ballots. >> that's why you have the press conference and valerie jarrett fanning out across the media. i don't think the issue is whether or not someone gets done. everyone, including judd gregg coming up, will say something has to get done. the question is does the president emerge from this intact? does his authority enhanced by it or does he seem weakened? it's washington testing and probing and saying is this guy, does he still have the juice? does he still have the public authority and the confidence to get what he wants or are we going to get what we want? >> i want to bring chuck todd, who is live at the white house, in to talk about that. chuck, we talk so much about whether or not if the president doesn't get this through or if he gets something relative small through, will he be weakened politically. what about the flip side? what about all of the angst or worry if the president gets something for that is affordable and he brings down some costs? could he not come out of this stronger? is that an additional possibility we should be talking about?

>> well, no. i think the challenge is not getting a health care bill through. that is a great challenge and it is tough and not easy but he is going to get something because they're too far down this road. he can't walk away now because that would be politically disastrous for him here in washington. i think, sometimes, we are -- when you look at the landscape here, it seems -- it seems dumb -- i'm sored of dumb founded by the prediction he will not get anything. that said, i think the trickier part is something we're not talking about that is it's going to take four or five years before this reform is implemented and before people feel it, see it, touch it. because you can't just turn -- you know, you can't flip a switch and say, health care reform. costs are suddenly down. it's not like he signs a bill october 15th and on october 16th, costs go down and everybody has health insurance. it's going to take years to put in. the challenge is going to be for

this white house, just like it is with this stimulus package, they got the package through, yet, they are still trying to convince the public that this thing is going to work and be patient. that's going to be the next great challenge. he's going to get something. >> chuck -- >> you know, that's a fact, i think, at this point. the question is how does he sell it and preach patience it's going to take years to feel the reform. >> chuck, which republicans, if any, do you think might ultimately work with him on this when all is said and done? >> clearly, the senate finance committee republicans are the first place to look. chuck grassley, olympia snow and i wouldn't rule out judd gregg as somebody who would work with him on this. let me point out another policy. something that is going to get added on to the house bill to keep the blue dogs happy i'm stunned republicans haven't signed on for and that is this idea of this med pact deal taking away the power from congress to set medicare reimbursement standards and putting that in a separate

panel. a belief they could really find the cost savings if you take the politics essentially out of setting medicare reimbursements standards for doctors. if a republican president had proposed this, democrats in congress would say that person's attempt to eventually kill medicare. but this is a democratic president proposing this. which is -- it's going to be tough love for these -- for medicare. it's going to have a feel of almost lowering, you know, some of the medicare reimbursement rates and, you know, it's one of those things that it's a reform that i'm surprised republicans aren't signing on more in greater numbers. >> hey, chuck why don't we put that question directly to a republican? one of the republicans you just mentioned earlier -- >> carlos, ask judd gregg will this specific proposal. i think he's a big fan of it, to my understanding. >> senator gregg is smiling right now. the senior republican senator from new hampshire. what do you make, senator, of the proposal, the notion that medicare reimbursement rates will be set either by a

commission or by the congress? >> well, i happen to think that the senator of this issue of how you've been the odd year health costs is the issue how we reimburse under medicare. right now, we have basically a cost plus system and you have basically you're reimbursing for procedures rather than for outcomes and not reimbursing for values or turning the cost down. i do believe we have to totally reform that system. the med pact proposal could accomplish that if it's done correctly. unfortunately, as it's drafted right now it's almost a bait and switch proposal. although it appears to be -- have the authority to go in and change the reimbursement structure, it actually doesn't kick in for four years. and by four years, you could have another congress which basically eviscerates it. if it's going to be a viable approach it has to start on day one. >> senator gregg, i'm joined today by not only chuck todd but by richard wolf as my guest

