but let's listen in to a little bit of this debate first. >> 45 seconds. thank you, mr. speaker. this debate is not about the uninsured, it's about socialized medicine. today we are turning back the clock. for most of the 21st century, people fled the ghosts of communist dictators and now you're bringing the gores back in to this chamber. with passage of this bill, they will haunt americans for generations. the multi-trillion health care bill the soviets failed the soviet socialistic experiment. it gives the federal government absolute control over health care in america. my friends, that is what this debate is really about. today democrats in this house will finally lay the cornerstone of their socialist utopia on the backs of the american people. say no to socialism, say no to totalitarianism, say no to this bill. >> time is expired. gentleman from michigan.

>> all right. he's got some -- he's very, very forceful. you heard that republican congressman from california, congressman nunez. you know what? there was a very, very different assessment from john lewis, the democratic congressman from georgia, one of the great civil rights pioneers. listen to what he said. >> we have a moral obligation today, tonight, to make health care a right and not a privilege. there are those who have told us to start over. there are those who have told us to wait. they told us to be patient. we cannot wait, we cannot be patient. the american people need health care and they need it now. >> all right, very different then congressman nunez of california. sanjay, i wanted you to weigh in on what we're about to see within the next hour or so. the passage of the same piece of legislation by the house and the senate. >> yeah, i was going to get

kevin to weigh in on what nunez said but i guess i won't put him on a spot like that. but for a purely medical hospital, i work in a hospital in atlanta, it's something i've chosen to do. you see people who are uninsured or underinsured all the time. it's incredible because people come in with later stages of disease, they come in having not receive nid preventive care. it's very striking as a physician to sort of know that these people could have been helped, a lot of preventable diseases occurring and preventable deaths. you heard congressman dingle say 18,000 people die a year because they don't have health care insurance. but i think it's a huge day. i've been following this along since 1992. i worked at the white house in the mid '90s and discussed a lot of these issues. for a lot of docs out there, they may disagree on some of the specifics which i've been researching in great deal, the idea that people should have access to health care and insurance which they'll get in

the next several years, not tomorrow but in the next several years, it's monument us to. >> you were a white house fellow in those years and you worked on the issued when the clinton administration tried to get health care reform passed. it failed at that time. it's about to succeed now. sanjay, give us your analysis. why will it succeed now as it failed then? >> well, it was interesting. it was a little bit of an example in leadership style differences. clearly president clinton and the first lady -- then hillary clinton -- absorbed a lot of the work themselves, or herself, primarily and then put something out for the legislative body to look at. the one thing is interesting is when you're the one crafting it, a lot of people can throw darts at it. no question. this time, it was almost the exact opposite. we'll draw the broad brush strokes in the white house and let the legislative body craft it. it was one big difference. i think it was a much larger overhaul of health care in

'93-'94. it wasn't sort of keeping the employer-based system the way it is and making tweaks around the edges, it was a larger overhaul. there were some similarities. but they didn't have the broad support from the ama, from the pharmaceutical agency, from the nurses, from aarp, lots of sources that they do have now. >> president clinton was elected with 42% of the popular vote, barack obama with 53% of the popular vote. i'm going to ask you to comment on what we heard from congressman nunez from california when he said this democratic plan, this version of health care that president obama wants is nothing short -- and i'm paraphrasing a little bit -- of a soviet-style failed socialist program. >> look, republicans always run a risk, i think, when we start to think about our, you know, dislike of government

institutions and creeping size of government into our lives. i think the congressman from california has a point, but it was inartfully framed. one of the most important things we can do out there is talk to the american people's anxiety about the size and the scope of this bill and how radically it will change 1/6 of our economy without leading -- you can do that without leaving a lot of the labels that seem to be nails on a chalk board aside. every single republican on capitol hill -- every single republican on capitol hill believes in fundamentals. we believe we can incentivize the states to stock pile the programs, they're the lavatories of democracy to get the health care they need, the access and the costs. democrats belief we ought to have a one-size-fits-all federalized mandate from washington that says we know better than the states. it's not getting to socialism or

