it just weighing a pig is not fattening. --just weighing a pig is not fattening it. if all we're doing is testing and teaching to the test, that is not in sure we're keeping educational options. we do need to have accountability, however. we do need to have and measure progress with our kids. maybe it is just one standardized tests plus portfolios of work that kids are doing, plus observing the classroom. there can be a whole range of assessments, but we do have to assess accountability. number two, we do have to upgrade the professional development for our teachers. we still have a lot of teachers who are well meaning, with their teaching science and they did not major in science and they do

not know signs that well. they certainly do not know how to make signs interesting. -- and they do not know science that well. have to give them the chance to become better teachers, recruit more teachers, train them better, retain them better, matched a glove with master teachers who are doing excellent work so they are upgrading their skills. after all that training the teacher is not still very good, we have to ask the teacher to try another profession because there are a lot out there. i am just being blunt. [applause] we're going to have to pick up the pace. now, the key point to want to make is this. we should focus on what works based on good data. i secretary of education, arnie, he is obsess with improving our education system. his focus 100% on it.

he thinks that teachers are the most important ingredient in schools. we're going to do what it -- what we can to make sure teachers do a good job, eliminate things that keep them from doing a good job. some of this will require more money, so in our recovery act we had money for improving curriculum, teacher training, recruitment, a lot of these things. you cannot just put more money in with a reform, says some of it is demanding more accountability and more reform. the other ingredient is parents. [applause] we need parents putting more emphasis on education with our kids. that is how we're all going to be able to pick up our game. i have time for one more question, and i'm going to go with this young lady.

>> we followed you in the campaign rally in september. i took my 5-year-old -- 5-month- old son. you told my son he was adorable, i do not know if you remember. >> i can sign that for you. i'll be happy to sign it, but let's get another question. everyone is pointing at this in the so she must be important or popular. -- pointing at this lady says she must be very important. >> my question centers on wellness and personal responsibility for one's health care. can you talk about how your

reforms would incorporate wellness and encouraging people to take more responsibility for their own health care? >> i think that is a great question. [applause] for those of you who still had unclear based health care, one of the things we have been doing is meeting with companies who are really doing some innovative things to encourage their employees to get well. some of it involving financial incentives. these employers say we provide for health insurance, but if you quit smoking, you will see money in your pocket in the form of lower premiums. if you lose weight, you will see an incentive, money in your pocket. then they set up gyms or arrange for club memberships for their employees.

then what they do is set up a computerized system so you can check your progress on an ongoing basis just by logging on for the company. there are a whole range of steps that a lot of employers are taking to help encourage that. what we want to do is work with those employers to get every company an incentive to do the right thing with their employees. now, for those who do not have an employer based system with their going for medicare or medicaid, anytime we can reimburse for preventive care, getting a regular mammogram or pat smear patpap s pa

of the people will utilize them more. i think this is extraordinarily important. we can all take steps to become healthier. there's nothing wrong with us getting a little bit of a nudge in moving people into the direction of a healthier lifestyle. it is hard and changing habits are hard. it starts with their children. as part of our overall health care reform, we also have got to talk about, for example, our school lunch programs. your at the head of the school board as well as a nurse, i know you are struggling with this. the cheapest way to feed all the

kids is to have frozen tater tots, eat them up, then you have pizza, fries, the soda companies so kids can have as much as soda as they want, and presume kids are seeing type 2 diabetes skyrocket. schools are running out of money when it comes to physical education. kids sit in for of the tv of the long period michelle my used to talk, when we were kids, basically your folks during the summer, you would leave a a.m. it may be came home for some launch -- lunch, but that

whole time you're out there running around. kids are not doing that. some of it is safety issues and that is what public safety is important. having playgrounds is important. having adults were willing to volunteer for little league, basketball, that is all important. we've got to get our children into healthier habits. then in turn will lead to a healthier adults. government cannot do all of it, and i am the first went to the knowledge it. people got here creating the bogeyman about how obama wants a government run everything. i do not want government to run stuff. i have enough stuff today. i have north korea, iran, afghanistan, iraq.