co-host. richard, you want to jump in on this? >> yes. you said previously you don't want to see a government take over health care. i guess what you think is proposed will lead down that path. do you think it's possible at all for government to get involved on insurance or the administrative side of health care without it being a takeover? could you fashion government involvement without it being a takeover? >> we already have that, for all intents and purposes, because government is paying such a large percentage of health care with medicaid and medicare so it is the driver of health care costs in this country and especially transferring a lot of health care costs by underpaying on the medicaid accounts and pays 60% of the actual costs and medicare is 80% of the actual costs. yes, if you want to get at the issue of bending the out-year cost curve, you have to get at the issue of how medicare reimburses and get into the system, which means you have to

introduce systems which basically reimburse on the outcome side where you look at the quality of outcome and you look at the cost and you say if quality is good and the costs are lower, then you're going to use that type of system. these proposals aren't rocket it just takes a long time to get them to work. in fact, dartmouth which got the key information in this area has put together some really good ideas on how you can do this and a demonstration approach. i know it's being looked at seriously by the finance committee. one of the constructive forces around here is the fact that the finance committee is still open to independent thinking and so, hopefully, they'll take on that approach. >> senator gregg, i want to ask you the same question that i asked chuck todd, which is which republicans do you think are prepared to work with president obama on the final analysis and vote for something in the senate? >> well, i think you've got a working majority in the senate that is bipartisan in that you've got a number of plans that already have significant

amounts of republicans on them. for example, you've got the wyden/bennett bill which has a large number of republicans signed up, as well as a large number of democrats. you've got the coburn and burr proposal which accomplishes the president's goals which snurns everyone and make sure you don't lose your insurance if you like it and my proposal which takes the same approach. there are a lot of constructive proposals out there and if the other folks who are drafting this -- these concepts are willing to take a look at them, then i think they can pick up some republican support. >> senator gregg, final question. do you think that the administration and those negotiating the various haerlted bills are tough enough on the insurance companies in terms of trying to ring out costs out of the system or frankly as my colleague chris matthews likes to say are at the pussy-footing around that a little bit? >> in the end, there's no question that those accounts are

going to get hit and i happen to believe, for example, that we shouldn't have both deductability of health insurance when you get the high-end plans. for example, the mean health insurance plan today costs about $12,000. i don't see why anything over $17,000 should be deductible. those are golt-plated plans and end up with overutility utilization. i would hope we would go back to an issue like that and say, listen, that's the place we should address. on the drug side, i think you're going to see some initiatives in the drug areas which the drug companies aren't going to like. and it's inevitable because drugs is a large part of the cost factor here. in the end, what you need to do is set up a system which encourages proper purchasing by individuals of health care and proper delivery of health care delivering quality and value at lower cost. that's not necessarily industry

specific, it's systemic. >> senator judd gregg, not only senior senator of new hampshire but winner of a powerball lottery. almost a million dollars. >> a long time ago and my wife spent it quickly. >> she spent it quickly. nice to have you with us. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> watch complete coverage of president obama's news conference tonight at 7:00 eastern with "hardball." the president speaks at 8:00 eastern with live postgame analysis immediately following. watch it here on msnbc. you're watching msnbc live. in moments we'll speak to valerie jarrett, one of the president's closest advisers. straight ahead also house speaker nancy pelosi pushing democrats to act fast on health care. hear what one of the members of her own party has overheard saying in the halls of congress. plus, tax dollars been used to pay for abortions? that's the latest controversy that threatens to derail the health care push. you'll get it straight ahead. you're watching msnbc live. i'm carlos watson.

women who drink crystal light drink 20% more water. crystal light. make a delicious change. does two jobs... at once. one: kills weeds to the root. two: forms a barrier, preventing new ones for up to four months. roundup extended control.

