6 pound, 15 ounces. he was 19 inches long. best of health, congratulations to all of you. fantastic stuff. thank you for joining us on your money. you can follow ali and me on facebook. make sure you john us every week for your money. saturdays at 1:00. sunday at 3:00 eastern time. log on to cnnmoney.com. have a great weekend. hello, everybody. i am ali velshi from the iowa state fair, des moines, iowa. this is townhall raw. august is make or break month for health care for president obama's efforts to reform health care. for the next hour we will bring you the best of the townhalls that have been happening all week. president, members of congress going back to their districts

and hearing from their constituents about health care. now some of the meetings were raucous. but they got questions on medicare, abortion, the so-called death panels. we'll straighten that out as well. there was yelling. there was booing. there was applause. listen to some of it for yourself. >> one day god is going to stand before you and he is going to judge you and the rest of your damn cronies up on the hill! and then you'll get your just dessert. >> this is no less than liberty versus terny and there is no middle ground with whom you choose to stand. >> i don't understand this rudeness. what is this? i don't get it? i honestly don't get it? do you all think you are persuading people when you shout out like that? beg your pardon? you don't trust me? >> no!

>> president obama is about to hold his third townhall meeting in a week. in just a few hours. we'll be bringing that to you. he was in montana yesterday. while he was there he heard from an impassioned insurance salesman about health care reform. listen to this. >> mr. president, i make a living selling individual health insurance. okay. obviously, i have paid very close attention to this insurance debate. as you know, the health insurance companies are in favor of health care reform. and have a number of very good proposals before congress to work with government to provide insurance for the uninsured and cover individuals with pre-existing conditions. why is it that you have changed your strategy from talking about health care reform to health insurance reform? and decided to vilify the insurance companies?

>> okay, that is a fair question. that's a fair question. first of all, you are absolutely right that the insurance companies in some cases have been constructive. so i will give you a particular example, aetna has been trying to work with us in dealing with some of the pre-existing condition stuff. that's absolutely true. and there are other come pans who have done the same. now i want to just be honest with you. i think max will testify that in some cases what we have seen is also funding in opposition by some other insurance companies to any kind of reform proposals. so, my intent is not to vilify insurance companies, if i was vilifying them what we would be doing would be to say that private insurance has no place in the health care market. some people believe that. i don't believe that. right. what i said is let's work with the existing system, we've got private insurers out there, but what we do have to make sure of is that certain practices that

are very tough on people, that those practices change. >> that was the president in montana. he is working hard to get control of the health care message again after a week that started off a lot louder than it ended. now the president is going to be in colorado today. he is holding another townhall. his third one this week. it is going to be sometime in the 6:00 eastern time hour. we're going to be bringing it to you live. let's talk about the town halls that have happened so far this week. all right. let's go back to maryland. we started seeing tempers flying earlier this week. let's go to maryland where senator ben cardin was asked about the constitution and health care reform. listen to this. >> i would like you to address how the public option decreases or increases our choices in health care? i am happy with my health insurance.

but i know people that have none. how does that help? >> this is a very important question. so, let me try to answer this. remember, the public insurance option is one of the issues that is being very much negotiated and debated in washington. there is no specific proposal on a public option at this point. the reason for a public option, quite frankly, is to make sure there is an affordable insurance option to those who have no health insurance today that will be required to have health insurance under this bill. that is the purpose. that there be a market. historically private insurance scum pans have avoided certain markets. they have done that. we want to make sure there are markets available. in 1965, they were not writing a lot of insurance for elderly. we passed medicare, a public option, and it worked fairly well over the years to have a public option for tees who have been on it. the second reason -- the second reason, for a public option.