totalitarianism, but, instead, it's a fundamental difference. we're more closely aligned with public sentiment when we bring that in. >> the argument that this is socialized medicine which the democrats are about to enact into law -- we heard this congressman from california basically say it's soviet style socialism. it -- you know, they don't have a public option. they don't have a single payer system. it's far from socialism, isn't it? >> that's just stuck on stupid. to sit there on the house floor and talk about, oh, this is communism and you're sitting here and reaching -- that's just dumb, okay? you know what? if republicans truly cared about health care, why in the world didn't they do anything for eight years. so don't stand here now when democrats have been pushing the issue and now say, oh, no, republicans -- we care about health care when you had the opportunity to make changes to

our system. the fact of the matter is, when you have republicans that want to sit here and for all of the nonsensical names out there, it does nothing but stir up the nut cases who are frankly calling democrats the kind of names on yesterday. so if you want to make an argument there are core differences, there's no doubt between democrats and republicans on this issue. sometimes you have to make tough issues -- tough decisions. i don't believe in these ridiculous names, communism and socialism. they can't spell communism and socialism, much less identify it. >> i think it's unfortunate to make an attack like that. >> that's what he did on the house floor. >> that's making a personal atake. i don't think that helps the decor rum of the debate either. the republicans have been very, i think, good at putting forward ideas on health care. if you look at the 2000 elections, 2004 elections, we

closed the gap on health care because we put forward progressive ideas when you look at health savings accounts, association health plans, those are core republican principles to get access to bring down costs. so i would disagree we haven't been putting out any ideas. we haven't put out the health care forum that the president held down at the white house obliterated the argument that the republicans are the party of now and they don't have health care ideas. >> let me let roland respond. before i do. kevin -- medicare which is very popular for seniors right now, that is much closer to some sort of socialism than what the president and the democrats are now about to enact in to law because that in effect is the single payer system that the government runs. >> that's right. and medicare was designed as a safety net to those who were a specific population for older americans. i think what happens is if you try to expand medicaid and medicare, you see a growing reliance on government versus

looking for the private sector and a more free market oriented approach to help drive down costs. >> roland, go ahead. >> look, wolf, one of the reasons why i might view this a little differently than kevin, because in 2000, when my appendix ruptured and spent five days in a hospital in los angeles, had no health care, almost $100,000 in bills, had to file for bankruptcy, so maybe my whole view in terms of how do you insure the uninsured is a little different. but the point there is if you're a member of congress, if you stand on the floor and you throw out the ridiculous terms like communism, it makes no sense. and, yeah, i laugh at these people who go to town hall meetings, who say, i don't want government health care but don't you touch my medicare. i'm sorry, i don't know what you talk about. that's what you have here. everybody protects their own interest. republicans said, here's a piece here, a piece there. if you talk about health care reform, they did not do anything in the significant way where

they had the power and now when democrats say we'll touch it, they say, we have some ideas here. you had the power, you could have made a difference. the difference here is, the democrats had the power and they're making a difference. >> stand by. we're getting closer and closer to that actual roll call. getting ready to half an hour, 45 minutes or so, they'll have on the white house floor, they have 15 minutes to vote. we think the democrats have the 216-vote margin to go ahead and pass health care reform. our coverage continues after this. [ beeping ]

♪ my country ♪ 'tis of thee ♪ sweet land ♪ of liberty ♪ of thee i sing [ laughs ] ♪ oh, land ♪ where my fathers died ♪ land of the pilgrims' pride ♪ from every mountainside ♪ let freedom ring

> > we're only a half an hour or so away from a roll call on the senate version of health care reform on the floor of the house of representatives. we think it will be passed if it gets to 216 votes. the health care reform will be passed and the president whether

tonight or tomorrow, we don't know, will sign it in to law. there's a lot as we watch this unfold. i want to get back to the rhetoric we're hearing. a lot of it is poisonous out there. >> it has been throughout the debate. the debate has divided the parties, the interest groups, the catholic nuns against the fish shops. the anti-abortion democrats against the anti-abortion republicans. congressman nunez gets 45 seconds to speak from the floor. he's from a safe district. he doesn't have a swing district that might be offending a key base. it's part of the next debate which begins tonight. the republicans know it will pass. the democrats have the vote, they know it will pass. we're in the next phase. some of the components of the bill are popular. others are not very popular, others are sort of in the middle. the president will try tonight to rephrase the debate. sanjay touched on the debate. it was health care reform at the