welcome back to msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. now dissention in the ranks of congress and among its leader. democrats remain on track to get health care passed before the august recess but some say some may leave without voting. debbie wassermann is with me. good to see you, congresswoman. >> good to see you, too, carlos. >> what are we to believe? should we believe nancy pelosi or listen to steny hoyer? are they going to get something passed before the august recess or what? >> well, i'm not quite sure where you heard that leader hoyer is thinking we may not vote. i just came from his office and

we're very much on track to vote next week. we're working diligently towards making sure that we have a comprehensive understanding of the proposed legislation, want to make sure that we can cover all americans, make sure that if people have -- like the insurance they have now, they can keep what they have and make sure we can make insurance guarantee issue and make sure people can't be excluded from having a pre-existing condition and make this nation healthier from a nation focused approach. >> is there anything having come from the leaders office, is there anything in the legislation you expect you'll be voting on that is new or that is different than the ideas already been floated? >> well, it's an ever-evolving process because we do have you know, a very large caucus, a lot of members that have different concerns, so i would definitely say that the -- that the bill is evolving, but we will -- we are committed to having the final product available to members, 48 hours before we vote, so members will have a two full days to

review the legislation and i feel comfortable when we vote next week, which i feel, if i'm betting, i would bet that we would more likely than not vote next week, that we will have plenty of opportunities to get our questions in and weir going to have a two-hour caucus on monday with a presentation from the leadership of the committees where the bill has been marked up and have an opportunity as a caucus to ask all of the questions and get a comprehensive understanding of what is in the bill. >> i'm joined now by my guest co-host richard wolf who is jumping in. >> i have a question about the blue dog democrats saying they didn't like the legislation yesterday as it's now formed. you know, there's a constant debate among democratic activists whether these folks get too much, whether the wishes of the majority of the party have to be tailored to a small group. when do you think this is going to come out in terms of what the blue dogs are seeking in terms of costs and taxes and that kind of thing?

>> the blue dogs are an important part of the democratic caucus and they have really strong views that have gotten to us where we are and help us gain the majority by being -- taking a physically responsible approach to govening and they are ever mindful of the costs of health care while trying to balance quality but we're not catering to one group of costs. there are lots of different views and we're trying to kind of mix it all up together in the chili, so to speak, and come out with a really good product for the american people that will meet our goals, which is to cover everyone in america, make sure that people can keep what they have, make sure that small businesses have the ability to be able to provide health coverage for their employees and generally make sure that people stay healthy in america which, right now, for far too many people is not an assurance at all. >> congresswoman, florida is often at the cutting edge politically and otherwise. we know one of next year's big

battles will be the florida senate race there in florida where your current governor charlie crist is running and mark o'rubio is running and kendrick meek is running. give us perspective. what are you hearing florida so observe a bellwether presidentially and otherwise. what are you hearing about that race? >> well, you know, we have massive opportunity politically for democrats to make significant gains in florida after president obama won florida, florida's electoral votes in november, we now have 660,000 registered more democrats in florida than republicans. we actually have been out registering continually since november. the republicans. we've outfund-raised them at the state party level for the first time in over a decade. so the momentum is going our way. we have every major statewide office, except for one u.s. snat seat, open in florida. so the opportunity for democrats to make significant gains are

fantastic. our cfo elected statewide is running for governor and meek is doing amazingly well as likely democratic nominee for the u.s. senate and i think we're going to continue to turn florida the brilliant blue that president obama started in november. >> as we head out, you were in the newspapers today. rumor has it despite being -- you found your way owner -- hurting your leg you found your way to the pedicure stand. any comment on that? >> i have a hot tin cast and i put little breast cancer ribbons on my big toes because while i'm mending, i'm all about raising awareness about breast cancer and making sure young women stay healthy and are aware they should pay attention to their braelt health. i thought while i'm healing i should promote the cause. >> i like that. a full public servant. >> thanks. >> good to see you. >> you, too. >> look forward to having you on again. >> thanks to you both. take care. >> thank you.

is president obama czar happy? introduce you to the republican congressman who says the white house is trying to circumvent congress by relying on a growing list of special appointments. welcome back to msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. you could buy 300 bottles of water. or just one brita filter. ( drop plinks ) brita-- better for the environment and your wallet. feels kind of like knives.

aleve works all day on my back pain. only two aleve liquid gels can stop pain all day. that would take twice as many advil or ibuprofen. aleve allows me to get through my work day.

assess president obama prepares to push his health care proposal to the meaner people tonight congress says the president is moving too fast. joining us from republican congressman jack kingston from georgia and sits on the appropriations committee. good to see you again, sir. >> good to be with you, carlos. >> congressman what did you make of your colleague over in the senate, senator jim deminute, saying that he hoped to stop obama on the health care legislation because, in fact, it would break him and turn back his agenda. was that constructive language and what we should hope to hear from our public servants?