is to keep the costs down. to keep the costs down. we want to have -- we want to make sure that there is an affordable option for all the people that are now going to be required to get health insurance. whether it will be a fall back that only can be, only can be accessed for those who didn't have private insurance or whether it is going to be a co-op that is not clear. that is being negotiated. but i can tell you our objective is to make sure those that are in private insurance and have private insurance stay in their private insurance plans. through the course of the hour we'll be giving you samples of what happened through the week. let me till you people are worried about health care reform. thinking health care reform. it's not one bill. there are several bills in the house and senate. and other proposals. our cnnireporters are going on line and reading what is actually out there. >> i know a lot of people are heated about this. i know a lot of people are

misinformed and are taking their positive opinion of obama or negative opinion of obama and super imposing it on to the health care reform debate. health care reform is a serious issue and it need serious people. how did you do it? simple stuff. eating right and i switched to whole grain. whole grain... studies show that people who eat more whole grain tend to have a healthier body weight. multigrain cheerios has five whole grains... and 110 calories per lightly sweetened serving. more grains. less you. multigrain cheerios.

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this week. health care is on everybody's mind like the economy is. that's why august is make-or-break month for health care. we at cnn are going to be bringing to you all month making sure you understand exactly what is going on. we are also taking you this week to the congressional townhalls and townhalls that the president held, to try and hear from people what their concerned about. what their worries are about health care. one key issue in the health care debate is abortion. now, pennsylvania republican turned democrat senator arlen specter faced a question about abortion at a townhall he held earlier this week in pennsylvania. listen to this. i did not want to pay on a health care plan that include the right for a woman to kill her unborn baby. is it true that this plan is in the health care bill? >> her 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 say it. and what we are -- what we are looking toward is to have a -- 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 will 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 will be a little bigger premium then you 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. not just democrats getting pounded. republicans are getting pounded as well.

senator chuck grassley a member of a bipartisan senate committee that is working on a health care proposal. here is sound from his townhall meeting on townhall raw. >> thank you and senator bachus for being true statesmen. because you know that back to the constitutional conventions, this government is run on compromise. and you two have done that. so thank you. >> thank you for doing the compromise with senator bachus. there are so many different philosophies and idea in america. i don't think any, any plan that comes out, will be acceptable to one part of the population or another to a very significant degree. and it's jealousy when somebody has something that you can't have, it bothers you. so i would look to suggest that there be one benefit plan for

every american in this system. and then people who want to -- >> what's your question? >> then people who want to have other benefits besides that they can do something like the medicare supplemental insurance plans. so i would look to ask your opinion on that? >> both, both senator, well i shouldn't say, i shouldn't never speak for senator bachus. i feel in this area that maybe i can say that he and i are working toward something that is going to give americans more choice than what you are suggestion would be. now, will we be able to, working and talking, and i don't know there will be a product or not. but we are working towards a direction of having people to have choice.

the townhall held by senator chuck grassley. none of this is stopping. the president as we said is holding a townhall meeting third in colorado in the 6:00 hour. right now a health care rally going on live in atlanta. don lemon is there. he has got the story. hi, don. >> hey, ali, this is billed as the largest health care townhall so far held here in centennial olympic park in downtown atlanta. you can see here, really hundred of people. maybe thousand. i'm not good at counting. take a look at the crowd and see all the folks who are showing up. dick armey, former majority leader is standing there talkingch altalk i ing. also other people going to the town halls, you have seen on television, youtube, what have you. voicing their concerns to congressmen and the president. they have been speaking here as well. lots of signs, freedom. not tyranny. there is a guy behind me wearing an nra hat.

