have to. You've got to have it.

WILLIS: You have to have it. Log the calls. It's all about having it in writing. Sending everything in writing. Maybe, you know, certify that mail when you send it.

HARRIS: That's interesting. That's interesting. And the e-mail address, because we're going to do the e-mail bag right here tomorrow. We're going to answer questions right here from New York, right?

WILLIS: I'm so excited about that. Gerri@cnn.com. And just let me say, Saturday morning, 9:30, "Your Bottom Line." Join us. We've got a bang-up show coming. We'll obviously be talking about health care, because it's the story of the week, but we're also talking about the important topic of free stuff. Free stuff that you don't pay for that you can get gratis. I know you like that topic.

HARRIS: I -- hey, free is for me. And the other thing is, we've got some of the best-of moments of you and Elmo. Look, we got a lot of e-mail at the blog, right?

WILLIS: Yes, you do.

HARRIS: Cnn.com/tony.

WILLIS: Really good questions.

HARRIS: So folks want to see more of the moments with you and Elmo. So that's tomorrow right here with Gerri.

WILLIS: Thank you, sir. I'm looking forward to it.

HARRIS: Good to see you in your house.

Last night, you know, the president didn't get a very positive reception from the Republican side of the room. So what are they proposing? We're taking a closer look.

HARRIS: All right. Thirty-seven minutes after the hour, everyone, and welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris from New York City today.

We are just moments away, actually, from getting a piece of tape that we're going to show you from the president, his meeting a short time ago with members of his cabinet. Obviously he will be imploring his cabinet to keep the foot on the pedal here, driving this issue on health care reform. So we're getting that in just a couple of seconds. And once we've viewed the president's thoughts, we will talk to Josh Levs.

But let's take you to the president and get his thoughts.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, everybody.

We just had an excellent and informative cabinet meeting. Secretaries Clinton and Gates provided an overview of our current national security posture. Secretary Geithner discussed some of the both promise and peril of our current economic situation. But we spent a large portion of our time discussing the critical importance of health care reform.

This is an issue that touches on all of the agencies that are represented at this table. Hilda Solis at the Department of Labor understands that it is very difficult for workers to obtain raises of any significance if increased productivity is all going into increased health care costs.

Gary Locke at the Department of Commerce is constantly hearing stories from businesses, small and large alike, about ever-escalating premiums and the need to get control of our health care costs.

Bob Gates one of the biggest parts of his budget is -- are his health care costs. And so we all understand that this is an issue that the country is ready to deal with.

As I said last night, I am confident the plan that we've put forward is the right plan for the American people. I continue to be open to suggestions and ideas from all quarters, House members, Senate members, Democrats, Republicans, outside groups.

What we cannot do is stand pat. What we can't do is accept a status quo that is bankrupting families, businesses and our nation. I will not tolerate us continuing to pay more for less in health care. The time is right, and we are going to move aggressively to get this done. And every member of this cabinet is invested.

I want to particularly thank Secretary Sebelius and my health care team for the extraordinary work that they've done getting us this far. But this administration understands that this is important for all of our agencies, all of our constituencies, and we are going to make a full-court press in the coming month to make sure that we go ahead and get this done for the American people.

All right.

QUESTION: Thank you. (INAUDIBLE) when you said (INAUDIBLE)?

OBAMA: Yes, I -- yes, I do. I'm a big believer that we all make mistakes. He apologized quickly and without equivocation. And I'm appreciative of that. I do think that -- as I said last night, we have to get to the point where we can have a conversation about big, important issues that matter to the American people without vitriol, without name calling, without the assumption of the worst in other people's motives.

We are all Americans. We all want to do best for our country. We've got different ideas, but, for the most part, we have the same aims, which is to make sure that people who work hard in this country and who act responsibly are able to get good jobs, good wages, raise their families, make sure those kids have a good education. That they are protected from misfortune or accident by having health care and retirement security in place. We want to keep people safe, and that's why our national security team is so important.

Our goals are generally the same. Whether we're Democrats or Republicans. And, in fact, most Americans don't even think about those labels all that much. They are turned off when they see people using wild accusations, false claims, name calling, sharply ideological approaches to solve the problems, they want pragmatism. They want people to stay focused on the job and I hope that some of the fever breaks a little bit. The media can always be helpful by not giving all the attention to the loudest or shrillest voices and try to stay a little bit more focused on the issues at hand.

QUESTION: When you talked with (INAUDIBLE)?

OBAMA: All right. I talk to everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you, guys.

OBAMA: Absolutely. All right. Thank you very much.

HARRIS: There you have it. The president comments from his meeting with his cabinet earlier, and that tape just in to CNN. The president noting that he is accepting the apology from Representative Joe Wilson, who screamed out something a bit inappropriate last night. He admits it in his own words. He has apologized for it. And the president saying there that he does, in fact, accept that apology.

Let's get to a couple of our other top stories. We should tell you that earlier today President Obama again urged lawmakers to stop the bickering and to pass reform this year. The president spoke to the American Nurses Association stressing several reform themes, including the need for coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions.

Firefighters in California in day 16 of battling that massive wildfire north of Los Angeles. It is now 62 percent contained after charring 250 square miles and burning 78 homes. Backfires have been started on the eastern flank to keep it from roaring up Mount Wilson.

