america. >> looking forward to that, ali. how long are you going to be on the road? >> reporter: we'll be on the road all the way through saturday. we'll get to the state fair in iowa on friday night, be there all day on saturday. i'm going to be fitting -- going to be a slightly larger fellow as you see me through the course of the week with all of the state fair food i'll be -- >> a lay off the funnel cakes. you want to set a good example. >> that's right. >> thanks so much. >> laying off the funnel cakes. words of wisdom today. all right, we'll continue the conversation on today's stories, go to our blog cnn.com/amfix. glad you joined us today. hope to see you back here tomorrow. >> right now the news continues with heidi collins in the "cnn newsroom." hitting the road for health care reform, president obama takes his message to the people at a new hampshire town hall. packing other health care sessions. lots of people want to sound off to members of congress.

we all have a stake in this debate. and a hidden cost in your hospital bill. our dr. sanjay gupta breaks it all down for you. good morning, everybody, i'm heidi collins, it's tuesday, august 11th, and you are in the "cnn newsroom." make or break month in health care reform. as you know, congress is in recession, and the lawmakers have gone back home, they're getting a real earful from angry constituents. in fact, we've got our crews all over the country to bring you the forum and faceoffs that are happening this morning. jessica yellin is, in fact, in pennsylvania where one senator has already faced crowds, we'll tell you all about that, arlen specter there, of course, and ali velshi aboard the cnn express. his first stop is chattanooga, tennessee. americans are telling their own stories on health care reform. and today rowlands is following a mission to bring health care to everyone. today, people line up for free clinic in los angeles.

first, i want to give you a glimpse of what lawmakers are facing as they host meetings with constituents. >> we're number 60 in line, and there's probably 400 or 500 behind us. >> i've stood here -- i've been here since 3:00. >> short tempers, long lines, jam packed day ahead in the health care debate. first, let's get the pulse of the people. ali velshi aboard the cnn express talking to americans about health care as he travels through half dozen states. he is joining us from his first stop, that's chattanooga, tennessee. ali, if you could, tell us a little bit more about what you are expecting to see and who you're going to talk with today. >> what do i say? >> hey, ali can you hear me. >> reporter: i got ya, heidi. i didn't hear what you asked me, but i do hear you. >> all right. go for it, tell us what we're

looking at behind you, the obvious cnn express, where you're going to go, who you're going to talk to, and what you expect today. >> reporter: and that's the beautiful tennessee river right behind it in chattanooga. we've crossed over the georgia border into tennessee. we spent yesterday evening here talking to people about a few things. one of them is health care, what their impressions are of health care. we've learned they're really interested in costs, interested in choice, they want to know that they can get the quality of health care that they need. we've also talked to people about the economy. and we've met people on all sides. some people telling us that they are feeling worse now than they did six or eight months ago. and now sales are picking up here. we're going to move on now, move this bus out of here in a couple minutes, head north into tennessee, probably get into kentucky and we'll be talking to people about two things. how are they forming their opinions on health care? because clearly everybody's forming an opinion about health care reform and how are people doing compared to a year ago before the worst of the financial crisis hit? are they actually feeling an improvement?

and where are they feeling that improvement? or are they not? that's the kind of thing we want to get. we're in the heartland for the next five days and going to be talking specifically about how they're feeling about health care and the economy, heidi. >> great. we're really looking forward to that because obviously we have seen these town halls and trying to get a really good idea of all the different sides that are involved here. and it is a very, very big issue. so make sure you check in with us, because we want to hear more and hear about what people are saying. >> i'll talk to you later in the hour and a little bit about what i've been hearing on health care. >> all right. we'll check in a few more minutes. >> okay. showdown in the show me state in health care forums across missouri. people's reactions have been from one extreme to the other. let's get the latest from brianna keilar. >> reporter: heidi, senator mccatskill was supposed to have two town hall events today, but the one this morning was canceled. officials at the high school were concerned about security. now, neither of the senator's town hall events yesterday got completely out of control, but one came pretty close.

in southeastern missouri, it's rural communities like this one where democrats are trying to win the health care debate. and as senator claire mccatskill is aware, it's a tough crowd. >> this is more about power and control than it is about health care. because health care's only the first -- it's the first -- it's only the first step to socialism. >> reporter: while her town hall meeting in poplar bluff threatened to boil over at times -- 50 miles southeast, another smaller meeting was downright civil. one audience member, a critic of democrats' health care reform efforts asked mccatskill what she makes of the recent rowdiness at the events. >> i think it was a huge mistake for anyone to suggest that anybody's who is opposed to the health care plan is manufactured.

it's not manufactured now. i think both sides are organizing, but that's what we do in a democracy. >> reporter: as she tried to disarm critics of the democrat's proposal for a government-run insurance plan that she supports, she was also quick to rebuff conservative claims. that it would limit care for seniors, and fund abortions. >> there is nothing in the bill that mandates any kind of abortion coverage. that's simply not true. >> reporter: or that it's a government takeover of health care. >> i can tell you congress is not going to pass a single payer plan. >> reporter: and she pointed a finger at insurance companies. >> in 2007 they made $12.9 billion in profits. so we've got to do something about health insurance reform. if you get really sick and lose your job, they have the right to say we're not going to give you insurance. >> reporter: and that's really a key talking point for democrats. painting insurance companies as the bad guys here. democratic leaders in the house and senate pushed congressional democrats to hit hard on that point as they spend this

critical month on health care in their home districts and states, heidi. >> all right, brianna, thanks so much for that. now back to president obama and his health care road trip today. later this morning, he has supports from new hampshire. crews are scrambling to get the high school ready for what may be a boisterous town hall meeting. >> upwards of 1,000 people coming from old to young to wealthy to poor protesting this notion. there are many people going there to show their support, rallying for in favor of health care reform, and showing their support of the president and his policies. >> at the end of the day, everyone's safe, no one's hurt and the president's on his way home, we'll be happy. >> we will have live coverage of the president's town hall meeting in new hampshire. scheduled to begin at 1:00 eastern. well, one lawmaker who has become a lightning rod of protestors is recent republican defector arlen specter. he has faced rowdy crowds back home in pennsylvania.

>> we divide up the bill, we have to go very fast -- >> senator specter is likely to face more crowds today, one of them begins in about half an hour in lebanon, that's where we find cnn national political correspondent jessica yellin. what do we expect? >> reporter: hi, heidi, there are already hundreds of people lined up to go into this event here in a very small town in pennsylvania because arlen specter has been as you say at the center of many of these debates over health care reform at the town halls. now, one of the reasons, heidi, is because the health care fight is clashing with a bare-knuckled political brawl in this state as senator specter fights for his political life. he switched parties to ensure for him he'd win reelection. and those who don't like his

politics are really showing it at these town halls. as you'll recall last week, he was shouted down by one of the first early protestors against the health care reform. they were challenging him for allegedly not reading the bill. today, many protestors lined up behind me, arlen specter, the senator will start off with a statement and then take their questions. i should point out, heidi, there are plenty of people on the other side organized to support the health care bill should expect a lively debate. heidi? >> all right. so we will continue to stick with you and make sure that we get some of that and some of the back story there from a lot of these town halls that are going on. because sometimes we end up hearing from people it's just this craziness. and we want to make sure that people understand that there are actually some good civilized discussions happening, as well. we of course will check in with you later on. jessica yellin our national political correspondent there. thanks, jessica. volunteering to help the uninsured here. one group that brings free medical care to remote areas is

setting up shop in the big city of los angeles. ted rowlands is live now in the l.a. suburb this morning. i understand people have been lining up there for something like 3:00 a.m. west coast time. >> reporter: yeah, heidi, actually they've been out here all night. people came in at 11:00 last night and they spent the night. this is a line going into the forum here and that's where they'll be getting the medical attention. let me show you where the folks have been spending the night out in the parking lot of the forum and what they did was they set up some old bleachers. they pulled them out into the parking lot here to allow people to at least be somewhat comfortable. they have a couple of port-a-potties, but 1,500 plus people packed into this parking lot. and they are ready for their opportunity to get in here. one of the people that was out here last night early this morning and starting last night and has spent the entire morning here is jamelle williams and you're here for what?