[applause] i do not know where people get this idea that i want to run all of this stuff, or i want government to run all of it. i think it would be great if the health-care system was working perfectly. that would be wonderful, but that is not how it's working. so, i actually think that if everybody has a pragmatic attitude about this problem, they say we need to do our part, families have to do their part by being health care, employers do their part by encouraging their employees to be healthier, government does its part by making those people -- making sure those people the people with too high premiums are getting a plan, but drug

companies doing their part by not price gouging, hospitals adopting best practices. if we are doing all of these pieces then we can start bending the cost curve down. that is one last point i want to make. what you will hear during this debate over the next several weeks is that people will also said that the deficit and the debt are skyrocketing and that is the reason why we cannot afford to do health care reform. i just want to repeat that the single biggest problem that we have in terms of the debt in the deficit is health care. it is medicare and medicaid. [applause] when you hear all these projections about all these trillions of dollars and red ink going out as far as the eye can see, almost all of that is

the increase in medicaid and medicare costs that are going up much, much faster than inflation. it is undoubtedly true that this economic crisis has hurt our budget situation. again, a lot less money is coming and from corporate taxes, sales taxes, etc., and reduces the amount of money coming in but the same time we have to put out a lot of money for food stamps, unemployment insurance, all kinds of other help the people need when they get thrown out of their jobs, subsidizing cobra. that has contributed to some of it. some of it is that i have proposed some investments in education and energy and health information technologies. there was an article in "the new yorkitim -- "the new york

times" shows that everything i have proposed, everything we've done in bailing people out, all of the stealth accounts for maybe 7% of what you have seen in terms of increase in debt and deficit. the real problem is medicaid and medicare. that is the nightmare scenario. if we can bend the cost curve so health care inflation is no more than ordinary inflation, we match up with the amount of increases were seeing on your paychecks, wages, incomes, and we're going to be ok. if we do not get a handle on this, we're not boy to be ok. it does not matter about eliminating earmarks, that will not make any difference. we will still be consumed by a huge debt for the next generation. that is why it is so important. that is why we're getting it done. that is why i need your help. think to everybody, and god bless you.

-- thank you everybody, and god bless you. ♪ >> house minority leader of a higher also addressed the issue of health care with reporters at his weekly briefing on thursday. this is about 20 minutes. >> it is the american middle- class that has taken a hit. if from the trillion dollars stimulus bill to the fiscally

irresponsible budget to the endless bailouts, washington has asked the middle class to bankroll chileans in spending that we know we cannot afford. now, it appears that democrats are ready to leave the middle class of the cliff again this time by health care. we're here to urge americans to get engaged in be on alert for what congress is about to do to rush a health-care bill through this congress and into law. it wants to rush this bill through congress as quickly as possible so that no one will and ashanti implications -- so no one will understand the implications. obama rushed for the passage of a bill that will make health care more expensive for america's middle class. let's be clear. washington cannot afford to repeat the same mistakes made on the stimulus, the budget, and the bailouts. middle-class americans and a small businesses have too much its stake when it comes to their

health care. the democrats emerging the bill raises taxes, rations care, and puts bureaucrats, instead of doctors and patients, and charge of medical decisions. it amounts to a government takeover of health care and would force millions of americans off of their own plans and into a government sponsored plan. republicans know that there is a better way. working with roy blun germant, of our healthcare solutions group, we have a better solutions to make sure that the middle-class american has access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. i hope the democrats will continue, or begin, to craft a bipartisan bill that would really address the needs that we have in our health-care system without throwing the baby out with the bathwater. >> we're coming together with a