And in New Delhi, India, today, what a sad story. At least five girls died in a stampede at a government school. Twenty-nine others were injured. Authorities say the stampede began after students packed both ends of a narrow stairway.

We're back with more CNN NEWSROOM in just a minute.

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HARRIS: About 47 minutes after the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris in New York City.

What are Republicans offering when it comes to health care reform? Some lawmakers -- did you see this last night -- were waving pamphlets during the president's speech. Or Josh Levs is here to show us how you can read up what's in these GOP proposals.

Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Tony, we actually heard a Web site as well and the Republican response and that's actually the easiest way to read up on all of this. It's at gop.gov. It's technically it's healthcare.gop.gov. But if you just go to gop.gov, they're making it clear what to do.

It's interesting because they actually link you to several different examples of Republican plans. And it gets into that tiny little type down there. I'm going to take you over to a few of them just so you can see what it offers.

This is one group that's showing you some of the basics that's in a Republican plan. And a lot of the time, when you take a look at these, Tony, a lot of them revolve around lowering costs. You see a lot about tax breaks and tax incentives. You see it here from the Republican Study Committee as well, they have something called "putting patients first" and yet another one here that's up on one congressman's website.

But again, it takes you to what a group of Republican congressmen are suggesting. And you do see the same themes come up often, affordability, accommodating people, making health care more accessible. We encourage everyone to check out what is there at gop.gov and decide for yourself.

And, Tony, that's, I guess, why they were pushing that last night, because there are so many different plans to take a look at from that one site.

Back to you.

HARRIS: OK, Josh.

LEVS: All right.

HARRIS: Josh, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

LEVS: You got it, Tony.

HARRIS: You know, a lot of you were telling us what you think about the president's speech last night and whether the debate is getting a bit out of hand. Here's a bit of a sampling from what some of you are saying to us.

From Mike, "Only the future will tell if the president is a liar, but at least Joe Wilson didn't throw his shoes."

And from Cheryl. "The issues surrounding health care reform need to be baited. However, the debate should be courteous and factual."

And from Mike B. "This is the beauty of America. You reap what you sow."

Of course, you can always send us your thoughts. Just check out our blog page, cnn.com/tony and give us your feedback.

Cue up the music here if we've got it. The CNN Express crossing paths with the Tea Party Express today. We are going to get the latest from our own Ali Velshi.

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HARRIS: Oh, yes, we've got to hustle. A lot to get to between now and the top of the hour and Kyra Phillips. CNN's chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi, is on the CNN Express, taking it to the streets in Scranton, PA. Also there today, how about this, the Tea Party Express. The group opposed to government bailout and government-run health insurance. Ali joining me live now.

And, Ali, look, got to be difficult to find a parking space. A lot of energy in that gathering.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

HARRIS: What's been the reaction of people there to the president's speech last night?

VELSHI: Well, listen, there's a lot of opposition to the president's speech, to the president, to a lot of ideas of this administration. A lot of talk about taking back government in 2010 and 2012. Over my right shoulder, the rally is underway right now. There are speakers.

Probably more than 1,000 people here waving flags. Some of them say "don't tread on me." So there's a real idea of push-back on government involvement, government intrusion. We've encountered a number of arguments on the sidewalks with people say, well, we need government to get involved in health care and we meet (ph) others who (ph) say, it's your tax dollars. We don't have it. We can't afford it.

You mentioned the buses, Tony. Over my left shoulder you can see, there's the CNN Express and then the two Tea Party Express buses right behind it. They're headed to D.C. for a big rally on Saturday. And they've been taking this message across the country.

You know, we've also been driving across the country for a few weeks going into places the Tea Party Express isn't and getting sort of a more mixed view of what's going on, but it's a fairly concentrated view today of people who are angry about this administration, feel that the government is pushing its way into people's lives and spending money that Americans don't have to spend.

Tony.

HARRIS: OK. And, Ali, let us do this. Let us let you go so that you can talk to those folks and we'll be anxious to see your reporting later in the day and tomorrow.

VELSHI: Absolutely.

HARRIS: Ali Velshi with the CNN Express. Ali, appreciate it. Thank you.

A California lawmaker's racy comments -- have you heard this story -- about sexual conquests that have cost him his job.

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HARRIS: Boy, oh, boy. A California politician quits in a shameful sex scandal. A family values crusader accidentally outs himself as a philanderer and a hypocrite. Here's CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.

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THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 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.

COMMITTEE MEMBER: Pardon me.

MIKE DUVALL, FORMER ASSEMBLYMAN, ORANGE CO., CA: She wears little eye-patch underwear.

GUTIERREZ: 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.

DUVALL: So I am getting into spanking her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are?

DUVALL: 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 and commerce.

DUVALL: So, the other day she came here with her underwear, Thursday. And so, we had made love Wednesday, a lot.

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.

KAREN BASS, SPEAKER, CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY: 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, UNIV. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: What finished Mike Duvall's career is not the fact that he is unfaithful to his spouse. Plenty of politicians in 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.

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HARRIS: And this rather odd development. We noticed Duvall posted this statement on his -- on his website today. "I want to make it clear that my decision to resign is no way an admission that I had an affair or affairs."

We are pushing forward now with the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM with Kyra Phillips!