legislation increases the cost to, especially our energy users, those who are the most energy intensive, the highest energy users in america will get the highest increases in their costs. let's just say you're in the business of converting iron ore to iron and steel. let's just say you are in the business of converting natural gas to plastics or any other high-energy intensive operation or let's say you ar farmer and use a lot of diesel fuel and looking at 88 cents a gallon added on to by waxman-markey. all of these industries will see their costs go up. if you are generating electricity from burning coal, natural gas, fuel oil, for example, you will see the cost of that electricity go up. an m.i.t. professor did a study and calculated the overall

dollars by waxman-markey and divided the number of house holds into it and the bottom line, increased average annual household costs for energy, $3,128 from waxman-markey's cap and tax bill. for every $5 collected for this cap and tax bill, only $1 goes into the treasury and the balance is consumed by the inefficiencies created. . this is an insidious tax, it will tax every glan of gas, every gallon of diesel fuel, every cup of coffee, every pair of shoes, every piece of paper, every flower on mother's day, and every two by four that goes into your house.

and it transfers, madam speaker, america's industry, america's energy intensive industry off to other countries in the world like india and china, who have pledged not to participate in a cap and tax plan because they say this is their century to become industrialized nations. last century or two were our centuries to be industrialized. they say this is theirs. they're building between india and china one new coal-fired generating plant a week, belching smoke into the atmosphere, and these plants do not meet the emission standards of american coal-fired generating plants so each time we push industry out of the united states, we're pushing up coal-fired generating plants in india and china and if you're concerned about the atmosphere,

this is creating problems for the atmosphere. but i'm worried about the cost to americans, thinking somehow we can overcome the burden on our economy and prosper. it is wrong thinking, it is wrong-headed, they're wrong on the science, madam speaker and they're really, really wrong on the economics. as this debate unfolds here on the floor of the house and throughout the committees and subcommittees and through the media and in the living rooms of americans, american people need to understand and remember, madam speaker, that if they can't make the case on the science, there's no sense in talking about the economics because it falls on its face not having the science to underpin the argument. even if they could make the case on the science, and they haven't and can't and 31,000 scientists have signed a petition that said they can't support the conclusions of these climate change models, we're get manager and more that will step forward and say, i

can't take you there, i can't be with you, these are top-notch professionals, meteorologists, physicists, more of them are peeling off and walking away, saying al gore is wrong. but even if he were right if one stipulated that, and i don't for a minute, but if one stipulated the global warming models were right the economic calamity that comes from adding to the costs of all of america's business is intolerable and the burden that it shifts onto future generations and what it does to our economy, our culture and civilization are intolerable, madam speaker. and so let them make the case once as muhammad ali said after he fought joe frazier to a tie in 15 rounds, was this, you tied how come you're still the world champ, you've got to whoop the champ. the champ is free enterprise,

the champ is sound science, the champ is empirical data. the champ is the history of the united states succeeding by believing we can achieve and by making logical conclusions with the science we have and the economics we have. by the way, it's free enterprise not nationalization and let's add an extra czar or two to this list of 22, let's do the denationalization czar, the exit strategy czar, put those two people together and maybe they can get to work to eliminate the other czars and get us back to common sense. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. does the gentleman have a motion. ? mr. king: i move the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question son the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. accordingly, the house stands

>> today on the house, members debated several members include the bill on special authority for the inspector general in afghanistan and special crugs and schools to create a safety plan for off-site overnight trips. tomorrow the house takes up the measure to provide housing assistances to homeless veterans and additional war spending for iraq and afghanistan. >> in a few moments president obama's speech today to the american medical association. he outlined his plans for the future of health care. the speech is an hour and after that, reaction from leaders of the a.m.a. and members of congress. later treasury secretary tim geithner on the economy. >> july 4 weekend on book tv, discover an unfamiliar sign of

our nation's first president as george washington's mount vernon estate. join our three hour conversation sunday, july 5, live on "in depth" on c-span 2's book tv. >> president obama spoke to the annual meeting over the american medical association monday to discuss his proposed changes to the health care system. this is an hour. >> the house will come to order. it is my privilege to introduce dr. nancy h. nealson, president of the american medical association. [applause]