>> glasses, teeth cleaning, and possibly a pap smear if i have time. >> reporter: you have two jobs, you're not insured. >> right. >> reporter: what's your situation? in terms of -- you don't go to the dentist and get your eyes checked? >> i was out of work for nine months, i was a full-time student for about five years, and so once i needed services, i would try to go but couldn't afford it or wouldn't qualify for free, and i applied and have a share of costs with the system, this is just the best opportunity that i could take to get the services that i need. >> reporter: spent the night out here. jamelle, one of 1,500 people, heidi. the tickets sold out by 5:00 a.m. this morning. they're going to be here all week. this is an organization that started in 1985. and inside waiting for these folks are dental chairs all set up, eye exam machines, and doctors who are all providing their assistance for free.

typically, the company is called remote area medical and for the last 20 years, most, of course, their business has if you will has been outside of the united states in rural areas, but over the past few years, they've been holding these types of situations in large cities and in small towns around the u.s. and what they are seeing everywhere they go is this sort of scenario. people waiting to get an opportunity for free medical care and los angeles here, they're going to be here for five days to accommodate as many people as they can. but the fact that -- we've been seeing all morning here people coming and waiting with their children being turned away. told to come back tomorrow, come back tomorrow. it's heart breaking on one end, but phenomenal on the other these people get the medical care they need. >> yeah. very much so. boy, i didn't realize they had been out there all night long either. ted rowlands we sure do appreciate that and want to let you and everybody at home know we are going to be talking with the founder of the remote area

medical volunteer corps. asking them about the challenges he faces providing that type of free medical care. going to be a good one. stick around for that. meanwhile california's budget crisis has taken a bite out of statewide health care programs. the latest budget agreement took $13 billion from medicare. that's the state's health care program for the poor. more than 12% of california's population actually live below the poverty line. excuse me that's 1.3 billion from medical as you see there on the screen. $226 million came out of the health care program for the disabled and another $124 million was actually cut from the program that helps low-income children. quite a situation there. buying your car on ebay, not from an owner, but a big three automaker. we've got details of the deal coming up. and i'm jacqui jeras. the tropics are starting to heat

up. check out these big waves from hawaii yesterday, surfers were out in full force. we'll have the latest on tropical storm felicia, plus a new system in the atlantic and all of the day's weather coming up in your forecast after a break. kelly saunder's nature valley. ♪ the place that inspires her to go faster... ♪ and slower. ♪ elk mountains, colorado. where's yours? 100% natural nature valley granola bars. the taste nature intended.

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well, it works for individual car owners. now a struggling big three automaker is trying it out. just moments ago, general motors gave some details on its plans to sell up to 20,000 vehicles on ebay. >> customers will be able to buy actual vehicles just like they do on ebay. by choosing an option of a pre-determined buy it now price or by negotiating online. you can do all of your research and price negotiation online in the comfort of your own home. >> sounds pretty good. stephanie elam is joining us now from new york with all you need to know about this deal. i say i don't even buy shoes online. so i wonder if there will be a lot of people doing this. >> i find it really hard to buy pants online let alone a car. i guess it requires going there first and checking out a car and then going and doing it online. i'm really hearing myself in my ear. >> i hate that.

that happened at the beginning of the show, we're still recovering, but we've got it now. >> you got it now? >> you go, i won't talk to you, you do your thing. >> i can hear you now and not hear myself. yes, this is a four week trial that gm is going to do here. test some waters, see how this works out with 225 of their dealers in california. so if you're outside of the golden state, not so much for you. this isn't going to work so well. chevrolet, buick, gmc, and pontiac cars and they'll have a selection of up to 20,000 vehicles and they'll be selling 2008, 2009, and 2010 models on the website. the program does begin today and the thing about this website. it's not just that you go on there and say this is what i buy and you have to buy the manufactured price on it, the retail price on it. no you can either do one of two things, you can go on and haggle, say this is what i want to make deals on. or you can buy the advertised price, which is whatever the deal of the month happens to be,

you know, you see the commercials, you can buy that one right away go in and say which options you want. i played around with the website myself, typed in the zip code of where i grew up in california, had that one memorized and it said for the car i was looking at, an envoy, it's so how many miles away. >> there's also some news to tell us, i think, isn't there about the chevy bolt? >> yes, we did hear some interesting news about the bolt. you may have seen these ads all throughout, ads that had like that smiling plug and it said 2, 3, and the plug was the zero. now they're telling us that was them for the chevy volt because they expect 230 miles per gallon in city driving and that would be big news there, it would be the first mass produce vehicle with triple digit fuel economy. and it's also expected to travel 40 miles on a single charge and

this car is expected to go on sale late next year. obviously they're looking to make some changes there, really get into that market and make a difference and have a viable option for a plug-in car. of course, they're still working out some of the details like what happens in the urban area and you need a charge. where do you go -- with all of the difficulty, they're trying to make things a little bit better for gm. >> i wanted to say growing up in minnesota where it was freezing cold, we plugged in our cars all the time. >> did you really? >> yes. >> sure. >> i'm not kidding. well, we'll check back with you later on. appreciate it. >> thanks. president obama wants health care available to all americans. what about immigrants who are here illegally? our insider breaking it down for you in a moment. try not to let it slow me down. i go down to the pool for a swim... get out and dance... even play a little hide-n-seek. i'm breathing better... with spiriva. announcer: spiriva is the only once-daily