>> i think the president would like to frame it as being a nonconstructive language. i think the way senator demint came back saturday saying doing nothing is not an option and we are not doing nothing. we have offered association to health care plans and offered a tax voucher and these things have been introduced as early as may and democrats have said no to them. what senator demint did on the senate floor was list about five or six solid republican proposas and said we want to work with the white house. so i think that if demint had kind of cowarded and run into a rock somewhere and said oops, it would be bad but i think he came back strong and the president had elevated jim demint now to a national level where he can be a player in the debasement. >> congressman, which of those ideas you've outlined or that sno demint outlined do you think will make its way into legislation and get passed and

signed? >> we hope the tax voucher plan that would give every american a tax voucher to buy insurance so we can deal with the unsnurned we think is a more tesk effective way to deal with this situation. it doesn't set up government health care or government option which competes against the private sector. i hope that makes it at least, in part. i do think it is important to listen to what jim demint said we do want to be part of this and have offered alternatives and now they are less expensive and potentially cover more people. keep in mind for a trillion dollar price tag, the president still leaves 20 million americans uninsured. >> congressman kingston i'm joined by richard wolf. >> we were talking to senator gregg who is a big advocate having one of the medicare committees bring down the costs of medicare. is that something you'd agree with? you could work with your administration in coming to fruition? >> richard, i think that it is.

you know, i don't want to give an outside committee too much power, but i think that outside committees such as the one for alignment and closure -- i think they can be effective. as you know, medicare has a huge unfunded liability, maybe as much as 60 trillion. we're afraid to touch it because any time you try to rein in the cost you're cutting health care for senior citizens and it's a powerful political group. so i think that if we could make this genuinely bipartisan and seize the moment as mature adults are able to do on occasion, even in washington, i think it would be a great step. >> congressman, just to follow-up on that. if the administration says, yeah, we'll do that and work with you to bring down those costs, would you be prepared to sign up to something that democrats want to see? such as a health insurance exchange or a government option? >> well, i hope it's not a swap, because i would think saving medicare would be bipartisan and

something that is not bargaining chip to get us on board government options. you know, if there is some reasonable argument that, okay if you reform medicare, therefore, you need to do the following, i think we should all be able to come together on that. i would not say trade one for the other. because medicare has to be dealt with because too much of unfunded liability that baby boomers are facing as they go into their retirement years. >> congressman kingston, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> for more on the health care debate, check out the following website. carloswatson.msnbc.com. we go to the real source coming up valerie jarrett, one of the president's closest advisers joins us for a rare interview on msnbc live next. i'm carlos watson. has the fastest hands boxing has ever seen. so i've come to this ring to see who's faster... on the internet.

i'll be using the 3g at&t laptopconnect card. he won't. so i can browse the web faster, email business plans faster. all on the go. i'm bill kurtis and i'm faster than floyd mayweather. (announcer) switch to the nation's fastest 3g network and get the at&t laptopconnect card for free. you're ready for the mid-morning rush thanks to a good breakfast. one coffee with room, one large mocha latte. medium macchiato, light hot chocolate hold the whip, and two espressos. make one a double. she's fiber focused! i have two cappuccinos, one coffee with room, one large mocha latte, a medium macchiato, a light hot chocolate, hold the whip, and two espressos, one with a double shot. gonna take more than coffee to stay this focused. stay full and focused through the morning... with a breakfast of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® cereal; an excellent source of fiber that helps you avoid...

th you have questions. who can give you the financial advice you need? where will you find the stability and resources to keep you ahead of this rapidly evolving world? these are tough questions. that's why we brought together two of the most powerful names in the industry. introducing morgan stanley smith barney. here to rethink wealth management. here to answer... your questions. morgan stanley smith barney. a new wealth management firm with over 130 years of experience.