>> thank you. i watched the president. he goes thank you. thank you and you sit down. good morning, everyone. it is a great -- a great honor and privilege for us to welcome back home to chicago, the president of the united states, barack obama. [applause] the president will be coming in in just a second. just a couple of words to him. mr. president, we appreciate that you have taken the time out of a busy schedule to join us and we're grateful for your efforts to make the path toward health system reform as open and inclusive as possible and in particular that we have been included in those efforts. you have said that a test of the american judicial whether we

allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history or whether we act to shape them. america's physicians want to help shape a better future for our patients and our country. [applause] >> we know first hand that change is needed and that the status quo isn't acceptable. [applause] we appreciate the investment you've already made to help physicians in four areas. first, the purchase of health i.t. equipment and we look forward to standards for

interopera built. and we thank you for the investment and comparative assessment research to enhance quality medical care. [applause] in your budget, you used realistic numbers about the cost of treating medicare patients and you chartered a downpours replace the senseless course to replace the senseless medicare payment plan and we thank you for that. [applause] you have recognized that medical liability concerns contribute to rising health care costs and we appreciate your interest ining this problem. it is critical to the physicians

of this country. [applause] friends, i've had the opportunity to meet president obama at the white house and i can attest to his willingness to listen and to engage. his focus on health care reform and the plight of the uninsured takes a courageous spirit and wise judgment and we're grateful for his leadership. so please join me as the american medical association welcomes the president of the united states, barack obama! [applause]

>> thank you. [applause] >> thank you. thank you so much. [applause] good to see you. thank you. thank you so much. please, everybody. be seated. thank you very much. you're very kind. thank you. let me begin by thanking nancy for the wonderful introduction. i want to thank dr. joseph -- the chair of the board of trustees as well as dr. jeremy lazurus. thanks to all of you for bringing me home, even if it is just for a day. you know, from the moment i took office as president, this central challenge we've

confronted as a nation has been the need to lift ourselves out of the worst recession since world war ii. and in recent months we've sake taken a series of extraordinary steps not just to repair the immediate damage to our economy but to build a new foundation for lasting and sustained growth. we're here to create new jobs. to unfreeze our credit markets. we're stemming the loss of homes and the decline of home balance. all this is is important. but even as we've made progress, we know that the road to pros parity remains long and remains difficult. and we also know that one essential step on our journey is to control the spiraling costs of health care in america and in order to do that, we're going to need the help of the a.m.a.

[applause] today we are spending over $2 trillion a year on health care. almost 50% more per person than the next most costly nation. and yet, as i think many of you are aware, for all of this spending, more of our citizens are uninsured. the quality of our care is often lower and we are not any healthier. in fact, citizens in some countries that spend substantially less than we do or r-actually living longer than we do. make no mistake. the cost of our health care is a threat to our economy. it is an escalating burden on our families and businesses. it is a ticking time bomb for the federal budget.

and it is unsustainable for the united states of america. it is unsustainable for americans like lauren klitsko, a young american i met who has learned that the breast cancer she thought she had beaten had spread to her bones. now she is spending time thinking about how to recover the $50,000 in medical debts she has already aqume lated when all she wants to do is spend time with her children and focus on getting these are not worries a woman like lauren should have to face in a nation as wealthy as ours. [applause] stories like lawyer's are being told by women and men all across

this country, my families who have seen out of pocket coast costs soar and at a rate three times faster than wages. people going without check-ups for the prescriptions they and that you know they need. it is creating a situation where a single illness can wipe out a lifetime of savings. our costly health care system is unsustainable for doctors, like michael kahn, in new hampshire, who spends 20% each day surprising a staff explaining insurance problems to patients, compleeth authorization boards, writing appeal letters, a routine he calls disrupting and spending less time doing what he became a doctor to do and actually care for his patients.

[applause] small business owners like chris and becky link in nashville are also struggling. they always wanted to do right by the workers at their family-run marketing firm but they recently had to do the unthinkable and lay off a number of employees, playoffs that could have been deferred if health care costs were not so high. across the country, over 1/3 of small businesses have released benefits in recent years and 1/3 have dropped coverage awl altogether since the early 1990's. our largest companies are suffering as well. a big part of what led general motors and chrysler to trouble were the huge cost s of health care for their workers. costs that made them less competitive with automakers around the world. sf we do not fix our health care

system, america may go the way of g.m., paying more and getting less and going broke. when it comes to the cost of our health care, the status quo is unsustainable. [applause] though reform is not a luxury, it is a necessity. when i hear people say why are you taking this on now, you have all of these other problems, i keep on reminding people i would love to be able to defer these issues, but we can't. i know there has been much discussion about what reform would cost, and rightly so. this is a test of whether we, democrats and republicans alike are serious about holding the line on new spending and restoring fiscal discipline but let there be no doubt, the cost of inaction is greater. if we fail to act --

[applause] if we fail to act, and you know this because you see it in your own individual practices. if we fail to act, premium also climb higher. benefits will erode further, the roles of the uninsured will swell to include millions more americans. all of which will affect your practice. if we fail to act, one out of every $5 beearn will be spent on health care and in 30 years, it will be one out of every $3. a trend that will mean more lost jobs, lower take home pay and a lower standard of living for all americans and federal spending on medicaid and medicare will grow in the coming decades to the amount our nation currently spends on our nation's defense.