centrist health care reform that will unveil on tuesday. what the bill will do is substantially reformed health insurance markets backing employer provided care which already covers a hundred 70 million americans -- that already covers 170 million americans. this is a health care reform that does not back a government takeover really does solve a lot of problems for middle-class americans. to compare california and new jersey, if you want to do it poorly, you do it like the state of new jersey which has almost no reforms and has boosted the average cost of care to $6,000 per person. if you want to do it in a much better way, if that is california. lawsuit reform is present you have reduced the cost almost $5,000 per patient. what we would be doing in our

tuesday group reform bill is backing the kind of reforms that have lowered the cost in california over what is happening in new jersey. number two, i am very worried about how to pay for the system. having just come back from china, we're worried about overall deficit spending by the united states and the practice of the fed. one part the federal government will but one part the federal government's debt. when you look at the overall weakening of the dollar in international markets, there is great fear about additional spending by the congress read the -- by the congress. we are already 1.8 -- we are already $1.80 trillion in debt. a sustainable plan is what is absolutely required. finally, the most respected

medical journal in the world, "the lancet" just published a study on cancer survival rates. americans are much more concerned about lowering the cost of their insurance even more than expanding coverage for everyone. there is one question that is more important than what any poll will tell you which is will you live or die given the health insurance system that is present? they studied cancer survival rates across all european countries, canada, and the united states. what it said in the most peer review way is your much more likely to live in the united states through cancer than in canada or the eu. we want to make sure that we do not harm that record because if you get a better results from your oncologist and you're fighting cancer, you're much more likely to live in the united states than those other

countries. some folks have been looking at that as a model from where the united states to go. good morning. i am from kansas. health care is not just a policy issue for me. as a daughter of aging parents and the mother of two children, i have spent a fair amount of time in doctor offices, emergency rooms in recent years and in my comes to health care reform for my young ones, whether dr. working with us to explain treatment options and help us making important decisions not a distant government bureaucrat or a washington politician who does not know the situation and does not know my family. we have got a health care crisis on our hands. it is definitely a crisis when a family is denied the ability to choose the doctor or hospital that is best for them. i am concerned with some of the proposals being discussed here

in washington that will take that choice away and put a government bureaucrat in charge. health care decisions are personal and one thing we know for sure is that a one-size- fits-all government takeover of health care will result in fewer choices for patients. it is not a matter of if it is a matter of when. doctors are the best health-care experts on their -- out there. i have spent years just to get that dr. in front of their name. the last thing canada needs is a bureaucrat in d.c. telling them what kind of treatment they do or do not deserve. i constituents in kansas have called and sent letters to my office asking me to represent them in this debate. the vast majority of them some reform is needed but i am not heard many who say health-care benefited -- a health care grants system will benefit them. one lady from pittsburg, kan.,

said she was concerned about any plan that allowed so-called leaders who have no medical background deciding who will get what treatment when. she went on to say treatment may deal -- may be delayed or not given. my constituents have it figured out. house republicans will continue to ask to be part of this debate. this will no doubt be one of the most important pieces of legislation we will consider this year and for years to come. for all of the men -- for all the medical decision makers across this nation, mothers, brothers, fathers, rather than letting a distant bureaucrats calling the shots for the ones you love, we want to put the medical professionals in charge and we want you to have a say in every decision regarding your family's health. thank you. >> she was on the health-care

task force that the leader put together. the ranking members from all the committees involved, work force committee, energy and commerce committee, budget committee, ways and means committee have been actively working. they have been very involved in the discussion we have been having. what has happened over the last few weeks is we have become more and more specific. the administration has become less and less specific. their eight principles are now three. the website has a lot less information than it did two months ago. one of the frustrations for our side has been with the administration. we keep counting on the door saying we have good ideas, we want to be a part of this process, but we agree with the goals. the door is never opens up for us. on the senate side, the outside groups were told if you were caught talking to republicans, you're going to be penalized as