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founder of the special olympics died early this morning. she was known for championing the rights of the mentally disabled. shriver started the special olympics as a day camp in her backyard back in 1962. she died early this morning

surrounded by family at a hospital in massachusetts. shriver was a sister of president john f. kennedy and senator ted kennedy. eunice kennedy shriver was 88 years old. as you may know, shriver's brother, senator edward kennedy has been a long time champion of health care reform. one stumbling block, who should be covered? here to tackle that, our insider, chief medical correspondent and practicing neurosurgeon sanjay gupta. welcome to you, sanjay. first, if you would, listen to this question with me for just a moment. >> sure. >> do they plan to cover illegal immigrants with their health care plan and their children? >> good question and controversial one at that. who the uninsured are and who would be covered in the specific bill. when it comes to undocumented workers, illegal immigrants as randy asked there, how will they

fit into the system? we don't know for sure, but the president was asked about this specifically by katie couric. here's how he responded. >> do you think any illegal immigrant should be eligible under the new plan? >> no. the one exception that i think has to be discussed is how are we treating children? partly because if you've got children who may be here illegally, but are still in playgrounds and at schools and potentially are passing on, you know, illnesses and communicable diseases -- >> not getting vaccinated. >> aren't getting vaccinated. that's a situation where you may have to make an exception. >> so pretty firm no there, heidi and randy with regard to at least adult undocumented workers. heidi, as you know, we read this entire house bill, at least, trying to drill down on the specifics of this. the devil's in the details. >> 1,200 pages, right? >> over 1,000 pages. one thing did have to do with

the undocumented workers. take a look here. a lot of people are reading this. they say nothing in the subtitles shall allow federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the united states. what that basically means is that, you know, part of the bill saying it's not going to cover people who are undocumented workers or illegal aliens. one is, let's say you have a legal parent and an illegal mother, illegal father and mother, what happens to that family and child? number two, what is the verification process going to be? if you sign up for public health plan, for example, how are they going to check what their status and how much is that going to be enforced. two potential loopholes. >> you and i were trying to talk about this last week as a physician, you know, somebody comes into your operating room, they've been processed for you as a neurosurgeon. this could be sort of very urgent matter. you know, what do you really do at that point to check for

citizenship? we're talking about e.r. you can't really just deny people care. >> that's right. i think you're absolutely right. and i think the way you're describing it is the way it is now. i think it's going to stay that way. i think you can't deny care in a true emergency situation. obviously minutes count in those sort of situations. checking for verification, authorization likely won't happen. that's another part of the whole system. but as far as qualifying for this public option, according to the president, according to the house bill and according to the congressional budget office, as far as we can tell, they won't qualify. >> well, i also know that congressional budget offices looking over some of these proposals. we will talk with you more about that next time around. sure do appreciate it. chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta, thank you. >> thank you. also more on health care reform. a make or break month, in fact, as lawmakers get an earful from their constituents. we're going to check in on one of those forums. live pictures right now. going on in pennsylvania. we're back in just a moment. (announcer) illness doesn't care where you live...

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you see, after i book 10 nights, i get a free one. say i spend 2 nights at a big name hotel, 3 at a boutique, and 5 at a beach resort... and boom! free night. ( dings, monkey chatters ) ( in a baby voice ) aren't you a smart one? ( monkey laughs ) accumulate 10 nights and get a night free. welcomerewards from hotels.com. smart. so smart. the federal reserve kicks off a two-day policy meeting today. will wall street make any big bets before hearing from the fed? felicia taylor with more details on this. good morning to you, felicia. >> hey, heidi, we're not expecting any big move for the open today. second quarter productivity soared 6.4%, and that's the

biggest jump in nearly six years. now, the increase isn't due to more goods being produced. instead, it's because businesses have been cutting hours and, of course, payroll. there you've got the opening bell. gas prices are down, but just barely, aaa says the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded dipped to $2.64 a gallon. that marks the first decrease in 21 days. while prices may seem high, keep in mind that gas prices as you probably remembered topped $4 last summer. and there's a bidding war taking off, southwest airlines increased its bid for frontier airlines for $170 million. that's well above the $108 million that republic airways offered earlier this summer. a bankruptcy court auction is planned for thursday. take a look at the early numbers as we just heard the opening bell. the dow is off about 30 points or 1/3 of 1%, the nasdaq is off .5% and the s&p is off 1/3 of 1%. >> i'm interested to see what

happens as frontier airlines there, denver, we'll stay on top of that tomorrow. thanks so much, thank you. august, make or break month in the health care debate. lawmakers are on summer recess, but instead of getting a break, they're getting an earful from constituents. and we are stepping in on some of those town hall meetings, this one we're looking at about to get underway in lebanon, pennsylvania, hosted by arlen specter who defected earlier this year from the republican party. i am being told that there are overflowed crowds there. a lot of people still standing on the outside as we have seen in some of these other town halls across the country trying to get in and get a seat to listen to what the senator has to say. our jessica yellin is there, we'll continue to monitor this and keep you posted. in fact, let's get to jessica right now. so yeah, jessica, they're telling me that there are a whole lot of people there that are not going to probably be able to get inside this town hall meeting.

>> reporter: heidi, as many people outside this meeting as will be inside. they've already shut the doors, there's 250 people who were allowed in, and many hundreds stationed on the block around it. protesting both in favor and against any health care reform proposals. the senator has been the target of some very, very heated debate on this topic. his town hall last week was one of the first where they had some big protests. so many folks organized today. a group behind me is calling themselves, the tea baggers are here holding a tea bag rally, hosting we are the angry mob, hear our voice. another group chanting health care now, health care now. police are turning folks away saying, look, it's full, you can't get in, but these people want to stay here to make sure their views are heard. and just to give you a sense, even though it's noisy and crowded here, a number of people who said, look, i'm passionate about this, but excited because this is what democracy is about, we should care about our health

care reform. heidi? >> all right, jessica, it's definitely getting loud behind you. we will stay on top of this story and come back to you should we need to do that. hopefully everybody will be able to get their questions answered today by senator specter. are you attending a town hall event? we'd love to hear from you, the people in the room, that is. send your videos and pictures to ireport.com and tell us what the event was like. it's all part of our make or break month. health care in america coverage on cnn. also president obama taking his sales pitch on the road. now later this morning, in fact, he leaves for new hampshire. elaine quijano at the white house for us this morning. elaine, is the president tweaking his message now just a little bit with all of the activity we've seen at these town hall meetings across the country? >> reporter: you know, the president really is tweaking his message, tailoring that sales pitch, trying to aim it more directly, heidi, at people who have health insurance right now.

people who are covered, heading to new hampshire. and even though he's held other town halls on health care reform, aides say today he's really going to drive home, try to drive home that message that even if a person is covered, that, in fact, the system itself is still broken. in new hampshire, we expect the president to talk about how there's a need to change the system to make sure for instance that health insurance companies aren't able to deny a person coverage because they've got a pre-existing condition. meantime, given all of the fireworks that have taken place at other town hall meetings in the nation, i asked this morning robert gibbs whether the white house is expecting a bit of a bumpy ride today in new hampshire. here's what he said. >> the president's been answering questions from the american people, not in pre-scripted or stacked town hall meetings. these tickets are given out by those -- to those who want to come. people raise their hands, the president picks them, and we discuss calmly and rationally the issues that are affecting the american people. i don't think anything different will happen today.