some one saying over here, no obama-care. joining me quickly here is the state secretary -- >> secretary of state. cary handle. >> i know your name. i forget your title. why are the folks out here? >> these are individuals speaking out about the health care plan moving through washington. people we want health care reform. we want a market-driven health care reform that protects the patient-doctor relationship. >> we will talk more with the secretary of state here on cnn. during my show coming up at 5:00, ali. a lot of people are out here, add manned about what they want. they want health care reform. what they want to make sure it is done right and not government-controlled. that's their word. ali? >> don, thank you. we'll check in with you again. the same sentiment i have been getting in some places along our stops. traveling for a week started in atlanta. ending in des moines. traveling 1,000 miles along the way. tennessee, kentucky, southern illinois, missouri, kansas and

now into iowa. here is a bit of the conversation that i had with a small group of people that we had gathered for dinner together in kansas. listen to this. >> i think it is too fast. i think time needs to be taken out to educate everyone as many people in america and there needs to be a forum held to j kate people as fares what this whole thing is about. >> isn't that what the townhalls were supposed to be? >> supposed to. >> what was your general impression about how that went down? >> one of the fundamental problems to the townhalls they were highly politicized. there was an agenda. whether a democrat or republican. libertarian, whatever your affiliation you want to claim, there was a polarization. >> marketing. >> it was marketing. >> blatantly so. in my estimation, a lack of value. because it wasn't informative. it was polarized. >> because it was so much marketing, what appeared to be

marketing. people tune it out. we still leave ourselves unknowledgeable about what is really happening. >> fascinating conversation we had. there is a longer version of it on cnnmoney.com. click on video. probably worth listening to the whole thing to get a sense of how some americans are feeling. august, make-or-break month for health care in america. that's why we are bringing you "townhall raw" to give you a feel for what is going on. putting in focus. if you want to get more on health care. we have a place for that on cnn.com/healthcare all week. ande a will on legalzoom. man: it was really easy to do. - ( blows raspberries ) - ( laughing ) robert shapiro: we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

okay. we are back on cnn with "townhall raw" bringing to you what many people have taken to their congressman and to the president over the course of the last week in those townhall meetings. there have been several of them across the country including two by the president himself. another one in the 6:00 eastern hour. tuesday, the president was in new hampshire. while most people in the country are disagreeing about how health care reform should be handled, some people don't know why we need to reform health care in the first place. and the president got that very question from a young woman.

>> as i was walking in, i saw a lot of signs outside saying mean things about reforming health care. how do kids know what is true? why do people want a new system that can, that help more of us? >> well, i have seen some of those signs -- let me just be specific about some things that the i have been hearing lately that, we need to dispose of here. the rumor that has been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the house of representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on grandma, because we have decided that we don't, it's too expensive to let her live anymore.

and there are some variations on this theme. it turns out that i guess this arose out of a provision in one of the house bills that allowed medicare to rem burs people for consultations about end of life care, setting up living wills, the availability of hospice, et cetera. so the intention of the members of congress was to give people more information so that they could handle issues of end-of-life care when they're ready on their own terms. it wasn't forcing anybody to do anything. this is i guess where the rumor came from. the irony is -- that actually one of the chief sponsors of this bill originally was a republican then house member now senator johnny isaacson from georgia who sense plea thought

this is something that would expand people's options. and somehow it has gotten spun into this idea of death panels. i am not in favor of that. so just -- i want to -- i want to clear the air here. you heard the president refer to senator johnny isaacson of georgia. well the senator is pushing back on the president's comments. our truth seeker in chief, josh levs here, with a cnn truth squad check into the so-called death panels. josh. >> ali, love the title. thanks for that. i will tell you the basics. there were never going to be death panels. never going to happen. let me tell you the basics here. senator isaacson is saying the idea that was in the legislation was not his idea. he very quickly tried to distance himself from that. this is what was in the legislation. let's go to this graphic. very simple here when you really look at it. the house bill did say that it

would require medicare to cover the consultations about advance care. but what you see on the next screen here. even the consultations were not required. simply the truth squad gave it a verdict. false. that was not in there. no one was going to ask the guf if someone would live or die. now we are hearing from other lawmaker that even that thing about consultations is going to be dropped. we are not expected to have, be having this debate by the time some bill makes it through each house and then to the president. we should not, as a nation have any worries, ali about anything resembling death panels in any version of health care legislation. back to you. >> josh. we love your, your truth squad stuff here on cnn. don't know if you do that when you are out with friend. i think it could be tough when your friend are talking to you and you bring a truth squad on them. >> could be a hard time. >> keep us honest on health

