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Health Care Reform: What Happens Next?
Aired March 22, 2010 - 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: Top-of-the-hour reset. I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.
It is noon in Washington, where a sweeping overhaul of health care is on the verge of becoming law. What is next for reform?
It is a tough time for college students to face rising tuition. How a provision in the health care bill will help with money for school.
And time is running out to file your tax return. Vice President Joe Biden explains how the Recovery Act could mean a bigger refund.
Let's do this, let's get started.
A historic vote, landmark legislation. House Democrats approved the biggest expansion of government health care guarantees since Medicare and Medicaid. President Obama will sign the bill tomorrow.
Here is a look at how the vote played out last night.
The House passed the bill 219-212. That's just three more than the 216 votes needed. All 178 Republicans voted against the bill. They were joined by 34 Democrats, who also voted no.
The vote follows more than a year of divisive debate and partisan politics. And it is not over yet. The Senate still needs to approve a package of changes passed by the House.
Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar live from Capitol Hill now.
Brianna, what happens next?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Big bill, Tony. Little bill. OK?
HARRIS: I'm with you.
KEILAR: Big bill. This is the one that is a signature away from becoming law. President Obama, this is what he's going to sign tomorrow.
Both of these passed the House yesterday, but this one is in the bag for Democrats. Right? This is the changes bill, the tweaks bill that only has passed the House. It goes over to the Senate now, where Senate Democrats who said that they have 51 votes to pass this, they're going to try to pass it really quickly this week.
But Republicans do have some options. They do have some tools by which they can slow down the process. That's really what we are looking for this week, to see how long that takes. But this one's done. And this is -- you know, for what's in this bill, it really is sort the size of symbolic, because this is the $875 billion bill and this is the one that adds -- quick math -- $65 billion to this price tag.
HARRIS: Nice. Nice.
Well, Brianna, just how close did we get to the wire -- some might call it a tripwire -- yesterday?
KEILAR: Yes. It was -- you know, we saw, finally, Democrats come to get the votes they needed to pass that threshold of 216 just hours before the vote. It really came down to anti-abortion Democrats, led by Bart Stupak, a Democrat from Michigan.
And they came to a compromise at really kind of the last minute, although it did seem the Democratic leaders, they weren't in a panic about it. They seemed, you know, confident that they would get there, but it really was kind of a dramatic day.
And we saw this announcement yesterday, at that time, just hours before the vote. And the compromise was that President Obama, once this package would be passed into law, he would issue an executive order just, again, backing up the current law as it stands, which says no federal dollars to fund abortion unless it's the case of rape, incest, or if the mother's life is in danger.
HARRIS: Yes. Boy, you are covering -- these are some extraordinary times.
Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill for us.
Brianna, good to see you. Thank you.
(NEWSBREAK)
HARRIS: Now more on our top story, the passing of health care reform by the House.
CNN's Jim Acosta is in New York with the details on what's in this bill and when it could go into effect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The goal of this legislation is to make sure 95 percent of all Americans have health care. And it's important to talk about the Senate version of health care reform first, because that's the version the House approved. Now, the House also passed a fixed bill that tries to change parts of the Senate legislation. So here's a look at what reform looks like if the Senate follows suit and passes those fixes.
We're talking about some major changes to the nation's health care system that will happen this year. Within the next six months, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. And within 90 days, adults who can't get insurance because of those conditions would be able to sign up for a new high-risk insurance pool. And young adults will be able to stay on their parents' insurance plan until they turn 26.
Democrats hope voters see those elements of health care reform in this first year and like (ph) them going into this fall's midterm elections. But the biggest part of this bill will have to wait until 2014.
Take the mandates. President Obama campaigned against this when he was running for president. Now he's for it.
In 2014, almost every American is going to be required by law to buy health insurance. If you don't, you will pay a penalty. There are some exceptions, and there are also penalties for larger businesses if they don't cover their workers.