>> now, who's going to be in the audience? we're told to expect about 1,800 people at the town hall. and a senior administration official says the tickets were handed out 70% of them distributed through the white house website as well as the high school where this event is taking place and the other 30%, heidi, handed out through members of congress' offices as well as community groups there in new hampshire. so we're told, as well, that there are some protests planned for outside or at least some demonstrations planned for outside. but robert gibbs saying within the town hall meeting itself they're not expecting fireworks per se. >> quickly before i let you go, we were looking at a website. i understand the president has a new website regarding health care? >> reporter: yeah, they've launched a new page on the white house website and the administration is calling it reality check. they're trying to push back against some of the criticisms out there about health care reform. this is really just the latest tool that the white house is using to try and counter some of the arguments that are out there. but clearly a sign that

administration officials are concerned, heidi, that maybe some of these arguments are starting to get some traction. heidi? >> all right, elaine quijano for us this morning. thank you, elaine. for live coverage of the president's town hall remarks, you can stay right here with cnn, it'll come your way 1:00 p.m. eastern. in the meantime, let's go ahead and take a moment to get back to the town hall meeting underway right now in lebanon, pennsylvania. you see senator arlen specter there. i want to go ahead and listen in for just a moment as he addresses the crowd. >> because people are uninsured, everybody is paying an additional $1,000. it's a hidden tax, but when people go to the emergency rooms, taxpayers end up paying for it. and we want to solve that issue. these are all very, very important matters. well, i'm up to 6 1/2 minutes, that's about as long as anybody ought to talk. i have allotted an hour and a

half for this meeting. and we have distributed cards, first come first serve for 30 people to ask questions. and who has card number one? if you want to stay in the hall, if you want to stay in the hall, we're not going to tolerate any demonstrations or any booing. so it's up to you. who has number one? go ahead. >> i don't know how i got number one, but i did. >> let's hear your question. >> okay. first could i make a short statement? >> nope, you cannot make a short statement, but you can ask a short question. >> okay. i want to know that whatever health care plan is passed by my representatives, my senators, they are going to be under the exact same plan.

i understand at this point you're not. not good enough for us. >> well, i already mentioned that in my opening. my idea is to have the same plan available to every american that members of congress have. one of the ideas we have is to have what is called an exchange. so individual citizens don't go to deal with the insurance companies one at a time. because if you do, your rates will be a lot higher than general motors, which has a big plan. so you have an exchange -- >> well, unfortunately it sounds to me like we have lost the audio coming to us out of lebanon, pennsylvania, the town hall meeting that senator arlen specter is holding. i imagine we will get that back very shortly. but just wanted to give you a

little bit of flavor right off the top of this meeting that's taking place. and we heard that the senator said there are 30 cards with questions on them and people from the audience will be asking those questions. let's listen to another one right now. >> i don't like the fact that my elected officials are running around calling me un-american, rabble-rouser, a mobster. -- no nazi symbolism, i'm sick of the lies. i don't like being lied to, i don't like being lied about. this administration is doing both of those things. now, i want you as my senator to go back to washington, d.c. and tell those people to do what the president said that i should do is shut up and get out of the way. >> well, i'm not calling you a

rabble-rouser. we had -- we had -- we had a session a week ago sunday, nine days ago. and the secretary of health was there and some people were talking about it being organized. and i was asked and i said well, in america, people have a right to organize. and if it's organized, that's fine. and you have a right to freedom of speech. and i make it a point to lay it on the line with you. i've done that my entire career, i'm known for it. i will continue it. who has number three? yes, sir. >> good morning, senator specter, i appreciate your time and your courage to show up today. i want to first tell you i'm here on my own free will and accord and not with a group or

affiliated organization. on page 16 of one of the bills, it eliminates essentially eliminates the private option with buy prohibiting the creation of new policies. what are you going -- first of all, this is going to take away my freedom and hurt the capitalism through the creation of a monopoly, what are you specifically going to do to ensure that the private option is there and viable? >> the plan will allow people who have insurance coverage at the present time through their employers or individual aides to maintain their current policy. if you like your policy, you can keep it. there is a -- >> if it changes, if that policy changes, it prohibits the creation of a new policy. >> well, the question is if the policy changes, it creates a new program. well, first of all, as i said

before, there's no bill in the senate. there is no bill in the senate. >> what is your specific plan to ensure that when you have a viable public option in your words that you will only vote if this verbiage is in the bill? >> well, how can i be sure we'll have a private option or a public option? >> private option -- >> you want to have a private option, you will have it. you can maintain your current policy if there's a change, you can have a modification of a policy. the idea on a public option means just that, an option. not to be exclusive, not to have only a public plan. if it were a plan, it wouldn't be an option. when you say public option, you have that with options that are different through the exchange

and through private companies. this country -- this country is a capitalistic country, and free enterprise. and insurance -- and -- >> you are not letting all -- >> you want to be -- you want to be led out of here? you're welcome to go. now, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, now wait a minute. wait a minute. wait a minute. >> i have every right to -- >> wait a minute, wait a minute, he has a right to leave. he's right. he has -- >> wait a minute. wait a minute! wait a minute! you want to leave? leave. >> i am going to speak my mind

before i leave because your people told me i could. i called your office and i was told i could have the mike to speak. and then when i was lied to because i came prepared to speak and instead you wouldn't let anybody speak. you handed but 30 cards. well, i've got news for you. that you and your cronies in the government do this kind of stuff all the time. well, i don't care -- i don't care how crooked you are. i'm not a lobbyist with all kind of money to stuff in your pocket so that you can cheat the citizens of this country. so i'll leave and you can do whatever you're pleased to do. one day god's going to stand

before you and he's going to judge you and the rest of your cronies up on the hill. and the rest of your cronies up on the hill. and then you'll get your just deserves. i'm leaving. >> okay. okay. okay. we've just had a demonstration of democracy. okay. when the gentleman says he is satisfied with a procedure, we have to figure out some way to have an orderly procedure. an hour and a half is a fair amount of time. and we had a lot of notice, that

there would be a lot of people here. and we had his comment and i made a decision that although he didn't have a card to let him speak his piece that if he wanted to leave, he has a right to leave. but when he says that i'm trampling on constitutional rights, i have to disagree with him. i'm encouraging constitutional rights. i'm encouraging constitutional rights by coming to lebanon to talk to my constituents. i could be somewhere else. i don't get in the extra pay, i don't have any requirement to be here. but for somebody who -- okay. okay. okay. number -- well, i am reporting to you. number four. you have the floor.

>> i did not want to pay on a health care plan that includes the right for a woman to kill her unborn baby. is it true that this plan is in the health care bill? >> the question is, will there be payments for abortions in the health care bill? >> well, first of all, we don't have a bill in the senate as i said. and what we are -- what we are looking toward is to have -- to have both options. that if you want to have a health care plan which does not have payment for abortions you can have that one where you'll not be charged for somebody who has an abortion. now if you want a different health care plan, an option where you can have payment for abortion and you pay for it

because there'll be a little bigger premium, you'll have the choice of being in one plan or the other. so nobody, nobody has to be in a plan to pay for somebody else's abortion. who has number five? yes, sir. >> president obama's stated more than once his goal is to have a single payer system. are you for a single payer system? and will you vote for a bill that would make a single payer system either through the bill or in the future? >> i'm prepared to keep single payer on the table as a matter of consideration and flexibility. i believe -- i believe that when we're in the formative stage of figuring out what to do that we ought to consider every option. and we ought to hear the people out. i know the public opinion polls are high in favor of single payer. i know that. okay. okay.