care. josh levs. thank you. different health care plans around the world getting attention. is a canadian-style health care system right for us. well one cancer survivor and one senator says no way. we are checking into all of this, this week. today. this hour, with our cnn townhall raw. stay with us. >> i was just encourage you to hilt the gas. %%%%%%%%%%

welcome back to townhall raw. on cnn. i'm ali velshi in des moines iowa, iowa state fair. ironic over my right shoulder, you see cigarettes. over my left shoulder you see fried food. maybe not, not the most interesting place to have a conversation on health care. it is on everybody's mind. that's why we are brink it to you. bringing you outbursts, outrage and conversation that went on at townhall meetings across the country held by congress and the president. the president is having another one. his third one this week. it's going to be in colorado in the 6:00 p.m. eastern hour.

3:30 from now. we will bring that to you live. you will also hear in this half-hour about canadian-style health care. you are going to hear about a possible doctor and nurse shortage. and we'll look into the number of uninsured people in this country. >> does congress intend to pass health care reform and if so how do you intend to pay for it even if you have to have a tax increase. do you intend to pass the health care reform, that's what i'm asking? >> i would intend to pass a health care reform bill, but i would intend it be completely opposite of what is coming through right now. and one that will in fact save money rather than spend money. one that will cover 36 million instead of 13 million more people. >> we have had 13, 14 years, three presidents and three republican congresses, democratic congress, another congress and it hasn't been done. and we send the brightest people we think to congress to get it

done and nothing has happened? >> well, i wouldn't disagree with your statement. i would just tell you that if you want reform for reform's sake an doesn't control the costs what you will do is cut everybody's wages in the country. any dollar that goes into health care is a dollar that doesn't go into your pocket. until we create a competitive market with transparency and access for everybody, where you have some responsibility for what you spend on health care, where you have some responsibility, not somebody else. then, what you are -- when you are asking the doctor are you sure i need this test if i need this test is there a police i can get the tess cheaper. until you start helping us control the cost. instead of saying i have insurance i will just do it. that's our problem. there is a disconnect between the purchase of health care and payment of health care. whether medicare, medicaid, or private insurance.

until that happens we will not control costs. so what you might be thinking of reform is very much different than what i am thinking of reform. my bill is laid out. laid out for six months. been the out there for everybody to see. it is scored. saves us money. all of us money. and gives, covers, 36 of the 47 million people not covered. 11 million of the people who are not covered, today, are illegal immigrants. all right. right over here, yes, sir. >> if i could -- if we, if we live in canada, until we are ready to talk about the fact that we couldn't get or didn't choose to get $1,000 permitted procedure his cancer was not diagnosed for years. [ inaudible ]

>> well, i would dispute you on the facts, the fact is, as 2 million americans, every year, are alive and cured from cancer in this country because they don't have canadian health care. and that is the fact. this is america. i would be happy to show you that we have a 30% better cure rate on almost every cancer than canada does. and the reason is, you may get diagnosed early, but you get, you get a ability to get in line. and the average breast cancer patient in canada today waits six months before they're in treatment. that's six months. now, we don't want to get in the line. access to care isn't getting in the line. that's what you have. there is no question it costs less in canada. but there is no question that millions of people come to this

country so that they will have a life rather than lose a life. interesting discussion. that was two-time cancer survivor, republican senator tom coburn at a townhall meeting he held thursday. well we are going to be speaking to you a lot about some of the other things in health care. if you have questions about health care of your own. tune in, 4:00 eastern. we're going to beep getting answers from members of congress and experts who know about health care in the 4:00 hourment a reminder you can always check in. we have done a lot of reporting on this. at cnn. gathered expertise. you can go to cnn.com. for complete coverage of the health care reform discussion. ( car door closes ) ooooch! hot seat!