this discussion goes forward. i think the concern here is that our friends on the other side know particularly when it comes to a public auction that this idea of a government takeover of health care to simply will not fly with the american people. the american medical association, which has been trying to work with the administration up until about yesterday, they announced that they are absolutely opposed to a government run health care plan. they understand as does everyone else was analyzed this that that is one of the competitors that very quickly he will have no competitors. all the government plan does is shift the cost of every one who does not have that plan. doctors have seen that now read it these are not advocates for the insurance company but advocates for a competitive marketplace that works. one of the principles that we have is that we are not for a government takeover of health care because we think it drives people away from the coverage

they have now. most americans really think the coverage they have now works pretty well for them. the have heard of reports, the discussions, they listened throughout the campaigns and they believe there is a problem, they just don't think the problem affects them. 82% of the american people think that their current health care coverage is either good or excellent. 83%. that is what you hear the president saying, as mrs. clinton started singing last year, if you like what you have, you can keep it because they know that people like what they have. it the truth is, under their plan will not be able to keep it because it will not be there anymore. the government will never compete fairly, so before long there are no competitors. lamar alexander said the government competitor is like an elephant in a roomful of mice. government will not compete fairly and we need to have more

competition, not less competition. republicans would add to that statement, if you like where you have you can keep it, and you should also have even more choices than you have now. more opportunity to get into a system that everyone can find coverage in. we are for a system that everyone can have access to regardless of their pre-existing conditions. we think competition and better management, transparency, liability reform, make the system more affordable not less affordable. we also want to get realistic about the number of americans now that do not have insurance. that mine -- that number may be 45 million, but an awful lot of them could get insurance at work if they wanted to. a lot of them are healthy people under the age of 30. we're not satisfied. 10 million people can't get to the system now, we want everyone including this 10 million people who do not have access to have access. we want sick americans to have a pre-existing condition who have

a chronic predisposition to be able to have health care coverage. we're going to be fighting for that. we're going to be fighting for system that does not allow us to move into waiting lines, rationing, and one pair. i think that is where that that was coming down to. i have seen in the last few days the people in health care, doctors are the most immediate example. the american medical and the decision try to work with the administration. they have listened to the rhetoric, but as they begin to see the specifics there thinking this might not work. the plan will not work. that brings me to the point that the leader read -- the leader made that is critical. to set an artificial deadline to get the bill off of the house floor off of july -- by july when there is no built in the middle of june. we're talking about restructuring somewhere between

18% of the economy. it is outrageous and it will not allow the american people to see what is happening. they might -- they may stay with that deadline, but as peter figure it out there going to be offended by the bum rush to restructure not only the economy but their health care. this time frame does not make sense. they're hoping they can sink a government takeover of health care before the american people realize what everyone will be the consequences. even the democrats say the government competitor is a good thing. someone said recently the people on the other side say that the government competitor means there will be a single payer system before too long, and they are right. you can find that statement on the youtube. that is what we believe. we do not want that to happen

and they do. health-care providers are understanding and now stepping forward to say they do not want that to happen. >> questions. >> he said the statement that 83% of americans live with have been think it is pretty good. what responsibility does congress have? many of those people are wrong. they might like what they have, but it is overpriced. it is over insured and encourages them to seek to much care. it encourages their doctors to prescribe to much. or responsibility does congress have to dissuade them from the fact that their insurance is "pretty good?" should they pay taxes for their support first -- for their superfluous care? >> that is a very washington with a view that the people just do not know what is good for them.

this is the same day we started talking about part d of medicare. people would never be the jews in the system because it is it too complicated. turns out it is not complicated at all. in fairness, i think 79% of american people think it cost too much. i think market principles for early injected into the system are important. transparency, liability reform, better reporting, better use of technology, but more important a big marketplace where people actually have to get out and compete, a marketplace where your employer, for instance, may be able to provide you with the insurance at work that they have been providing you but they also might be able to make an equally tax protected purchase of insurance somewhere else. the bigger the marketplace, the more likely people are going to like wth