okay. well, i guess you can get a poll about any way you want it. but my idea is to keep the public option on the table to keep single payer on the table, to get a sense in america as we're going to be debating this all month when meetings like these and figure out what the american people would like to have. so i'm -- i'm flexible. who has number six? >> you're nine, i'm six. i love you, buddy, but it's okay. senator, thanks for being here today, i appreciate that. i've reviewed 3,200 the best i could. to me it is obviously written with the assumption that government has the right to control our lives from pre-birth to death. for that reason, it's not worth

considering, it's not worth modifying, it's not worth amending, it needs to be dumped. i believe most polls show people are happy with their health care. there are a few problems. the illegals. they shouldn't even be here. i would ask congress to do something to send them home, so we wouldn't have to deal with that. there aren't people who want to pay for coverage and let them get the service when they get the service. we shouldn't have to provide for that. there are some people who would like to have care, they're unable. president bush would say help those who can't help them selves. let's focus on those minor problems. let's focus on tort reform and

focus on helping people carry their coverage over to a new job. but leave us alone. that's all we would ask. would you leave us alone? >> i would like to ask you today if you would commit to working on those problems rather than throwing everything into turmoil. >> well, what i commit to working on those problems and not throwing everything into turmoil, that's a pretty generalized statement that i can agree with. i'll stay in touch and be back next year and if i'm re-elected, i'll be back the year after that. who has number seven? >> thank you for coming, arlen

specter. i appreciate it. >> well, we'll be answer more fully. i don't want to see turmoil, you don't want to see turmoil. we have a series of problems and we want to take them up one by one and we want to figure out what the problem is and what is the way that we should deal with them in a democracy. >> not familiar with number 34, let me move on to number seven. >> i am a republican, but first and foremost i am a conservative. i don't believe this is just about health care. it's not about t.a.r.p. and left and right. this is about the systematic dismantling of this con. i am only 35 years old, i have never been interested in politics. you have awakened sleeping

giants. i don't want this country turning into russia, turning into a socialized country. my question for you is, what are you going to do to restore this country back to what our founders created, according to the constitution? >> well, there are a few people who didn't stand up and applaud, but not too many. i get a fairly firm message from

the support you have, young lady. when you ask me to defend the constitution, that's what i've been doing. we've had warrantless wiretaps that i have objected to. we had signings what the legislature has passed. we had supreme court nominees who i have insisted followed the constitution and not make law. but in our, in our seelsh, in our social compact we have provision to see to it that we take care of people who need some help.

and we have many people who are in need of a system on health care. i have a number of people with me today who have very tragic stories to tell about their own situation, but we want it maintain constitutional law and i am committed to do that. next number is number eight. >> thank you for coming, senator. i would like to ask you a question, could i see a show of hands in the room that's sharing our views with our elected officials? i just want to see a show of hands -- >> do you have a question for the senator? >> yes, i do. >> give him the mike. >> just a minute.

>> show of hands of people -- can i see a show of hands of people who think we have the right to share the views of our officials. take that to nancy pelosi. i would like to state that i'm in opposition of this health care. the government hasn't done anything right. one of the pennsylvanians asked you last week with the social security bankrupt, medicare bankrupt, medicaid bankrupt and you're taking our kids' future and driving it right into the toilet. we cannot afford this. period. keep the government out of it. we're doing just fine. thank you, sir. >> well, i have made a

commitment here earlier today that i will not vote for a plan that adds to the deficit. next question, number ten. >> i want to tell you, senator, that i have spent two weeks on my own trying to read that bill. and trying to understand it. it's like russian novel. yet, in the bill itself, it says many times the requirement for plain language and i can site you the page numbers because i had it up on the computer, it's very difficult to understand. very difficult. this is the most important bill in my lifetime and my granddaughter will pay for this bill, in its present form, whatever form that is, in terms of hr-3200. i have three very important concerns that i think are shared. one is, obama talked about $600

billion. the congressional budget office talks about $1.1 trillion. i have spent 40 years in government and i've never seen a program come in at the right price and stay at that price. secondly, although that bill says nothing about abortion or reproductive rights, i have read that very carefully. there are nine amendments in the senate and the house which have attempted to prevent taxpayer funding in that bill. rejected senator coburn, senator hatch, and representatives pift and gingrich. they've all been rejected. do you know what the bill does say? i can cite the sxaj the number. there will be no health care until you're born. while nthat baby is in the

mother, we don't count that. i can cite the page and the number. medicaid will only cover at the time of birth, close quote. >> go ahead, sir, you have the microphone. >> by the way, these are not talking points, these are my own. i just have one other thing. i have spent 35 years in information technology. i read this bill very closely. you are about to concentrate more information about more pennsylvanians and americans in this bill in one place in the computers of washington that has ever occurred. in fact, the cbo, the congressional budget office says it gives you the right to enter using our internal revenue service and page 58 talks about entering our own accounts, our

own because financial responsibility has to be ascertained. my final comment is this. massachusetts has tried something like this. tennessee has tried something like this. why don't we take a look at what has worked and what has failed there and maybe started in a blue state, give it all we got in one state, but don't concentrate all this power in the bureaucrats and their computers in washington. you'll be gone, the bureaucrats will still be there. we don't know their names, we don't know their faces. they'll be making our decisions for us and for my children. >> when you raise the question

as to cost, i can only repeat the commitment not to add to the deficit. when you talk about abortion, the law in the united states, it's the hyde amendment, but public moneys cannot be used for abortions. >> against the democrats for nontaxpayer abortion. the conscious problem, as well. >> i heard you. let me respond to your points. the senate bill has not yet been written. i do not believe there will be any change in the amendment. this lady asked a question about whether people will have to pay in a health plan for somebody

else's abortion and the answer is no for the reasons i gave her. when you talk about, about massachusetts, we're studying their plan very closely. with respect to privacy, we'll do everything we can to stop people from breaking into the files. number 11. number 11. number 11. >> good morning, senator. >> good morning. >> my name is joe. i'm a public schoolteacher. i am looking at the sunday patriot news, sunday august 2, front page. reading the bills requires expertise. one of my roles as a teacher and educator to teach my children how to read, how to think and how to understand. over 100 years ago we had a

gentleman who was a republican at gettysburg who said we will provide the understanding government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth. the harrisburg patriot editor says, they cite hr-32 which is a complete hocus-pocus, mumbo jumbo, here is an article, as we say in pennsylvania dutchland, the social security act, and it goes on, senator, since this laurel and hardy team has been in washington, there hasn't been a thing written in the house, in the senate that we as average pennsylvanians, average americans can read and understand without having a team of ten like you claim you have

to read and understand and interpret what has done. the last bill had pencil marks in editing. senator, if you wish to be remembered in the congress by the american people, when you get back there, sponsor legislation that requires every house and senate bill to be written in a junior high school level. that's what we need in america today. >> i'll try. number 12. >> yes, good morning. woelcome to lebanon, pa. i have a simple yes or no question for you today. will you ever vote for a bill

that gives non-u.s. citizens access to a taxpayer paid free health insurance? >> i will not support a bill which gives health coverage to illegal immigrants. number 13. who has 13. >> okay. good morning. president obama and you have constantly stated that we'll be allowed to keep our current plans. but how can we keep them if they don't exist? more specifically, hr-3200. why does this bill impose a

payroll tax on employers who won't use the public option. more specifically, how many americans work for these employers with pay rolls that exceed $251,000 and what will happen to them when the employers drop their current coverage because they can't afford a 2% to 8% pay roll penalty tax? >> the tax is going to be directed only to the companies which do not have health coverage. not going to add a tax to companies which have health care. so that, so that, so that as represented, if you like your current plan, you can maintain