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women need to look no further than your feet for serious health problems that could be lurking down the road. our senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen explains. hi. >> reporter: nicole loves shoes. from paris to payless, she has picked up more than 50 pairs, mostly stilettos and high heels. >> the style not the comfort. >> reporter: mi coal has been wearing heels since sixth grade and over the years her choice of footwear caused her a number of

problems. >> i have bad knees broken my ankles a couple times and foot pain 24/7. i still wear them. >> reporter: bad news lead to plenty of foot injuries especially for women. yet many never associate their shoes with their podiatric pain. >> heel pain. bunion formation, and flare-ups. >> at temple university, school of podiatric medicine, they're testing shoe styles on feet. equipped with a runway, pressure plates and computer analysis. doctors use the data to better understand how different types of shoes put pressure on various points of the foot including the balls, heels and arches. they're finding the higher the heel, the more stress on the toes and ankle joints, causing a multitude of long lasting health issues. >> the chronic parts of wearing heels for a long time that actually affect the muscles, the balance, the actual deformities and the most, number one thing is degenerative joint disease,

osteoarthritis. >> reporter: as women get older deterioration of bones and muscle may cause arches of their feet to become lax and lose support. doctors say avoid the flats and flip-flops, look for something with a heel to give you balance and arch support without causing flat feet and heel problems. >> reporter: our feet need support. there is a lot of different muscles. a lot of tendons, insertions because of the mechanics of your feet you need to support them. >> reporter: if women exercise at any age they need to make sure they have a good fitting shoe designed for the sport they're involved in. the wrong footwear can cause shin splints and joint problem that can give you a lifetime of pain. elizabeth cohen, cnn, atlanta. we'll be back at the top of the hour with other headlines. ahead, you your doctor, and access to health care on townhall raw. it's one thing to have access, another thing to have

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i'm ali velshi at the iowa state fair in des moines, iowa. and this is "townhall raw." because there has been so much raw discussion this past week at townhalls that, that congressman and the president have been holding. in this past week. so we are bringing some of those to you. now we have also been on the road all week, listening to americans about their concerns and questions about health care. so man of you have questions about it. a couple of them -- will there be enough doctors and nurs to provide care if health care reform passes? and what if i don't want to soon up for it? well north carolina democrat g.k. butterfield listened carefully during tuesday's townhall meeting in rocky mount. >> my name is robert shellenberg, a physician here in rocky mount. been here for 20 years. and served this community in that time. and i see the health issues

every day. and we fight with -- insurance companies, but we also fight with medicare as well. and what i hear with this bill, i think it will make health care less accessible. if you are talking about more people coming into health care with the same amount of physicians, the people that are going to be seen by a physician, they're going to have longer waits in line, and, they're going to force everybody into the emergency department, basically. because they can't get to the office. [ applause ] the -- but my main question is, how can you support a bill that the nonpartisan congressional budget office has said will not save any money over the next ten years? >> the congressional budget office generally agrees with what you said. they are not saying that it

won't save any money. but it will not bend the curve as significantly as we hoped it would bend the curve. it will be budget neutral. >> that's if everything goes perfectly correct. and that is a big chance that you are gambling with the american public. and i think that -- [ applause ] >> if we don't bend it it will continue to escalate. >> the cost will continue to escalate about that, a government program like everything else. but i think -- i think this program is doomed unless there is tort reform included. there is no way that should be exempt. and for a -- for a 1,000 page bill not to have this in the health reform is a crime. >> i have heard it ten times last week. i heard it twice tonight. and i hear you very much. >> thank you. >> the gentleman made a point about long lines at the doctor's office. we have addressed that.