beginning of the debate and it was health insurance reform because people don't like the insurance companies so you find a villain or somebody less popular than you when you're in trouble. the next phase is, you heard the democrats in the last 48 hours say you ear doing this for the american people. you can run from the polls that say a significant segment of the population doesn't like this. some run from the polls. others try to grab them and shape them. the democrats are saying we fought for you, we're on your side. we got in the way of the insurance company. they can't do it again. that's the challenge. does the president have the power to reshame a political argument? he did it my times in the general campaign. does he have the power to shape it now or can republicans say we can't afford this, it gives the government too much power to reach into your life and you should not trust any big institution. because since katrina and the bank bailouts and gm failing, the public is predisposed right now thinking if it's big, it's not going to work.

>> when the white house is looking for a villain, as you say, in this debate, something happened towards the end of the debate which worked for them which was anthem, raising the rates for california. and suddenly, the villain was crystallized. there it was, your rates went up 39%, 40% for your people. and the white house which had been talking about health insurance reform suddenly had a good example. it started out by the way, this debate, i remember talking about it as a deficit reducer, remember? early on in this debate, president obama said we've got to do this because in the long term, it's going to reduce the deficit. it's an argument that didn't really click with the american people because while it may be or may turn out to be right, it's hard to understand you're going to spend a trillion dollars and in the end reduce the deficits. then you move to the insurance companies and that clearly worked better for them particularly late in the game. >> sanjay is getting a lot of

questions on twitter and elsewhere, how all of this will affect people out there. we'll get to you in a moment, sanjay. i'm getting bombarded on twitter as well. what it means for me. we look inside the legislation that's going to become the law of the land. i want to remind our viewers, tomorrow, 7:00 p.m. eastern, every weeknight. john king, usa. tomorrow night, 7:00 p.m. eastern, john king usa right after "the situation room." our coverage will continue after this. [ male announcer ] how do the editors of consumers digest determine if a car is a best buy? first they drive it in the real world. and put it through its paces. they rate its fit and finish. and the amenities inside. they factor in purchase price and operating costs, fuel economy and resale value. in short, they do what you do to test its quality. the consumers digest best buys from chevy. put them to your own test. and may the best car win. put them to your own test.

how do we know how how many town roads we need? the census helps us know exactly what we need, so everyone can get their fair share of funding. we can't move forward until you mail it back. 2010 census.

coming on the floor of the house of representatives. listen in a little bit on this debate as it begins to wrap up.

>> insurance in a breast cancer illness that she faced. we are -- we're done. >> without objection, the gentleman from michigan will be charged time consumed. gentleman from michigan? >> i yield 45 seconds, i wish i could yield more to our distinguished colleague from maryland, mr. van holland. >> the gentleman is recognized for 45 seconds. >> thank you, mr. speaker. they called it a dangerous device invented in nazi germany, a method for imposing stalinism. those are the statements made by the opponents of medicare, medicaid which now provides coverage to 45 million americans. this legislation insures that 32 million more americans have access to affordable health care and no american is held hostage to the abuse of practices as in the insurance industry. as in 1965, we have the rhetoric

of mass distortions. leader boehner said this bill means armageddon. the day after the legislation is signed by president obama, the world will see it's not coming to an end, there are no death panels. they see a system that works for them and not the insurance industry that's spending millions of dollars to kill the bill. >> at this time, mr. speaker, i yield 45 seconds to the distinguished leader of the ways and means mr. bustani. >> we have compassion for families struggling, those who lost jobs, those who lack access to health care. we all want to do what's right for our country, we all want to solve these problems. but as i look at this massive, complex, and partisan bill, i see premiums continues to rise for families, an abject failure to control health care costs for families and businesses.