it. well, let me say to you that i will not support a senate bill which has that kind of a requirement. who's got the next question? number 14. >> 15? 14 back there. >> hi. my name is marilyn gobart and thank you so much for coming. i also have been working in health care for the last 30 years. a nurse, went to school in philadelphia and my husband works in health care, as well. when i graduated from nursing

school i remember dealing a lot with a lot of the issues that we're still dealing with. our country does not have wonderful preventative health care measures and those, therefore, lead to chronic diseases and just utilization of money in the wrong way. so, i'm here to say you're dealing with health care reform. i think it's something that our country needs, i realize that a lot of people here don't feel that way. but there's also a lot of us who do feel that way. and i think -- >> we're struggling with the microphone here. i feel like i'm all wired up. thank you for your positive comment. i knew if i looked hard enough, far enough in this large group, i'd find someone who likes the

health care plan. >> thank you. good luck. >> who has the next number? >> good morning, senator. i'd just like to tell you that i'm here on my own accord, nobody paid me, okay. i'm not part of the astroturf group. >> thank you. >> it's called grassroots. my question for you today is, i agree with the women over here that has indicated there has to be some work done to our health care. unfortuna unfortunately, this it is not this bill. it is not this bill. >> what would you like to see done? >> some of the things i would like to see done, okay, are tort

reform. yes, thank you very much. i lost my train of thought. some of the things in the current bill that i don't necessarily like and you have addressed already. one of them was non-u.s. citizens health care. you have indicated that you will not vote for a bill that has non-u.s. health provisions within it. okay. i do recommend, though, that we do what the state of new york does for the homeless. is we can take the non-u.s. citizens and give them an airplane ticket and ship them back. in addition to the bill, there's also you had indicated that we will always be able to go back to our original health care. my health care is not too much different than yours, senator,

as it stands today. i can hire and fire my doctor if i so please. i can go and find another doctor if i want to. okay. unfortunately, there is page after page of this bill that appears to go to a single payer system. okay. there is the if factor. and we're not scared here, senator. we aren't. what we want is trust. and, apparently, in washington, d.c., there is no trust. the american people do not like what's going on. senator, in your twilight of career, okay, you're in your twilight -- >> absolutely not. go ahead. >> but one of the things, one of the things that you could do that would make it extremely memorable for yourself is to go back and propose a bill for term

limits. >> the people of pennsylvania can impose term limits on me any time they want to. that said, that's democracy. who's got the next number? next number is 16. you're up. >> i have a question on page 58 and 59 of this bill. which gives the government access to private individual bank accounts at their free will. now, we're retirement age and we

worked long and hard for what we have and, sir, if i want to spread my wealth around, it will be to my children, grandchildren, to my community, to my church of my choosing. i do not think the government has the right to do that. i would think i would have to brush up on my constitution, but i would think that's unconstitutional. i know definitely it's unamerican. you look at that. when you go back, and, sir, i really think you need to vote like an american and i think you need to vote no on this bill. >> i will not -- i will not, i will not support a bill which gives the government the right to get the bank account information of a private citizen. well, the lady, the lady has cited a house bill to repeat, we haven't gotten a senate bill, but i'm telling you that i will

not support any bill which gives the government the right to find out what any citizen has in his or her bank account. who has the next number? >> hello, sir. i was a republican committee person when you were elected and we supported you. you defected. i can't understand why you didn't come to the people before you switched over to democrats. that's not my problem. the lady here was asking about the government's right to go into the bank account. the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not

be violated and warrants issued, et cetera. there's so many problems with this obama government. >> amen. >> when i was elected to public office, i agreed to support and defend the constitution. and i've always tried to do that. i'm an american. my family came over here 300 years ago. they came for liberty and freedoms and our liberties and freedoms are eroding constantly. i'm just wondering what you do about that. i mean, i have so many questions. i don't know about the automobile takeover and t.a.r.p. and just on and on, but what about this guantanamo closure? i don't want these criminals to come over here into our area and then escape and we find that a bunch of innocent people have been murdered. and that's what's going to

happen. did you -- >> all right, very quickly now. question number 17 that tells me it's halfway through. we understand 30 questions asked of senator arlen specter there in lebanon, pennsylvania. this town hall meeting regarding health care. we are going to take a very quick break and we're back in just a moment in the "cnn newsroom."

all right. very quickly. want to let you know what we're watching here. as the fireworks are exploding

in lebanon, pennsylvania, this morning. live pictures for you of that town hall meeting with arlen specter regarding health care reform continues this morning. he is walking around the room with the microphone sometimes giving it to the attendies to ask their questions. 30 questions will be asked and people are standing up and addressing the senator. in fact, there are so many people there, just huge crowds. you can't see many of them because they're outside this room that we're showing you. one of the attendees had a big problem with this and the process. he was told he would be able to address the senator. take a listen. >> you want to be led out of here? you're welcome to go. now, wait a minute. now, wait a minute.

wait a minute. >> i have ever right -- >> wait a minute. he has a right to leave. he's right. he, wait a minute, wait a minute. wait a minute! wait a minute! you want to leave? leave. >> i am going to speak my mind before i leave because your people told me i could. i called your office and i was told i could have the mike to speak and then when i was lied to because i came prepared to speak and, instead, you wouldn't let anybody speak. you handed out, what? 30 cards? well, i got news for you that you and your government do this kind of stuff all the time.

woe well, i don't care, i don't care how crooked you are, i'm not a lobbyist with all kind of money just stuffing your pocket so that you can cheat the citizens of this country. so, i'll leave and you can do whatever you need to do. one day god's going to stand before you and he's going to judge you and the rest of your cronies up on the hill. and then you will get your just deserve. i'm leaving. >> once again, one of the attendees, that's senator arlen specter's health care reform town hall meeting that has been going on for quite some time now. you continue to see those live pictures. the senator taking more and more questions from the audience there. we'll stay on top of this for

you and bring you any more information as it comes to us information as it comes to us here at cnn. utlast.

very quickly. want to get back to this as we

continue to monitor senator arlen specter's town hall meeting live pictures coming your way out of lebanon, pennsylvania, and let me tell you the sparks are flying in lebanon. people standing up asking their questions. the senator will, apparently, be taking 30 questions that have been previously written down and he's handling them one at a time from the audience members there. meantime, we want to get out to our ali velshi who is actually traveling around on the cnn express. he is joining us now. i understand, ali, that you are in manchester, tennessee. sort of holding your own town hall meetings, if you will. what are you hearing from the peopling that you have come across so far about their concerns about health care? >> well, we're rolling towards manchester and points north in tennessee and kentucky, i've been monitoring this hearing,

this town hall meeting, as you have. i have to tell you, heidi, what we're hearing from people has a very different tone. i am beginning to think that having been out here this tone you're hearing is limited to these town hall meetings. we are hearing real concerns from americans. there's no questions about that and the concerns seem to revolve around three issues. we're hearing concerns about the cost of health care reform. number two, we're hearing concerns about access and choice to doctors and the ability to choose your health care. and we're hearing concerns about quality. will health care quality be affected by health care reform. but very civil conversations as opposed to the yelling that we're hearing at the town hall meeting. the other thing that was interesting at the town hall meeting. very few people seem to agree that health care reform is necessary. this is something the administration will have to tackle. one in six or seven people does not have access to affordable