there will be a tremendous investment in the training of primary care doctors. with an emphasis on these doctors practicing in underserved areas. a tremendous increase in primary care doctors. yeah? we have a rebuttal. >> something look that would take about 15 years to come to fruition. >> perhaps. >> medical school, residency. that's way out, that's way out there. that ain't going to happen any time soon. >> what about community health centers. the other piece of it. to enhance community health centers. >> i agree. that plays a roll. you still have to have a staff. i am proud to serve at the free clink here. i am proud to save, medicare, medicaid right now. any body that comes to me. uninsured. some physicians in this town will not do that. i think that the chance of, changes that i see, will even push that further away. fewer physicians will see those medicaid, medicare and uninsured people. >> thank you.

there are almost 50 million people here in the united states who didn't have health insurance. under health care reform, will everybody who doesn't have insurance get it? and should there be a tiered system where you get what you pay for. not everybody gets the same health care. well that prompted a very heated discussion that i had earlier this week on the cnn express in kentucky. >> well my husband and i are two of the 47 million plus that don't have health care. and i am not talking insurance. we don't have insurance. i want health care. my husband has diabetes and a bout with cancer. what insurance company is going to cover us. there aren't any. if i get sequester today where do you think i am going? i'm going to the emergency room. who is that costing, us, the taxpayers. if it will cost my bottom line if they have to tax me more to get health care. tax me. tax me. tax me. tax me. i am willing to pay. >> let's talk about the 46, 47, 50 million who are not insured in the country what is your thought on that.

>> i would really love to drive a hummer, they're cool cars. i can't afford one. so i don't drive one. i drive what i can afford. >> oh, my god. i can't believe you are saying that people don't deserve health care if they can't afford it. >> where did i say that. >> that's what i hear you saying. >> you are not listening. >> you did say you would look to buy a hummer. you can't afford it. you are saying if you can't afford the hummer. you don't drive it. if you don't afford health care, you shouldn't get it. no, no, i am saying you have the basic stuff. you get, a catastrophic illness, in a car crash, an accident something like that happens. of course you get coverage for that. >> and again that was a shorter version of a story you can find on cnnmoney.com. the longer version of that discussion, a very, very interesting discussion in kentucky. now, 47 million people without health insurance sure sounds like a big number. and is it even accurate. well we are sounding off on health care. going to find out for you right here on cnn on "townhall raw."

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just about three hours until the president's next townhall meeting which he will be holding in colorado today. it will be his third one this week. cnn bringing that to you live. we are in des moines iowa, at the iowa state fair. hard to contain a smile. just such a fun place. health care a big issue in the state. health care reform a big issue. iowa, senator chuck grassley held his own townhall meeting earlier this week where he was asked just how many people don't have health insurance in the country. here is the senator in winterset, iowa.

>> get a couple of comments. number one, the 47 million figure that you hear bandied about, from bureau of the census, my understanding is part of the 47 million figure are 12.4 million illegals as part of that. if you take the 18 to 35-year-old age group, there are 25 million in that group that don't really want insurance, especially if they have to pay for it. i remember when i was there, it has been a long time. i remember i didn't have insurance either. i watched what i was doing. if you take the numbers out of those that don't want it, according to the heritage found dags you get down to about 8 million. that's really the problem. and couldn't we go down to that number and try to find a solution for that. second question, before you get to that, senator. second one. second one. i have got. second one i have got. the cost question namely. i don't know what cbo used. i do know i have heard that the gold plated health care, the uaw has, that they used that they

use it about twice as much on a usage basis per capita than other people on other health care plans. if the cbo did not figure in to that trillion dollar figure, an increase in usage with the new, this universal health care plan, that would double what the current usage is aren't their numbers going to be vastly understated that's where you will get rationing an seniors will get affected. that's my question. >> okay. there is two questions. one is -- do we really have 40, 47 million. problem of being people uninsured when you take out illegal aliens and take out people that have ability to buy insurance but choose not to buy it. don't you get down to about 8 billion. 8 million. and the answer is yes to that one. and then, the second point, remind me? >> the second point is on the cost itself. >> yes.