huge tax increases coupled with irresponsible cuts to medicare services all to expand new coverage entitlements where physician access will worsen, continuing to burden our strapped emergency rooms. mr. speaker, frankly, i see a sequel to the modern greek fiscal strategy unfolding before us with the potential for default. we have a duty. we have a duty -- >> time is expired. >> we have a duty to reform health care but an obligation to get it right. >> time is expired. gentleman from michigan. >> i now yield 45 seconds to a very senior member of our committee, mr. mcdermott of washington. >> gentleman is recognized for five seconds. >> without objection. >> mr. speaker, there are times in history that action is demanded. in 1939, we needed social security and unemployment

insurance, the democrats answered. in 196, we needed health care for senior citizens, the democrats answered. in 2010, the country needs health care reform and the democrats will answer tonight. it was never in doubt. business wanted to change the medical profession wanted a change, and labor wanted a change. and the republicans brought an economic collapse to make it clear to everybody that we all are in danger if we don't change the health care system in this country. i yield back the balance of my time. >> time is expired. >> gentleman from michigan? >> at this time, i yield 45 seconds to a distinguished member of the ways and means committee, the gentleman from nevada. >> gentleman is recognized for 45 seconds. >> i thank the gentleman for -- >> mr. speaker, thousands -- thousands of nevadians have been surveyed and an overwhelming

number oppose the government takeover of health care. yet 2/3 of nevada's delegation will file with their constituents and vote with their leadership instead. this $2.6 trillion legislation will raise nevada taxes, kill nevada jobs, remove nevada seniors from medicare, and -- and saddle the state of nevada with budget-busting mandates. i urge my colleagues from nevada to speak for nevada, not their beltway benefactors when casting their vote today. i yield back. >> the time is expired. >> 45 seconds each, democrat, republican. they're making their respective cases. we're only a little bit away, maybe 20, 25 minutes from the final roll call on the senate version of health care reform. our coverage will continue after this. at quicken loans, we're obsessed with finding a better way...

for you to get a home loan. we've got a way for you to check the status of your loan online. securely, any time, anywhere. our e signature technology lets you sign... your documents from home, at your convenience. we've helped over three-quarters of a million families... refinance or purchase their home.

it's how we've done things at quicken loans for 25 years now. - that's why i love... - i love... i love being a home loan expert. ♪ they're going to get ready to wrap up the debate on the board. the leaders, the republican leaders and democrat leaders

will be speaking. we're going to want to hear what they have to say when we get ready for the roll call of the health care reform as we expect it to pass with the 216 votes. what's in the legislation. what will it mean for you. we're getting flooded with viewers out there on twitter and elsewhere. dr. sanjay gupta is here. i want you to answer some of the questions. they're good. >> it's fascinating to see where people's heads are on this. ed carlos santana writes this -- does any part of the reform take effect before 2014. we've been talking about this all day. people getting chunks of information. there is significant amounts of things happening this year, probably. but as far as getting the 32 million number insured. that probably won't happen for a few years once the exchanges open up and the mandate to people to have health care insurance takes place. that's four years from now. but short of that, now, we're going to talk about high-risk pools. people who are sick and uninsured are probably the

most -- going to benefit the most at least initially. that's what happens on the screen in 2014. people who are uninsured are going to benefit from the high-risk pools. they ear going to fund them with the costs to try to get the insurance right now. there's not going to be rescissions of health care anymore which is this idea that you're clicking along, doing fine, and you get sick and the insurance company decides to drop you. >> this year that will go into effect -- >> that's right. >> once the president signs this legislation in to law, let's say a week later, someone gets really, really sick and the insurance company used to say there's a cap on how much we're willing to spend. after this week, that's not going to happen. >> they say within six months to be fair. they talk about these pools being set up sooner than that, 90 days. the rescissions ending in six months and the idea of not being able to cap how much the insurance company pays annually or over a lifetime, that should take place this year. >> another one?