Now, another major piece of this bill is this idea of an exchange, a new health insurance marketplace for the uninsured and small businesses. If you can't get health care because you have a pre-existing condition, you will be able to go to your state health exchange. And Medicaid will be expanded dramatically to 16 million people. That's roughly half of the 32 million people that are supposed to be included in the system once all of this passes and goes into effect.
Now, there is a tax on insurance companies that offer high-cost so-called Cadillac health plans to help pay for all of this. Under the final version of this law, that tax does not take effect until 2018.
There's also a hike in the Medicare payroll tax for wealthier Americans. That doesn't take effect until 2013.
There are some things that happen sooner. There are cuts in the growth of Medicare, the system for older Americans that will occur over the next 10 years. And there is a tanning salon tax. That starts this year.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And of course we want to hear from you. Give us a call, let us know what you think about the House passing the health care reform bill. Here's the number: 1-877-742-5260.
If you have questions about the bill, you're not alone. Just go to my blog page here, CNN.com/Tony. Leave a comment and a question.
And our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, will be joining me in just a couple of minutes here to answer some of your questions right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
What's next for the health care bill? And does its passage essentially suck the wind out of the sails of conservative radio, the Tea Party movement? We are digging deeper with our CNN political editor, Mark Preston.
First though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, our "Random Moment of the Day" is a real stinker. Well, at least it could have been if not handled properly.
Watch this. A skunk looking a lot like roadkill, right? Not dead. Just stuck. Head in a peanut butter jar.
Hate when that happens, right?
A wildlife worker comes to the rescue with a really long stick. And after a quick thank you from the skunk, it was off to a business meeting or something.
There you have it, our "Random Moment of the Day."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, Democrats deliver on President Obama's signature domestic issue. The president and Democratic leaders say last night's vote to approve health care reform was the right thing to do for the country.
For the president, the stakes were really high. He says the legislation is proof Americans are still capable of doing big things.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the end, what this day represents is another stone firmly laid in the foundation of the American dream. Tonight we answered the call of history as so many generations of Americans have before us.
When faced with crisis, we did not shrink from our challenge, we overcame it. We did not avoid our responsibility, we embraced it. We did not fear our future, we shaped it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: We believe that this act passed tonight is an all-American act honoring our founders' vows to the future and honoring our commitment to the future by making it a healthier one and a fiscally sound one. Thirty-two million more Americans having access to health care, $1.3 trillion saved for the taxpayer, and accountability for the insurance companies so they cannot come between patients and their doctors.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, Republicans voted in lockstep against the health care reform bill. They called it an expensive government takeover of health care.
Minority Leader John Boehner made an impassioned plea against the bill from the House floor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), MINORITY LEADER: We have failed to listen to America. And we have failed to reflect the will of our constituents. And when we fail to reflect that will, we fail ourselves and we fail our country.
And look at how this bill was written. Can you say it was done openly, with transparency and accountability, without backroom deals struck behind closed doors, hidden from the people?
Hell, no, you can't!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Oh, man.
Given the contentious political climate, what's next for health care? We're bringing in CNN Political Editor Mark Preston. Wow. And Politico.com's correspondent Jeanne Cummings.
Jeanne, as always, great to talk to you.
Jeanne, first to you and then to Mark.
At the end of the day -- I want to get to what's ahead in just a moment. But at the end of the day, how did the president, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid get health care over the line, when you consider where we were in August with town hall meetings becoming cage matches, the Tea Party taking flight really, Senator Jim DeMint saying if we were able to stop President Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo, it will break him?
How did Obama, Pelosi and Reid get this done, Jeanne?
JEANNE CUMMINGS, POLITICO.COM CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that basically the Democrats decided that not passing it was going to be as dangerous as passing it. I think that they did get caught up in the historic nature of it and decided they have this rare opportunity with oversized majorities to do something with them.
And what they did is they achieved what has been the Democratic Party's chief domestic policy initiative for decades. And they did get that done.
And it took them a long time to get over all of the bumps, including Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts. But at the end of the day, they made a collective decision to do something historic while they had an opportunity to do it.