the cost of cbo estimating? yeah. and higher priced, higher priced health plans that are private sector health plans, the answer is, economists that i have read say exactly what you have said. and it does drive up costs. but i do believe that the congressional budget office which is a nonpartisan, professional group, that works just for congress, i think they do take that into consideration. all right. how many people are uninsured. how many people would qualify for insurance under the reform plan? our chief reality correspondent, josh levs is here to look into that. hi, josh. >> hi again, alley. i spoke with the census directly i want to clarify for everyone. let's go to the big number. the figure comes from the census. the census does say that 45.7

million people in the country are uninsured for 2007. what most people don't realize in that same report where they give the figure they also say this. that the number is probably inflated. probably not that high. health insurance coverage is likely to be underreported. they get into some specifics how they collect the information. in short the census itself says 45 million is probably too high. an estimation of how many people in the country do not have it. look at this. i'm showing you the opposite side. you have the private group, families usa that says actually the number of uninsured is twice as high. much bigger. the reason they say is that the census was looking at who does not have insurance for 2007. this group, families usa, a group that advocates more people having health insurance. they say that if they looked across a two-year period and found at any moment, during two years, was there ever a day, a week, any time, when you did not have health insurance. it may the number much, much bigger whchlt out we end up with, ali, opposing views there,

about how many people don't have health insurance. the ig yer that most go by is the census, 45 million. even the census says that is too high. >> yeah, although i have to wonder about that. when you think 7 million people have lost their jobs since beginning of the recession, some won't have cobra coverage. added to the number. tens of millions of people. how many people can afford health insurance? >> yeah, a really good point you are making there. the numbers keep changing every year. that's 2007. the recession. how many can afford health insurance. also interesting. the last figure. and they point out within their study, 20% of the uninsured have family incomes of $75,000 or more. now you might look at that and say, you know what you are making $75,000 you should be able to afford insurance. we don't know. you can't know about every family. if they have access. pre-existing conditions. massive bills. supporting 15 relatives. you can't know affordability. you can know there is that 20%

chunk that is making $75,000 or more. you would look to think that would be enough to afford insurance. >> all right. you like the new titles i keep giving you every tomb i talk to you. >> after we got off the air. half an hour ago i got 20 calls about it. now you keep, keep it coming. are you kidding. i'm calling my agent. >> josh, always a pleasure. a big issue. great that you are breaking it down clearing it up. josh levs. people in small and large communities around the country are getting their voices heard on health care. >> we want health care! we want health care! >> cnnireporters are there capturing the video. we are bringing that to you right here on townhall raw. call or go online for a free supply and up to $160 in offers from authorized postage vendors. shipping's a hassle! weighing every box... actually, with flat rate boxes you don't need to weigh anything under 70 pounds. if it fits, it ships for a low flat rate.

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august is make or break month for health care reform in america. cnn bringing you the townhall meetings, issues, ireports. go to cnn.com/healthcare for everything you need to know. even ask questions. so far a lot has happened. blue dog democrat from arkansas, mike ross, sums it up so far. >> i have got the extreme right saying, health care reform, the

extreme left saying that i got too much in the agreement. that i have watered down health care reform. and so, you know, it's rare that you get both the extreme right and extreme left mad at you at the same time. that tells me that, maybe we have, we have, found the right balance here. >> yeah. you know. i believe i'm in the middle. i believe that's where the majority of the american people are. all right. before we go. i want to remind you. president obama will be hosting his third townhall meeting of this week. he is going to be in colorado. that is going to be happening in the 6:00 p.m. live hour. cnn will be bringing that to you from colorado at that point. melissa long is going to be joining us now. taking over, the 4:00 hour. getting to your questions. you heard what so many of your country people have had to say about health care reform about their representatives and the president. we'll be talking about your questions with melissa long. taking us through the next hour. i will be joining you for that soon as i sort