>> this one being a recent college grad who's employed but uninsured, what can i expect if this passes? this is omar bogdrun, 37. this is a big deal. this is a group of people who could benefit, again, sooner rather than later. college grads who haven't gotten the first job, not coming under an employer-based coverage, that coverage for them could be under their parents' policy under until the age of 26. that's an extension. i was in that situation myself. for a period of time, i was alot of my friends were as well. >> we're going to get back. i want our viewers to understand better how this will impact them. take a quick break. we expect the leaders, the democratic and the house leaders to make their summation statements in the next few minutes. and then the roll call. all that coming up after this. be sure it's secure with hefty food bags. just one click and you know it's closed.

hefty hefty hefty ♪ stinky! ♪ stinky! ♪ stinky! ♪ stinky! ♪ hefty! ♪ hefty! ♪ hefty! ♪ hefty! hefty bags with unscented odorblock technology help neutralize odors and stop the stinkies. ♪ stinky! stinky! ♪ stinky! stinky! ♪ hefty! ♪ hefty! ♪ hefty! ooh. you have heel pressure. huh? you have high arches. really? (announcer) people everywhere are discovering what's really going on with their feet. you have flat feet.

i do? (announcer) foot care scientists are behind dr. scholl's custom fit orthotic center. as flat as kansas, sir. that's flat. whoa! (announcer) its unique foot mapping technology identifies the areas you put the most pressure on. then recommends the custom fit orthotic that's best for your feet. for customized comfort all day long. for locations, see drscholls.com. you go next if you had a hoveround power chair?

they started the two-hour clock at 6:42 p.m. eastern. it's approaching 8:42 p.m. eastern. so that two-hour debate should be wrapping up right now pretty soon at least. and then they will have the roll call. you know what? let's listen in to the final minutes of this historic debate on the house floor. >> sustain jobs and create jobs. instead, this bill will destroy jobs at a time when we need them the most. our job is to ensure freedom, security, and prosperity for future generations. instead, this bill will be paid for by our children and our grandchildren and our great grandchildren. our job is to legislate openly with integrity and fairnd, instead, this bill is full of back room deals negotiated

behind closed doors. this bill is not what the american people want. they're imploring us to start over with reforms to bring down health care costs while preserving the relationship between patients and their doctors. this is our last chance to stand up to the people who sent us here and display the courage to prove that we can do better. i reserve the balance of my time. >> gentleman reserves. gentleman from california? >> i yield one minute to mr. courtney. >> gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> we're going to answer the questions from the tea parties on the right and the reformers on the left ask constantly -- why can't american people have access to the same benefits members of congress have? it's a good question. some of the most hysterical voices in opposition have access to the comprehensive benefits choice. no rescissions, no lifetime caps. this bill is going to give the american people exactly what members of congress have. in case there's any question

about that, section 1312 will make sure that starting in 2014, members of congress have to use exactly the same purchasing exchange that the american people will have to use. no more haves and have-notes. no more tax-paying americans who don't have health insurance underwriting the health benefits of members of congress who would deny them access to quality, affordable health care. it is time to answer that question tonight in the affirmative by passing this legislation. i yield back the balance of my time. >> time is expired. gentleman from minnesota. >> thank you, mr. speaker. at this time, i'm pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, the ranking subcommittee dr. price. >> the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. >> health care decisions that we make for ourselves and for our families are some of the most important and personal in our lives. as a physician, early in my career for caring for tens of

thousands of patients, i recognized that there were more folks in washington who affected what i could do for and with my patients than anybody i met in residency and medical school, and that that was wrong. health care, taking care of people, is a moral endeavor and should be grounded in principle. and if the principles that we hold dear for health care are applied to this debate and this bill, the picture is not pretty. accessibility, being able to receive care, affordability, being able to afford care. quality, receiving the best care availability, responsiveness, having a system that works for patients, innovation, being certain we have the newest and best treatments and choices, patients being able to choose their physicians and how and where they're treated. all of these are harmed by this bill. all of these principles are violated. none of these principles are improve bid the further intervention of the federal government. so you see, mr. speaker, mostly this is bad for patients, for all americans. but trust that is necessary between care giver and care

receiver, between patients and their doctors, to believe your health is not being undermined by the system will be permanently eroded, permanently damaged. and it is that trust that's in the association of the morality of health care. so it is a sad day, yes. there are wonderful and positive and patient-centered solutions that could be enacted. we trust patients and families, they trust government. as a physician, i know when patients and their families and their doctors are not allowed to decide what care they receive, we lose more than our health care system, we lose our morality, we lose our freedom. the positive vote, the patient-centered vote, the bipartisan vote on this bill is a no. >> gentleman from california. >> i yield one -- one minute to the gentlewoman from california, ms. woolsey, member of the committee. >> gentlewoman is recognized for one minute.