HARRIS: What are your thoughts on this, Mark?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, I think Jeanne is right. I mean, President Obama, Tony, as we all recall, was criticized for not putting enough political capital into trying to get health care reform done. He basically heft it up to Congress. And then, by August, congressional Democrats, the White House realized that everything had unraveled.
I think at this point, after they saw Scott Brown win up in Massachusetts, there was a calculation made. They needed to get it done. And that's when we saw President Obama put all his political muscle into trying to get the votes secured to get the bill through. He even had President Clinton making telephone calls on the eve of the vote to make it through. He got it through.
HARRIS: And Mark, let me come to you first on this next one and then to Jeanne.
The president didn't want to focus on the process in this debate because it's been ugly at moments, given some of the things yelled at Congressman Lewis, Congressman Stupak. As a matter of fact, let's listen to someone yelling "Baby Killer!" while Congressman Stupak was on the House floor this weekend. And then I've got a question for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BART STUPAK (D), MICHIGAN: The motion to recommit does not promote life. It is the Democrats who have stood up -- it is the Democrats who have stood up to --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those who were shouting out are out of order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Did you hear it there? Did you hear "Baby Killer" there?
Mark, to you first. Will moving forward be as contentious as the process we've seen unfold?
PRESTON: Yes, certainly. You know, I think what we saw this weekend in Washington, D.C., was a continued lack of decorum.
You know, we saw it outside the Capitol with some of the protesters and some of the things that they did to members of Congress, even spitting on one member of Congress that resulted in arrest. But you know, Tony, what we saw on the House floor was clearly frustration from somebody on the Republican side, or we believe on the Republican side.
But you know something? This has happened before.
If you go back 150 years, there was a South Carolina congressman by the name of Preston Brooks who went to the Senate chamber and beat down a Massachusetts senator over the issue of slavery, over the most divisive issue Congress has ever dealt with, this nation has ever dealt with.
So we've had problems in the past. I suspect we're going to have problems in the future.
HARRIS: Jeanne, why didn't conservative radio, conservative television stop this? You know, that media block that was essentially all in to defeat this legislation. Is this as much a defeat for -- let's just call it, for the sake of this discussion, conservative media as it is a victory for Dems and president?
CUMMINGS: I wouldn't look at it that way. I think in some ways the conservative media may benefit from this, because it's going to keep the issue -- they will keep the issue alive.
It has activated all of their viewers and their customers and their clients. And, you know, I think the way to look at it is that this is an issue that we're going to keep hearing about, right through to November, because the battle now is how do you define this?
We saw the talking points for that start last night with the Republicans describing it as a government takeover and the Democrats describing their position as being on the side of patients and not insurance companies. We're going to hear those messages for the next few months.
HARRIS: Well, Jeanne, where do you stand today on the idea that Dems will lose more than the 20, 25 seats in the House that you'd expect the majority party to lose in a midterm election? Where do you stand on that?
CUMMINGS: Well, I do think they're going to take losses. That's the historic pattern. There are Democrats who are sitting in seats they don't fit very well, so they are going to lose some seats.
How health care plays out, we don't really know yet. The Democrats are -- and their allies are going to -- have already launched a big campaign to try to define this in its most positive way. Voters have been confused about what's in the legislation. Now that it's passed, they can sell specific points that are in it.
Obviously, the Republicans will push hard against that. And we'll see where the public finally ends up.
HARRIS: All right, Jeanne. Appreciate it.
Mark, as always, we'll have you back later in the week, to be sure.
All right. Thank you.
And an in-depth look at health care reform coming your way tonight as CNN premieres our newest show, "JOHN KING, USA." Don't miss his exclusive interview with Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts.
"JOHN KING, USA," every weeknight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
You know, a lot of watching and waiting in North Dakota this weekend. We'll tell you if the 700,000 sandbags were enough to stop the rising Red River.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Checking our top stories now.