president obama take his health care plan to the american people tonight in a live prime time address. president will do his best to squash critics like south carolina senator demint who says he is going too fast and spending too much. valerie jarrett is assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public relayson. good to see you. >> good to see you, carlos. how are you doing? >> doing well. i brought along one of your good friends richard wolf who is joining me for the conversation. >> richard, how are you doing? staying out of trouble, i hope? >> not really but good to see you down the lip. >> valerie, talk to us about what needs to happen tonight. will the president off, a, new ideas, and, b, will he be firmer and not just with republicans but with his own democrats in terms of reiterating here specifically what i want done by when? >> well, carlos, i think the president is looking forward to this evening.

it's an opportunity for him to speak directly to the american people, continue the conversation that we've been having on the important topic of health care for so long here in this country. i think it gives him a chance to deliver and explain very clearly what is in it for the average person. there has been a lot of thrill around washington. i just had a phone call from a supporter who thought that we were cutting medicare benefits to seniors. a lot of misinformation is out there and so he is looking forward to explaining how this is really going to help the american people have better health care, mow affordable health care and we will be able to have security and stability within the health care system and reach many americans who, right now, feel it's peril. we are losing 14,000 people a day or they are losing their health insurance benefits. that's terrible in this country. this country that is so successful. we want to make sure there is a safety net for them. >> valerie, we were talking to nbc's chuck todd who is one of the smartest men in the white house press corps, of course. he makes a good point if you get health care through it's going

to take so many years for the benefits to show up in people's pockets that you raise people's hopes to some degree saying we need reform and can do this, but politically what happens if you can't show the benefits for many years, does that make running into another election difficult? >> no, i don't think so. i think what the president will do this evening. he is so good at explaining this is walk through the process. we've been working on health care reform for how many decades now in this country? there's a sense of urgency to try to get it done, but we also want to be smart about it. todd is right it is going to take while to put it into practice but i think no time like the present to get started. >> valley, i want to take you overseas. you're the daughter of a physician and personal side of the health care issue but a personal eye tie to iran. you were born in iran. what do you see when you watch the recent election and crushing of those protests. what is your thoughts about what has happened or what is possible

the next 6 to 12 months there? >> i have a lot of confidence we can begin to make progress. president obama came into office and he began to send signals how he wants to work directly with the iranian people, the new message that he sent out. i think that what we are optimistic, not just about iran but about the middle east in general. i think possibilities are infinite. you're right. i have a lot of nostalgia, having been born in iran. it's a different leadership today than when i was born in the '50s but doesn't mean they are not confident with a lot of hard work and can make some progress. >> your profile this weekend in "the new york times" sunday magazine where they talk about your unique relationship with the president going back to your days together in chicago, can you talk a little bit about your role in the unique role that you've carved out in the white house? i mean, that's one of the questions that is raised there, what is valerie jarrett's role and how some of the other senior advisers feel about that. >> i think the president has

assembled a terrific people team. the first time i've gone up to work and can't wait to see everybody we work with each and every day. a terrific team he has assembled here in the white house as well as throughout the agencies. so i have several roles. i oversee the office of intergovernmental affairs and reaching out to the mayors and governors and having come from local chicago politics i feel as though i know those issues pretty well. the county officials. everyone is elected at the local level. i also receive the office of public engagement. the president is committed doing what he said throughout the campaign which is to have an ongoing engage thement with the american people. that happens in my office where there is average americans who want to have an opportunity for dialogue with the white house. i also chair the white house council on women and girls, working with all of the federal agencies to see what we can do to improve the quality of life of women and girls. finally, i share with the domestic policy council oversight for the office of urban affairs. the president, last week, really