>> mr. speaker, the whole nation desperately needs health care reform. no group of americans needs it more than women, who faces discrimination and insult at the hand of the broken status quo every single day. we all know that the current system allows insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. i wonder how many of my colleagues realize that essentially being a woman is a pre-existing condition. pregnancy, for example, or c-sections can be deemed pre-existing conditions. and almost unbelievable of all, insurance companies can legally turn their backs on women who suffered injuries due to domestic violence. because that, too, can be defined as a pre-existing condition. we should all be ashamed of a system that puts healthy insurance company profits ahead of healthy american women. this weekend we will -- today, tonight, we will make history by passing a health care bill that

will correct these injustices. and no longer will female be considered a pre-existing condition. >> time is expired. time is expired. >> gentleman from minnesota. >> thank you, mr. speaker. at this time, it is my great pleasure to yield two minutes to the gentleman from kentucky, the ranking member of the higher education life long learning and competitive subcommittee, mr. guthrie. two minutes. >> gentleman is recognized for two minutes. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i've always liked to describe the process i've seen in the last two weeks trying to put a bill together like putting the puzzle together, put some pieces together and trying to make them fit. and in the end, the puzzle doesn't have a complete picture. and one of the pieces they're trying to make fit to keep this bill under $1 trillion is what the score is, but what we're not mentioning is the incredible unfunded mandate we're placing on our state. a couple of years ago, i was a state senator, tonight, state senators in kentucky are meeting together to try to close a $1

million budget gap. what does this bill do? this bill puts a $30 billion unfunded mandate by cbo estimates on to our states. to the south of kentucky, phil bredesen, democratic governor of tennessee said this is the mother of all unfunded mandates. and to the north of me in indiana, governor mitch daniel said half a million more hoosiers will be on medicare costs and cost the state taxpayers billions of dollars. it will cost my state according to the heritage found occasion p dags $303 billion from 2014 to 2019. that's the next budgeting session. we'll be budgeting for 2014. state legislators are hoping the economy will turn around, maybe there's a light at the end of the tunnel have to deal with the $303 million freight train on the top of that mandate. they take student loan money to finance this bill. the government has taken over the student loan business. they have lowered interest

rates. instead of lowering the rate that the students will pay on their interest rates, we're going to take this money and put it on the backs of our students. it's unfair to put the burden on our states and our students. i yield back. >> congressman bret guthrie, republican of kentucky making the republican case. going back and forth. they have a minute, two minutes. wi we expect the debate to wrap up in the next 10 to 15, maybe 20 minutes. then the roll call. and at that point, we expect the democrats to win, to get more than the 216 votes. later tonight, the president of the united states will be addressing the american people from the east room at the white house. we'll have live coverage of that. we'll have live coverage of all of this history unfolding. don't go away. our coverage continues after this. and facebook was still run out of a dorm room. when we built our first hybrid, more people had landlines than cell phones, and gas was $1.75 a gallon.

and now, while other luxury carmakers are building their first hybrids, lexus hybrids have traveled 5.5 billion miles. and that's quite a head start. ♪ andhow do we know how bigtart. our hospitals need to be?, the census helps us know exactly what we need, so everyone can get their fair share of funding. we can't move forward until you mail it back. 2010 census. and a kind of pressure behind my eyes. i'm wondering if you've ever been checked for cortical spreading depression. [ doctor ] yeah. actually, he was. november 11, 2009. came back negative. march 23, 2007, a c.t. scan for nasal polyps -- also negative. july 1, 2006 -- advised to quit smoking. january 4... [ male announcer ] imagine a day when your medical history could be in one, secure place, easily accessed by your doctors

who could collaborate more effectively and treat you better. thanks, guys. i got it from here. makes sense. can i have my pants back, actually? [ male announcer ] electronic medical records from ge. better health for more people. ♪