Delivered and soon to be signed. The health care reform bill passes the House. President Obama plans to sign it at the White House tomorrow. A package of changes will still have to be approved by the Senate.
No room for modesty these days for passengers waiting to board. The government has rolled out its new beefed-up airport security plan in response to the failed Christmas Day attack. Travelers can expect to get scanned, swabbed or thoroughly patted down. Even all three.
And they waited on edge for most of the weekend in North Dakota. The Red River crested yesterday, 19 feet above flood stage in Fargo, but without causing major damage. Officials say hundreds of thousands of sandbags worked.
We will get another check of our top stories in just about 20 minutes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, what you need to know about health care reform. Our senior medical correspondent is in the house, answering your questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. CNN, of course, is your source for Money news. Check out CNNmoney.com if you'd like to get the latest financial news and analysis.
Let's get you to the New York Stock Exchange. On the money three hours into the trading day. The Nasdaq is up 13, but you can see the Dow in positive territory, up 45 points.
You know, in getting health care reform past, President Obama succeeded in doing something almost every president since Harry Truman have tried. In January, 1955, health care reform was front page news for a New London, Connecticut, newspaper, Eisenhower's plan called for re-insurance, a government underwriting of health insurance. And that 1962 speech in Madison Square Garden, President Kennedy spoke out in favor of government supporting universal health care, but that dream was not realized.
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. He signed it in Independence, Missouri, with the first person to sign up for the plan. Former President Truman looking on. He had tried but failed to get universal health care for all Americans.
President Nixon wanted to expand that to include a minimum health care coverage for all Americans, but it got squashed by the Watergate scandal. And in 1992, health care was a big issue in President George Bush's campaign for re-election.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We need common sense, comprehensive health care reform. And we need it now. And my plan, I really believe, is the right plan. A plan that meets our obligation to all Americans by putting hope and health within their reach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: President Bill Clinton won that election and he pushed hard but unsuccessfully to get a federal health plan going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM J. CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: If we don't now seize this opportunity to give health care security to all of our people, more and more people will start to lose insurance. Another 100,000 Americans a month lose their health insurance permanently. It is not right. We can do this right. It will save us money over the long run. We will be a healthier, stronger, happier, more coherent, more cohesive society if we do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, many of you are weighing in on the new health care bill. CNN iReporters voicing both praise and condemnation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MANNY DORADO, IREPORTER: I am extremely happy that this got passed. I did not support this bill because I'm a Democrat or because I'm a liberal, I supported this because I'm a human. And like a human, I get sick and I do not know what life is going to throw at me. But now I know that whatever life throws at me, whether it be an illness or a sickness of a long term, I am covered.
CAMERON HARRELSON, IREPORTER: The first thing I worry about and get scared about and get mad about is my generations sake. And that is because I'm so worried about what's going to happen as a result of this bill. We're going to be the ones having to pay for it. We're going to have to endure it the longest. So, therefore, to my generation, I apologize for the mistake that Congress has just made on their behalf. I'll apologize because they're not going to. And I want to give you a word to those of you who voted for the bill. You will be sent home from Washington very soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. We have been asking for your questions on health care. Impassioned opinions.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes, all around.
HARRIS: All across the spectrum. We love it. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here.
Elizabeth, let's do this. Let's start with this first question from Janie. She asks, "with this new bill, will one be expected to get health insurance?"
COHEN: Easy answer, yes. And the reason is that's how you get everyone insured. That's how you pay for this, right, when you bring everyone into the fold.
HARRIS: OK.
COHEN: The problem was, a lot of these nice healthy, you know, 25-year-olds weren't getting insurance. Well, they need to be brought into the pool for several reasons, one of which is to help fund this.
Now, what happens if you don't sign up for health insurance? You will get fined. You can see that as the years go by, the fine gets bigger and bigger. This is for individuals, to almost $700 in 2016. For families, that fine gets even bigger. It can go into the thousands of dollars.
And the way they set up the system, Tony, they'll find you if you don't pay for it.
HARRIS: Really? OK.