it will, in fact, grow larger than what our government spends on anything else today. it is a scenario that will swamp our federal and state budgets and impose a vicious choice of unprecedented tax hikes or overwhelming deficits or drastic cuts in our federal and state budgets. so to say it as plainly as i can, health care is the single most important thing we can do for america's long-term fiscal health. [applause] that is a fact. [applause] that's a fact. it's fact and the truth is most people know that it is a fact. and yet, as clear as it is that our system badly needs reform, reform is not inevitable. there is a sense out there among

some and perhaps some members who are gathered here today at the a.m.a. that as bad as our current system may be, and it is pretty bad, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't. there is a fear of change. a worry that we may lose what works about our health care system while trying to fix what doesn't. i'm here to tell you, i understand that fear and understand the cynicism. there are scars left over from past efforts of reform. after all, presidents have called for health care reform for nearly a century. teddy roosevelt called for it. harry truman called for it. richard nixon called for it. bill clinton called for it. while reforms have been made such as medicare and medicaid and the children's program, a

comprehensive reform that covers everyone and brings down costs have largely failed. part of the reason is because the different groups involved, doctors, insurance companies, businesses, workers and ore others simply couldn't agree on the need for reform or what shape it would take. and if we're honest, another part of the reason has been the fierce opposition fueled by some interest groups and lobbysts. opposition that has used fear tactics to paint any effort at reform as an attempt to yes, socialize medicine. despite this long history of failure, i'm standing here because i think we're in a different time. one sign that things different is that just this past week the senate passed a bill that will protect children from the dangers of smoking. a reform the a.m.a. has long championed. [applause]

so this organization championed, it went nowhere when hfs proposed a decade ago. i'm going to sign this into law. [applause] and what makes this -- what makes this moment different is that this time, for the first time, people are aligning in favor of reform. they are coming together out of a recognition that while reform will take everyone in our health care community to do their part. everybody is going to have to pitch in, ultimately, everybody will benefit. and i want to commend the a.m.a. in particular for offering to do your part to curb costs and achieve reform. just a week ago you joined together with hospitals, labor

unions, insurers, medical device manufacturers and drug companies to do something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. you promised to work together to cut national health care spending by $2 trillion over the next decade relative to what it otherwise would have been. that will bring down costs and premiums. that is the kind of cooperation we need and we appreciate that very much. thank you. [applause] now, now the question is how do we finish job? how do we permanently bring down costs and make quality affordable health care available to every single american? that's what i've come to talk about today. we know the moment is right for health care reform. we know this is a historic opportunities we've never seen before and may not see again. but we also know that there are those who'll try and consult this opportunity no matter what.

-- scuttle this opportunity no matter what. who'll use the same fear tactics that have worked in the past. long lines, decision made by bureaucrats and not doctors. we have heard this all before. because these tactics have worked, things have kept getting worse. let me begin by saying this to you and the american people. i know that there are millions of mrn americans who are content with their health care coverage. they like their plan and most importantly they value their relationship with their doctor. they trust you and that means that no matter how we reform health care, we will creep this promise to the american people. if you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your  doctor. period. [applause]

>> if you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan. period. [applause] no one will take its away. no matter what. my view that health care reform should be guided by a simple principle. fix what's broken and build on what works and that's what we intend to do. if we do that, we can build a health care system that allows you to be physicians instead of administrators and accountants. a system that gives americans -- [applause] a system that gives americans the best care at the lowest cost. a system that eases up the pressure on businesses and unleashes the promise of our economy creating hundreds of thousands of jobs making

take-home wages thousands of dollars higher and growing our economy by ten s of billions of dollars more every year. we'll start investing those dollars in innovations and advances that will make our health care system and our economy strong. that's what we can do with this opportunity. and that's what we must do with this moment. now, the good news is that in some instances there is already widespread agreement on the steps necessary to make our health care system work better. first, we need to upgrade our medical records by switching from a paper to electronic system of recordkeeping. we have already begun to do this with an investment we made as part of our recovery act. it simply doesn't make sense that patience in the 21st century are still filling out forms with pens on papers that

have to be stored away somewhere. as newt gingrich has rightly pointed out and i don't quote newt gingrich that often, we do a better job tracking a fedex package in this country than we do tracking a patient's health records. [applause] you shouldn't have to tell every new doctor you see about your medical history or what prescriptions you're taking. you shouldn't have to repeat costly tests. all that information should be stored securely in a private medical record so that your information can be tracked from one doctor to another even if you change jobs or move or have to see a number of different specialists. that is just common sense. [applause] and that will not only mean less paper pushing and already administrative costs saving

taxpayers billions of dollars, it will mean for all you've physicians you will have an easier time doing your jobs. it will tell you what drugs a patient is taking so you can avoid prescribing a medication that can caw a harmful reaction. it will reduce medical errors that lead to 100,000 lives lost unnecessarily in our hospitals every year. there shouldn't be any argument there. we want to make sure that we're helping providers computerize so that we can get the system up and running. the second step that we can all agree on is to invest more in preventive care so that we can avoid illness and disease in the first place. [applause] that starts with each of us taking more responsibly for our health and for the health of our children. [applause]