they are still considering this issue on the floor of the

house of representatives. the debate continues. at that point, once the debate is over, they'll have the roll call. it could be another ten or 15 minutes away. dr. sanjay gupta is here. our medical correspondent. we're getting a lot of e-mail tweets from our viewers. they appreciate what you're doing. not just in the politics, not just in the process that's going on. but explaining, clear and precise terms how this will affect our viewers out there. you have questions that have been tweeted. >> it's interesting. people have a lot of specific questions about the plans. here's something a little different. this is from kaka talk -- incentive of everybody being healthy? that will reduce the need for high-priced drugs and tests. it's an interesting question. i know you and i have had health care insurance have lots of resources and aren't necessarily the healthiest either. it's hard to draw the line between having health care insurance and having a healthier population. people will get preventive screening, try to get the tests,

preventive procedures that may keep them from getting as sick later on. but whether or not we're going to be a healthier society as a result of the increased access to health care insurance, i don't know about that. >> if you diagnose someone earlier in the process, it's a lot cheaper than if you wait until the disease is fully blown up. >> that's no question. that's part of medically was meant was when we're going to bend the cost curve downward by insuring more people, first of all, people who are uninsured right now are utilizing the health care system, just at much later stages of disease. you get people in there earlier, blood pressure check, screening, all that earlier in life. it will save money down the road. i think in part medically how you save some costs. you get another question here -- this is from m-4-z-damon, how does a free government plan compete with private health insurance plans? won't it eliminate them eventually. >> this has changed.

the plan has changed several times. they may be talking about when a public option was part of this bill. it's not anymore. there's not per se a free government plan out there. there's a health exchange implement in four years that will be government overseen and people will see subsidized health insurance with that plan. that's a supermarket kind of thing. go out there, find a plan for you, let them compete for your business. how managed care was supposed to work in the mid '90s. >> there's a free option out there called medicaid for poor people who don't have health insurance or any other capabilities to deal with these issues. they're eligible for medicaid. >> that's right. and under this as well, that would be expanded to some degree as well. for childless couples living near the poverty line, they would be eligible to get some subsidies. you're right. we do have examples of this type of thing. >> you're watching all of this. you're a republican strategist. right now, you realize, of

course, the democrats are going to win. >> right. >> so that's -- >> are you asking or telling? >> on this issue of health care reform, the democrats will win. >> they're going to win the vote. >> they're going to win the vote. the president will sign it in to law. the senate version. they'll fool around with tweaking it. making some fixes. the republicans will have a chance to slow that process down. but fundamentally, the president will sign health care reform in to law, maybe within the next 24 hours? >> right. and what you'll see very quickly is republicans across the country, whether they're there running for office or they're in office right now running for re-election, they're going to start to -- you oar going to hear the mantra which is repeal and replace. that's something that the republicans feel very comfortable they can find the big part of the electorate that's unhappy with the size of this bill and the size and the scope of it and it's going to dramatically change the way people's health care is given to them today.

that's not for the better, not a good thing. so they're going to go out there and they're going to try to find that main coalition which really has abandoned the democrats over the last year, which is independent voters. independent voters are not happy with this bill. they're not happy with the process that brought this bill to the floor today. so i think that's where republicans are going to concentrate their efforts. >> who will benefit? in other words, if you give people -- if you fix the so-called doughnut hole in medicare prescription drugs, which means you help seniors pay for more of their prescription drugs, how do you repeal a positive benefit? how do you say to parents whose kids are 23 years old now that you can't stay on the insurance policy if they're not insured. how do you take things away from people politically. there are things in this bill people are going to like. >> there's two tracks. the legislative track and the political track. the legislative track, that's a good question. >> i thought they were the same track. >> as a political hack, i can

tell you that for sure. the legislative track, that's going to be a question if the republicans were to gain power. the political track right now is repeal and replace is the message. they'll take this that to the voters in midterms. >> 62% of people who filed bankruptcy last year did so because they were trying to stay healthy. we know tonight that for every minute that we debate health care, someone is losing their health care, someone is found out that their premiums will go up, or someone will, perhaps, die because we don't -- they don't have health care. so the republicans are sitting around making a political calculation that they can go out there and sell this as some, you know, bad bill when most americans will look at this next month, the month after, the next month and say, okay, is this going to reduce my cost? will this help my family? will this allow me to -- >> i cannot emphasize enough -- >> can i cover my children. >> you have your point and i