rolled out his priorities through urban affairs making sure we strengthen our metropolitan areas and economic engines of our country and, again, having come from chicago it's an issue near and dear to my heart. >> you're, obviously, a close friend of the president. one other role that doesn't have an official title but six months into his presidency, people in washington saying he is having a summer slump, his agenda is grinding down. how does he react to washington sort of taking a 2x4 to him? >> having covered the campaign, richard you know the president isn't set back very often by tough press reports or any other setbacks for that matter. he is in a terrific spirit and gets up every day so proud to be the president of the greatest country in the world. and he, likes nothing better than fighting on behalf of the american people, so his spirits are high and he is working hard each and every day. >> valerie jarrett, thank you for joining us. i got to ask the next time you're in new york, do you promise you'll come on the set and spend some time with us live? >> i would be honored by the

opportunity. so i look forward to meeting you in person. >> looking forward to it. >> you guys, take care. >> have a good one. thank you. >> okay. >> stay with us for complete coverage of president obama's news conference at 7:00 eastern. president speaks at 8:00 and live analysis immediately following. watch it here only on msnbc, the place for politics. up next, our topic of the day. can silicon valley lead the rest of the nation out of the recession? answers are straight ahead. you're watching msnbc live. i'm carlos watson. we all have confidence and we all have doubt. but when the moment comes... what's going to win? here's to confidence. gillette helps you look, feel, be your best.

gillette. the best a man can get. today, we are joined -- >> welcome back to msnbc live. we go now to house speaker nancy pelosi who is speaking about health care, again, understanding she is having trouble in the house rallying her troops but still expectations there could be a

vote next week. let's listen in to shous speaker nancy pelosi speaking about health care legislation. >> molly of nashville, tennessee, whose medical due to from uterine cancer could result in foreclosure on her home. katherine howard of san francisco, california, and jacqueline mikelos of massachusetts who both beat cancer but had radically different experiences with their health insurance. americans affordable health choices act takes a number of steps to ensure that when americans face a health crisis, they also don't face a financial crisis. consumers will have more choices so they can find plans without waiting periods and high deduct ibles. there will be an annual limit on out-of-pocket expenses and no lifetime limits on care. there will be no more copays or deductibles for presented care

that can catch devastating illnesses in time and if you change your job or lose your job or have a pre-existing medical condition, you cannot be denied coverage. i'm now pleased to introduce our caucus vice chair javier who serve on the subcommittee of the ways and means committee that is helping lead this health insurance reform effort. he's been a very valued member of our caucus and leadership on this issue. >> thank you, madam speaker. for those who think that this has been an artful game of political or policy chess, hear the stories of the people that are with us today, this is the real deal. this is about finally giving people a real sense that health care will be there for them and

their families. and if anyone thinks that the stories that are being written today about where we are in this health care discussion are simply stories about washington, d.c., then you're sorely mistaken, because the real stories that this is all about are here today. in some places in america, people think they have good health insurance. in some places of america, too many americans have found out that they don't. we intend to change that. america's affordable health choices act means to make it possible for no one to have to worry that the health insurance they have will not be enough. polly secora has a story to tell you. she's a small businesswoman. she was doing very well. and then she found out she had uterine cancer.

she has and had health insurance. and so, like all americans who have health insurance, she thought she would be okay. until her insurance company told her you're a little too sick to be helped, so her catastrophic coverage didn't take care of what she needed. and, today, like many americans throughout this country, who are on the verge of losing their homes, miss secora had to take out money from her home so she could pay for some of her spens and today she is one of those americans who is not sure if she is going to get to keep something as important as the roof over her head. now, these stories go on all the time, but molly secora's story is no different from the story of many americans throughout this country. and so while we write about and

read about these tales of political and policy discussion and debate, the real stories are here and i'd like to introduce to you molly secora. >> thank you. good morning. gwynne my name is molly secora. until about two years ago, i was a fairly healthy freelance filmmaker. i prided myself on being responsible, of responsible single self-employed person and i did the smart thing. i went out, i got a low-end health care policy with a large deductible. straef insurance policy. i told my friends it was my bus insurance in case i get hit by a bus and pretty much how i felt. i was pretty healthy so i was safe. i know that might sound dramatic calling it in case i get hit by a bus insurance policy, but i'm a filmmaker and what happened to me sometimes feels more like a