health insurance in this. don't force this on us. those people who don't want him to pay for health insurance, don't force it on us. there does seem to be a lot of misinformation that is going on that is feeding the heat more than the light in this debate, heidi. >> we know you will be doing quite a bit of traveling, ali. we'll continue to stick with you and hear more of what people are saying. absolutely. i'm hearing a lot of the same thing coming out of these town halls. so, we will certainly stay on top of all of it because people are talking and speaking their minds. ali velshi in the cnn express. thank you very much, ali, as he rolls towards manchester, tennessee. live coverage of the president's town hall meeting coming up in new hampshire. it is scheduled to begin at 1:00 eastern. you can see it live online at cnn.com/live. also, want to get out to

jessica yellin, our national political correspondent because she is actually there in lebanon, pennsylvania, and has been able to walk around and talk a little bit with the people who are . >> on one hand those who were worried about the reform proposals are deeply concerned it will be dangerous for business. there is a lot of concern that the talks of euthanasia panels are real. there is quite a dark conviction that to tell them it's not in any of the legislation. there is a certainty that the government will decide who lives and dies. a lot of passionate feeling and i also have to emphasize a sense on both sides that they're not being heard. when you talk to somebody who's

of reform they get mad to you that there are nobody speaking of reform. when you speak to the people of the same reform you get the same message. the point of view is not getting out there, even though the decibel levels clearly suggest otherwise. in a number of cases the police have had to walk up to folks and no fist fighting or altercations and police had to walk up to folks and say, let's cool it down. quite an intense environment, heidi. >> we see what is going on in lebanon, pennsylvania, today, jessica. we have seen other town hall meetings that have been a very different nature. just yesterday claire mccaskill had one and we had it live on our air. lots of concerns and lots of questions and she did her best to answer it in a completely mild manner way and the crowd handled themselves totally differently. maybe it's just people who are saying this is my chance to talk

with my representative and this is how i'm going to handle myself. >> absolutely. it's always the most vocal people who end up getting the most attention. or it's often the most vocal people. that's what you're seeing here. there is some frustration that such a small portion of the crowd was actually able to get in to see senator specter. many more people on the streets than inside. that is a measure of the frustration here. >> apparently quite a few people called . for now, a very quick break and we're back in just a moment and we're back in just a moment in the "cnn newsroom." 31 are streaming a sales conference from the road.

quickly want to remind you what we are monitoring out of lebanon, pennsylvania, this morning. very heated moments that continue as senator arlen specter is holding his town hall meeting. hearing from quite a few people in the room and even more people outside according to our correspondent on the scene, jessica yellin. as they continue to ask their questions and the senator tries to answer them, we will monitor it and bring you any more of that meeting just as soon as it becomes available to us. meanwhile, many of ous have faced this, going to the hospital. it's traumatic enough, as you know. then you come home and you get the bills. well, our chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta looks at what's behind all those hidden charges. >> then all the x-rays. there's a rotation tool for

$119. there's a wrench kit. >> reporter: on its face, it looks pretty straight forward. but your hospital bill is anything but. something 56-year-old debbie frasier found out the hard way when she had surgery in march. >> i had the battery deplaced in my defibrillator and i was in there two days and it was $196,000. >> reporter: $196,000. because once you strip away what you pay for your actual care, there are layers that have nuthing to do with your hospital stay. debbie's bill nearly $3,000 for room and board, $72,960 for the pacemaker and $44 for two lipitor pills. but the key is, what you don't see on this hospital bill. >> i think it would help consumers if they understood that that bill represents really four tiers of cost. >> reporter: there's the direct cost of your care and then the overhead cost. the cost of running the

hospital, things like administrative staff, utilities. also the operating margin that goes towards things letechnolog equipment and subsidy cost for uncompensated care. underinsured who can't pay their bill. >> a significant part of the bill that was never written in the bill. if the costs weren't passed on to consumers, we wouldn't be able to care for people who had no insurance and we wouldn't be able to train physicians and doctors for the future. we wouldn't be in a position to maintain the facility. >> reporter: the american hospital association james bentley admits it's a complicated system and it's almost impossible to look at a bill line by line and pull out the direct cost of your care. >> that's not the generic. >> reporter: frasier says it's time that hospitals get creative. she's even got a suggestion.

>> they need to use generic medication, that would keep their costs down. >> reporter: and hopefully those savings would be passed on to you. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. all right, once again, senator arlen specter, live pictures for you as he continues to take questions about health care reform. lots of questions about the cost, lots of questions about access and quality and then a couple other questions. really, quite frankly, that had nothing to do with health care. he's trying to take it all in and, again, several people outside that room, hundreds we're told by our correspondent there on the ground, really hoping to get some answers as they say about health care reform. so, we will continue to monitor this and i believe that question and answer session is beginning to wrap up because we understood from the beginning here that the senator would be taking 30 questions and last we checked he was on 28. we will monitor how this all

wraps up. also ahead this morning, straight talk from two members of congress. why are these town hall meetings becoming such noisy affairs, if you will? we'll hear what they have to say right here in just a moment. geico's been saving people money on car insurance for over 70 years. and who doesn't want value for their dollar? been true since the day i made my first dollar. where is that dollar? i got it out to show you... uhh... was it rather old and wrinkly? yeah, you saw it?

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town hall meetings, forums, discussions. on the topic of health care reform that is the least we're seeing across the country. this morning in lebanon, pennsylvania, sparks are flying and we're looking at a couple different live shots for you there. one from inside the town hall meeting that is being held by senator arlen specter, that's on the bottom. and the picture on the top is

what's going on outside that meeting because there just wasn't really enough room for everyone who wanted to attend this town hall on health care. the senator is getting ready to wrap up, i believe he has one or two more questions left because he had said that there are 30 questions that he would attempt to answer from all the people who have gathered there in lebanon, pennsylvania. we have certainly seen some fireworks this morning for lack of a better word. we want to talk more about this. i think we will be doing that for quite some time while congress is in recess here and they're going back to their town and their state and hearing from their constituents. joining me right now, two congressmen who are no strangers to town hall. survived a rowdy town hall meeting of his own. thank you, congressman, for being here. also congressman phil gingry a

long-time physician here in atlanta who has five town hall meetings coming up on his schedule. we wish you luck before you even have those, congressman. thank you for being with us this morning. first to you because i believe that you experienced at least a little of what senator specter is experiencing right now in lebanon, pennsylvania. i want to show our viewers some of what happened in your town hall. >> please don't yell out. this is america, this is memphis, tennessee. take two aspirin and come back in the morning. >> were you surprised, congressman cohen, that you sort of had to play referee or disciplinarian because we saw senator specter having to do the same thing today. what was your take? >> i was a little surprised at the crowd. we had, i think a fairly successful town hall. we had over 1,000 people, but a lot of the people came there with their minds made up. they had a lot of misinformation