have mine. i cannot emphasize enough every republican wants health care reform. every republican agrees we need to bring down costs and expand access. we don't need it by growing the size of government. there are ways to do it outside of the way the plan has been crafted. >> the republicans had eight years to do it and they didn't. they didn't believe to provide health care. we can go round and round on this. >> dana bash on capitol hill has a story. >> there goes the speaker. i don't know if you just saw her. she walked by here. she's on her way to the house floor. she came from her office which is right back there. and sort of signals it beginning of the end of the debate. i believe there's a little bit more time on the house floor for the various committees who had jurisdiction over this legislation to continue their debate. but she is going to be one of the final if not the final speakers during leader's time. she's clearly going on to the floor to hear the end of the debate and prepare her remarks. >> that was not nice of you,

dana, to walk right by you. she must be the only person. i can't imagine anyone else not stopping and answering your questions as they walk by. >> i hate to tell you, but that's happened before. >> how could anyone not be nice to dana bash, one of the nicest people in washington, d.c. i have to have a talk with the speaker. you'll grab her on the way back to her office. all of the leaderers, democratic leaders, republican leaders are wrapping up the debate. they'll have the roll call. our coverage will continue after this. first they drive it in the real world. and put it through its paces. they rate its fit and finish. and the amenities inside. they factor in purchase price and operating costs, fuel economy and resale value. in short, they do what you do to test its quality. the consumers digest best buys from chevy. put them to your own test. and may the best car win.

boss: y'know, geico opened its doors back in 1936 and now we're insuring over 18 million drivers. gecko: quite impressive, yeah. boss: come a long way, that's for sure. and so have you since you started working here way back when. gecko: ah, i still have nightmares. anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

you know, the guys who always do a super job. well, it is. just go to superpages.com®. and look for a business with the superguarantee® shield. you'll get the job done right, or we'll step in and help to make it right. so, protect yourself with a business backed by the superguarantee®. only at superpages.com®. and let the good guys come to the rescue. so i couldn't always do what i wanted to do. but five minutes ago, i took symbicort, and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. so, today, i've noticed a significant difference in my breathing. and i'm doing more of what i want to do. so we're clear -- it doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition

or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort, and it's significantly improves my lung function, starting within five minutes. symbicort has made a significant difference in my breathing. now more of my want-tos are can-dos. as your doctor about symbicort today. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. a few minutes away from the leaders, the democrats and republicans making their summation stations before roll call. this is it. this is the vote they've been waiting on for more than a year. the health care reform bill is about to be passed by both chambers, this legislation passed the senate on christmas eve. it's about to go through the house of representatives and then be signed into law by the

president. dana bash, you've got some information on the speakers she just ran by you as she was going out to the floor. but she's invited some special guests to be on hand for this historic moment. >> it's just one more indication as you said how historic this is from the perspective of democrats and the way they're treating this moment. during the state of the union every year, the president and the speaker invite people to sit up in the box in the gallery to watch the goings on. the same thing has happened tonight, formally. the speaker's office sent out a list of people they've invited. it's an interesting list because it has a lot of the biggest supporters and interest groups, heads of interest groups that have supported this legislation throughout this. h-can, the biggest group for the -- for the passage of this. the american academy of bee

pediatrics. the head of the afl-cio, and also several members of the president's staff, sikh emmanuel, the brother of rahm emmanuel who works on the -- as health care policy advisor. and several members of the national economic counsel. so that gives you a sense of the import from the perspective of the democrats the fact that they wanted to formally let the public know that they invited key constituent sis to watch this. another few people on this list, wolf, members of nancy pelosi's family who i can tell you they have been back and forth, especially a couple of her daughters, have been back and forth to the floor and they've been in the room, in her office including her husband. and i can tell you, it wasn't just the house floor that was on in that office, there was march madness going on. just a little inside scoop that i got from paul pelosi. >> when we hear about march madness, we think about capitol hill march madness because it's been a lot of