movie than actually my life. two years ago last month, i got hit by the bus. i heard those words, the three most terrifying words that you can hear in america, "you have cancer." when you hear those words it's like stepping into the shower and in outer space. none of the normal rules apply to the life of universe and everything becomes surreal. this can't be happening. when i finally found my tongue and the first things out of my mouth, "i know i can't afford this." never mind it was stage 4 uterine cancer and had spread to the lymph nodes already it was requiring a immediate radical hysterectomy and i was facing i no longer would have the possibility of having children, the first words were, "but i can't afford this." never mind there was a her owing

chemo cocktail i was about to endure the next six to eight months of my life that i would never be the same and consumed with the fear i'll have to declare bankruptcy. never mind that i was being told that the key to my recovery was to remain stress-free, just stay stress-free and all i could hear is, i'll probably lose my house. so my health care nightmare began. the lethal cocktail of chemo caused this anti-nausea drugs and 500 dollars a shot and 500 dollars a round for each round and i had six rounds. i had to call cousins in canada to see if i could get it cheaper because i couldn't afford it because my insurance company would not pay for the anti-nausea drugs. the first five rounds of chemo, i got the first bill in a mail. a four-page itemized bill and one item on the bill for the first round of chemo, the first of six, was for a shot of nulasta which was almost $6,000.

that was one item on a four-page bill. and i about passed out, knowing that just 36,000 i was going to have to look forward to receiving in the mail of bills just for that one shot. so some days, when i got the bills in the mail, that was almost as excruciating as the chemo treatments i went allow. there were days when i prayed that i wouldn't make it because i didn't want to face what was waiting for me on the other side, should i make it. but i survived cancer and, last fall, less than a year in remission, i had to battle with my mortgage company, who had put me into foreclosure. even though i had never been late, i never missed a payment during the entire time of chemo and radiation. there was no leniency because i had cancer. i had a subprime mortgage because i'm self-employed and if it weren't for the fact i knew tennessee congressman jim

cooper, i wouldn't have a home right now. they rallied for me. the press rallied for me and i ended up getting to keep my house. so i didn't lose my house. but it shouldn't take an act of congress for someone who has cancer to keep their house. so i tell you this today being 15 months in remission, knowing that my continued recovery depends on keeping my stress low as i chip away at tens of thousands of dollars that my health insurance company didn't cover and it wasn't that i wasn't responsible. i did the right thing. i bought the insurance. i bought the insurance! with a major carrier and, still, it wasn't enough to prevent me from nearly losing my home. and now that very same policy has doubled and i'm terrified to get another one, because i know that now that i have cancer, i'm a marked woman. there are 47 million people without insurance in this country and they're not looking for a handout. there are thousands of people

like me who have insurance and they're not looking for a handout. we're not looking for a handout. what we're looking for, what we're asking for, what we're begging for, what i'm begging for is a current health reform package that becomes law so that people like me can receive adequate health care and aren't physically and fiscally ruined by getting a diagnosis of cancer. thank you very much. >> good morning. i'm congresswoman donna edwards from maryland. thank you, speaker pelosi, for hosting us this morning. especially thank you to our guests who are sharing their stories. they can only tell their stories as they can and help all of us understand the devastation. >> you're watching msnbc live. we've been following a press conference hosted by a number of members in congress including house speaker

members of congress hosted by nancy pelosi. when we come back, we turn the subject to the economy. with the dow up, some are wondering if we're ready to move out of recession. does silicon valley have the answer in we'll talk to a woman who forbes calls the wonder in the silicon valley. so i get a night free. you are smart. accumulate 10 nights and get a night free anywhere. welcome rewards. smart. so smart. a day on the days that you have arthritis pain, you could end up taking 4 times the number... of pills compared to aleve. choose aleve and you could start taking fewer pills. just 2 aleve have the strength... to relieve arthris pain all day. free credit report dot com! tell your friends, tell your dad, tell your mom! never mind, they've been singing our songs since we first showed up with our pirate hats on! if you're not into fake sword fights pointy slippers and green wool tights take a tip from a knight who knows free credit report dot com, let's go! vo: offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage.