COHEN: I suppose you could do all sorts of tricks and whatnot, but it would be pretty hard to avoid this.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. OK, I think we skipped one here. We've got one, a question from -- Elizabeth, this is from our newsroom blog. "What is the penalty, right, for the employer who doesn't pay for the employee's health care?"
COHEN: Right, you get fined if, as an individual, you don't get yourself insurance. And your employer gets fined if they don't give you insurance. So let's take a look at what some of these fines are and a lot of it depends on the size of the company and all of that kind of thing. But if you have a company that has more than 50 -- well, fewer than 50 employees, no fine. They're just totally exempt.
HARRIS: Right.
COHEN: More than 50 employees, it's a fine of $2,000 per employee. And again, there are all sorts of caveats here and all of that. But it's a fine, $2,000 per employee.
HARRIS: Got you.
COHEN: And I should add, for the individuals going back to that first question, if you're quite poor, you do not have to pay. There are hardship exemptions. And that works out differently for different people.
HARRIS: Yes. We have time for one more?
COHEN: I think so.
HARRIS: This is a question from Dianna who writes, "my daughter who is 32, was hit by a drunk driver in 2006. Last week she was denied health insurance due to her preexisting condition. Is there anything we can do before 2014?
COHEN: Yes. Before 2014, they're going to establish these high- risk pools. And the way that it works is that if you have a preexisting condition, you're considered high risk. You're going to be expensive, which is why insurance companies right now don't want to insure you. So they're going to create these high-risk pools where they won't charge you more for having a preexisting condition.
And that's going to happen, you know, pretty soon. Within the coming months. So you can try to join one of those. Not everyone will be eligible. There are certain rules, as there always are, but that's how they're going to sort of fill in this gap before everything starts in full swing in 2014.
HARRIS: Got you. Good, good advice. Good questions. And keep sending them to us and we'll get them along to Elizabeth and get some answers for you.
We've got a picture of the House floor right now. There is -- what happens here is, the House has set aside an hour. Republicans have requested the hour. It's going on right now. And there is a conversation that is continuing right now over the legislation that was passed last night. We may dip in and hear some of this from time to time. But that is what's going on, on Capitol Hill right now. And you can follow this in real time if you'd like to at CNN.com/live.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And let's get you caught up on our top stories now. President Obama is expected to sign sweeping health care reform legislation into law at the White House tomorrow. That's according to two Democratic officials familiar with the planning. House lawmakers passed the measure last night. Not a single Republican voted in favor of it.
Talking tough on Iran. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the White House is working on sanctions that will, in her words, bite. It comes as Iran refuses to prove its nuclear activities are peaceful.
And running for safety in Iceland after a volcano erupts under a glacier. Scientists are checking to see if it is all right for people to return home after they evacuated the area this weekend. The threat of rising volcanic ash also caused cancellations on domestic and international flights.
You know, critics say federal stimulus grants for wind energy are creating too many jobs overseas and too few here in America. Our T.J. Holmes is standing by at the Stimulus Desk with a look at the controversy and how the wind energy industry is responding.
We are back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, I've got to tell you, a lot of controversy over $2 billion in wind energy grants. Yes, wind energy grants. Consider that for a moment. Part of the stimulus program. The money is going to U.S.-based wind generation projects. But a lot of the equipment for those projects comes from overseas. Senator Charles Schumer of New York says stimulus money should be used to create American jobs, not foreign jobs. Here he is earlier this month taking on one particular project.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: In west Texas, there is a $1.5 billion wind energy project about to receive $450 million in stimulus grants, even though it's creating 3,000 jobs in China. And a fraction of those jobs, a few hundred, in the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. The wind energy industry has been feeling that heat, that pressure, that hot air. T.J. Holmes is following this story for us at the Stimulus Desk.
And, T.J., good to see you, doctor.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, sir.
HARRIS: Talk to us about this for a second. So this is stimulus money that is creating jobs overseas?
HOLMES: Apparently so. Now, you just heard Schumer there, Senator Schumer. HARRIS: Yes.