that are the same misinformation that you're seeing nationally that people are putting out stories that this has to do with euthanasia or congress opting out of the program or socialism, all of which is false. the people didn't want to have information. that was unfortunate. >> everything we've done here to try to cover this issue, i think there are more questions than answers really on any of that. a lot of the frustration we're seeing coming from the fact that no one knows what's in this. you heard arlen specter say time and time again that there is no bill in the senate. so, aren't people just confused at this point? >> well, there's truth to that and one of the gentleman there asked me how i'm going to vote on the bill and i said there isn't a bill yet. there is a bill that has gone through the three committees in the house, hr-3200 which is the framework, the framework what the people against it are saying that it contains certain things

that it doesn't. when they're throwing out at all these town meetings around the country that it contains certain information that's false, you see this misinformation is to kill any attempt to have health reform. this wasn't spontaneous generation that all these town halls because people are asking the same questions, limited and putting up the similar type of sign and talking about socialism, which is what people talked about in 1965 when medicare and medicaid came about and certainly that's not socialism. that's a good thing and it helped seniors and low-income people get health care. our congress needs reform. >> from what you're seeing across the country and what we have mentioned in the introduction. several town hall meetings of your own coming up. is this a good show of democracy or is this something that should not be occurring at this point? >> no, heidi, i think it is a great show of democracy and it should be occurring. i mean, that is the american

way. people want to ask questions. they don't have an opportunity. my good friend steve cohen said that the bill in the house of representatives was just a framework. well, in fact, it was an amended bill, an 1,100-page bill that was amended and passed out of the energy and commerce committee pretty much on a straight party line vote, 31-28. that is the bill. when we go back in september, it will be presented to the entire house, including to steve and myself and others. i do happen to be on the energy and commerce committee. showing up in lebanon, pennsylvania, and steve's district in memphis and mine in rome, georgia, coming up this week, they don't have an opportunity to read the bill and they want to know. maybe some of the information is misinformation but all they can get is off youtube and television and what they read and what they hear. it is our obligation to stand on the breach and explain to these people so they understand what's in the bill. they have great fears and they're legitimate fears.

>> i have to ask you because you have quite a unique perspective in all of this. you are a physician, a gynecologist of 26 years. has that experience sort of shaped how you look at health care reform? i don't know how it couldn't. >> heidi, absalutely. of course, i hear from a lot of providers. physicians i practice with and physicians across the country, nurses, owners of nursing homes, hospice care, home health care, but, really, the people i hear from the most, the seniors. they're the 25% of seniors that get their medicare from medicare advantage and that's going to be gutted. $550 billion is going to be taken out of medicare program. these seniors are, these are the ones that you're seeing at the town hall meeting. they're not a bunch of radical red necks. they're intelligent, they're concerned and they're compassionate about their medicare and they want that to be fixed first and foremost.

they don't want to be thrown under the bus because 4.5% of the people in the country don't have health insurance. >> well, congressman, i want to get back to you, as well, here. we have very limited time and i wish we could talk about it forever until we all understand it, but do you have any advice for more representatives that are going to be holding town halls? what is the best way to go about this? i imagine you want to hear from your constituents, yeah? >> i want to tell seniors, they don't have anything to worry about. puts them at profits and executive salaries and those monies going to the senior and the doughnut hole will be closed and close that doughnut hole that will hurt seniors and wellness programs that they shouldn't have to so they get those treatments. there's a lot of benefits here to seniors and so much that has been put out as misinformation. what happened at my town hall we

had doctors and some doctors were for the health care reform and some were for single payer and some were against it and while i respect bill gingrich, he's my friend, we travel together, there are doctors that differ with him in the congress. dr. jim mcdermott. because you're a doctor doesn't mean -- doctors can go both ways as lawyers can go both ways. >> i asked him if it shaped his view on health care reform. congressman gingray, you get the last word. >> if miss pelosi the speaker of the house or president obama want to suggest a bunch of radical republicans, those people speaking out may be supportive of the democratic opponent to arlen specter, joe sistak and maybe these democrats want to know which of the two are going to support this crazy government takeover health care before they decide who to vote for in december of 2010. it's not a government takeover

of health care. >> unfortunately, we do not have any more time. as i said, we would love to have you back another day to talk more about this because i think the conversations are only beginning. as we say that, we thank both represents. gingrey and steve cohen. as we're wrapping this discussion up, we're understanding -- nice of these gentlemen. we're understanding that senator arlen specter has also wrapped up his discussion with those who were able to attend his town hall meeting there. there you see the crowd that was able to fit inside the room there in lebanon, pennsylvania, exiting now with the hundreds gathered outside, still. once again, senator arlen specter taking about 30 questions from that audience and definitely heated moments that i think you'll see throughout the day in the news media today. meanwhile, president obama takes his health care message on the road again. he leaves the white house heading to a high school in port

smith, new hampshire. he is holding his own town hall meeting there this afternoon. robert gibbs says he doesn't expect it to be as out of control as some of the other health care town halls we've seen. you certainly don't want to miss it. stay with cnn for live coverage of that event, again, happening at 1:00 p.m. eastern.

one month after coming out of bankruptcy, the new general

motors is touting the electric chevy volt and it's eye-popping gas mileage. poppy harlow has the energy fix this morning. >> i've never seen a number like this. gm saying its volt will get 230 miles per gallon in the city. how did it get to that number? the government has been working with the epa to measure the fuel economy and the epa still has to confirm that number. look at the smily face on that big banner when they unveiled that number this morning. fritz anderson, the ceo o, said he's confident the highway number will also be in the triple digits when you look at fuel economy, that could mean a much-needed boost for general motors. take a listen to the ceo. >> the bpa labels are yard sticks for customers it compare the fuel efficiency of different vehicles. having a car that gets triple-digit fuel economy can and will be a game changer for us. >> all right, still up in the

air, though, heidi, despite that fuel economy, will people buy this car? we talked about it time and time again. i just spoke with a spokesperson from gm last night. he said the price range in the high 30s, so near $40,000 and also the lack of stations that could be an issue unless you have a garage that you could charge it. >> let's talk for a second about that number. the 230 miles per rating gallon. where exactly does that number come from? >> it's complicated right because this isn't just a driving test. the volt works differently than the other cars. you have the prius, that hybrid and that gets 50 miles per gallon and all the energy from the prius comes from burning gasoline and when you break the car and that helps power the prius through an electric charge. the volt you plug in overnight and then you can go 40 miles straight without using any gas. that's when the gasoline engine kicks in. you're not going to get 230 miles per gal fn you're driving

long distances. let's say you drive 80 miles straight. half will be on the battery and then your fuel economy will be reduced to 100 miles. so, it's all in interesting calculation to get to that number. >> all right, poppy harlow, appreciate that. chasing the taliban leader, the u.s. thought they hit the target last week, but new claims by the taliban put that victory in question. [ engine revving ]

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a new attack on taleban fighters in pakistan. happening in the same region where the taliban leader was reportedly killed last week. but there are now questions about that this morning. cnn's cal perry has more now from islamabad, afghanistan. >> the second attack and at least ten people have been killed and the location, the very same as that strike occurred on wednesday that reportedly killed taliban leader mehsud. the pakistani government at this point sticking with their line saying they are confident he is killed, but not 100% confirming. they are waiting for that key dna evidence. cnn was able to speak to a spokesman who was challenging the claim saying that mehsud is alive and he is ill suffering of diabete