HOLMES: Now, granted, the one he's talking about in Texas, they actually dispute some of his numbers. They actually say that 70 percent of the turbines they're going to use at their farm are going to be made here in the U.S. So they're saying his numbers are a little off. But this dispute has been going for some time.
Let me tell you what we're talking about here. Now, stimulus grants are being handed out. Now, it's going to be building wind turbines, generating electricity. Now, apparently, according to Schumer, who was quoting a particular study, 80 percent of the grants are going to companies that are overseas owned. And $2.1 billion is going to be handed out.
Let me also put the 80 percent there in perspective. Overseas- owned companies. Well, it's still possible, Tony, that some of those overseas companies are doing business in the U.S. and do have plants and farms in the U.S. So it can be a little deceiving. But Senator Schumer is sticking by that number there at least.
HARRIS: Absolutely. OK. So what is the wind industry doing then to put on an even more American face on this?
HOLMES: OK. The best example they're going to be pointing out to you is what we're seeing happen in Nevada right now. They just announced that there is going to be a new wind farm -- excuse me, a turbine manufacturing plant, I should say. They're actually going to build those big blades there you're seeing on your screen.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
HOLMES: And this is going to create 1,000 jobs they say, should be up and running in late 2011. But still, the issue here, Tony, they say 70 percent of all that equipment and everything out there at that manufacturing plant, 70 percent of that stuff, all U.S.-made. It's going to be all U.S. steel.
HARRIS: Sure.
HOLMES: But still, they are then going to be selling those turbines to places like the wind farm in Texas, that's getting stimulus money, and they don't think yes, you see where I'm going with this thing now.
HARRIS: And on and on and on, this crazy circle that we're on.
HOLMES: And on and on. But, again, it depends on who you talk to.
HARRIS: Yes.
HOLMES: But, again, this new wind plant out there, they're going to be building these things. They say 70 percent of that money going to be used for stuff right here that was made right here in the U.S., Tony. HARRIS: Need that. All right, T.J., appreciate it. Thank you.
HOLMES: All right, the stimulus goes on.
HARRIS: Exactly.
We are saying good-bye to one of the best in this business and one of our own when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: All right. Let's take a look at some of the stories generating real buzz on the Internet. Some of the stories that have you talking today. Ines Ferre is back.
Good to see you, lady.
INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Tony.
HARRIS: So what's going on? What's hot?
FERRE: OK. Well, let's talk first about Google in China. They may have officially had it with each other. They've been going back and forth for weeks over issues to do with censorship and hacking. And according to a report on China business news, Google may make an announcement today that they will shut their operations there effective April 10th.
HARRIS: Well, we'll wait to see if that actually happens. You know, we get to the 11th hour here and then things kind of change.
FERRE: Yes, and then suddenly -- uh-huh.
HARRIS: A really big loss for our business. And a most beloved colleague for us here at CNN.
FERRE: Definitely. Photo journalist Margaret Moth died early Sunday. And this one from CNN.com. Michael Holmes takes a look at her life and career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Margaret Moth got her first camera aged just eight. And from then on, her passion for camera work grew and grew. She traveled the world for CNN, often to some of its most dangerous places. Margaret sought out, even demanded assignments in conflict zones. She loved her work, and her colleagues loved working with her.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As soon as we met, and we started to work, I knew that Margaret is simply committed, passionate, dedicated and loves this job more than anything.
M. HOLMES: Margaret's bravery astounded all who worked with her. She was determined to get the best pictures she could. Sometimes putting herself in the way of danger in doing so. Like here, in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. When others took cover, Margaret kept the camera rolling.
Margaret's life changed forever in 1992. She was shot in the face by a sniper in Sarajevo as she filmed the Balkans War. A CNN documentary told the harrowing story.
MARGARET MOTH: I don't remember the actual shot. It felt like my face was falling off. I remember, all here, I was trying to hold it on.
TOM JOHNSON, FORMER CNN PRESIDENT: This was the most traumatic situation that I dealt with during my 11 years as president at CNN.
AMANPOUR: She was completely enveloped in bandages. Her face was unrecognizable. She was so badly wounded. And the only thing I recognized was her hands. She had very distinctive, strong hands.
PARISA KHOSRAVI, CNN SENIOR V.P. INTERNATIONAL NEWSGATHERING: And all you could see were her two big blue, bright eyes just staring out.
M. HOLMES: Margaret west back to Sarajevo, not because she had to, but because she wanted to. She was asked by a colleague what she'd say to the sniper if they ever met.
MOTH: And I said, I'd be more curious, I guess. I'd be curious. Could he see me in the van? Or did he just shoot randomly into the van? And I would not feel any anger or anything.
HOLMES: Just over three years ago, Margaret was diagnosed with cancer. She battled it with bravery and dignity. Sadly, she died on Sunday, aged 59, in the United States.
M. HOLMES (on camera): I worked with Margaret many times, most notably for me in the West Bank in 2002. Israeli troops had surrounded Yaser Arafat's compound. It was Margaret's bravery and ingenuity that saw us get past tanks and guns for an exclusive interview with him.
(voice-over): Margaret Moth was an incredible woman. Her rich personality, her kindness, her bravery, and her amazing ability behind the camera inspired so many of those who knew her. Margaret was at peace with dying.
At the very end, she joked with her best friend, CNN cameraman Joe Duran (ph), dying's not so bad, Joe, you should try it one day.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
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HARRIS: You know, health care reform is meant to address cost. And if you've ever been hospitalized, you know what I'm talking about here. But why? Why is it so expensive?
CNN's chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta takes a look.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the questions that comes up all the time is, what about these hospital bills. How exactly do they break down? How do you make sense of it? There's no question it leaves a lot of people scratching their heads. So I want to give you a little bit of an example here by taking you inside this operating room.
This is the hospital where I work, where I'm a neurosurgeon. And just having an operation performed in a room like this costs about $3,000 an hour. That's for starters. Come on in.
Give you a couple of quick examples. If you look at a hospital bill, you might see an IV bag charge. It's an IV like this. About $280 just for the IV bag. That might strike people as very high.
A stapler. This is a stapler that's often used in surgery. Something like this costs about $1,200. This is a chest tube. If someone has compression of one of their lungs, they might need a chest tube like this. That costs about $1,100.
And you'll find examples like that really all over a room like this. Suture, something that's used in just about every operating room in the world, this type of suture over here costs about $200. And if you look at even devices like -- this is a needle that's used for a biopsy. So if there's a concern that someone has a tumor, they would use a needle like this. And this is going to cost about $800.
Now, it's important to keep in mind, if you ask the manufacturers of a device like this, why so much money, they'll say, well, it took years to develop something like this. The research and development costs are significant. Also, they're guaranteeing a certain level of effectiveness of this needle. That costs money as well.
But something maybe you didn't know. When you look at a hospital bill, it's not just the cost of the supplies. There's also administrative costs that are built in. There's the cost of covering people who simply don't have insurance or can't pay. That's built into these costs as well.
And, finally, keep in mind, that what is charged and what is ultimately paid are two very different numbers.
RICHARD CLARK, HEALTHCARE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION: The typical hospital collects about 4 percent of every dollar that they -- about 4 cents of every dollar that they bill. So it's not coming out in massive profits. It's coming out as a result of underpayment from the government.
GUPTA: I'll tell you, you know, the cost breakdown like I just gave you on lots of these different supplies, a lot of people simply never see. What we have found is a lot of people don't care as well. If you're insured, some people may not even open the hospital bill. But there are about 50 million people uninsured out there and they care very much about hospital bills like this. And what you can do is you can call the hospital and get a detailed breakdown.
And while you're on the phone with the hospital, if the costs seem still too high or just hard to understand, you might be able to negotiate some of these prices down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: All right. It is go time. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Tony, good to see you, my friend.