does two jobs... at once. one: kills weeds to the root. two: forms a barrier, preventing new ones for up to four months. roundup extended control.

welcome back to "msnbc live." i'm carlos watson. the u.s. recession has impacted virtually every sector of the business in one capacity or another. even valley has struggled over the last year but can the land of google, yahoo! and apple pull us out of it once again? my next guest appeared on the cover of "forbes" and said she was the one to see in silicon valley. audrey mcclain the lead professor for the venture course at stanford university and entrepreneur and good friend. good to see you. >> good to see you, carlos. >> are you optimistic that the valley can lead the way out of the recession? it has more than once.

>> well, yes, i think there's history there. i'm not an economist or an historian, but i personally believe we need to innovate our way out of this. for me, innovation is the first order issue. everything else is a secondary issue, and if i reflect back on when i started my first company, i see a lot of parallels to today. during the better part of the '70s and the '80s, the economy was weak, venture capital was tight and the ipo market was pretty much dormant, yet somehow, companies like intel and fedex and apple and microsoft all got started -- >> out at that time. >> so i think what we can learn from that, is that when capital is at a high premium, it actually may hone the skills a little bit more. >> ooh, a little darwinian. >> exactly, when you find that not only do the ideas have to be really compelling, the entrepreneurs have to be really committed and the venture

capitalists need to be really patient because the gestation period from when they first fund a company to when they can see that company in a position to go public or to be acquired can be a very long road. >> we have about 30 seconds but is there any optimism, any good news these days, or like the rest of the economy, are there still struggles and nothing -- >> i think there's guarded optimism. 2008 has five venture-backed ipos, excuse me, six, and just in the second quarter of 2009, there have been five already. i hesitate to be overly optimistic, though, because during that same time frame there were 300 aquard startups in '08 and we're only half way through the year at just a little over 100 so bottom line, venture capitalists still need to fund their portfolio companies longer than they want to so we've gone back to the future, longer gestations and lower valuations. >> hate to leave it there. we'll ask you to come back.

richard wolffe, appreciate having you here today. coming up, president obama taking to the national airways to talk about major health care reform. i'll talk to dr. nancy now. >> thanks so much, carlos. we have our eyes on that prime time news conference tonight with president obama. we'll talk the health care reform bill, what he can expect on his desk. also is child obesity child abuse? there's a woman in south carolina charged with the crime because of her son's weight. it is now approaching noon on the east coast. the doctor is in. this starts after a quick break. i never thought i would have a heart attack, but i did. you need to talk to your doctor about aspirin. you need to be your own advocate. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

you take care of your kids, now it's time to take care of yourself. [ engine powers down ] gentlemen, you booked your hotels on orbitz. well, the price went down, so you're all getting a check thanks. for the difference. except for you -- you didn't book with orbitz, so you're not getting a check. well, i think we've all learned a valuable lesson today. good day, gentlemen. thanks a lot. thank you. introducing hotel price assurance, where if another orbitz customer books the same hotel for less, we send you a check for the difference, automatically.

coming up today on "dr. nancy," the president is now eight hours away from what some say could be a make or break moment in health care reform. his big prime time news conference tonight, we're going to get a preview from the white house communications director in a moment. then there say mother facing

criminal charges because of her boy's weight, a legal case posing a very provocative question, is child obesity ever child abuse? we're going to get into it. my screw up. >> you were great in there, mark. >> it was my fault, you know. it was my fault she went sour. she's my patient. >> she's crashing! >> it's drama advertised on television but doctors mistakes happen every single day in this country and we're going to take a look at one experiment to see if the simple words "i'm sorry" from a doctor could save big bucks in malpractice claims. hi, everyone. i'm dr. nancy snyderman. my days on top health stories and headlines. rising tensions in the race to overhaul health care. tonight president obama takes to the air waves at a prime time news conference, taking his

message to the people and the gop, but also to the lawmakers in his own party. president obama needs to win over the fiscally conservative blue dog democrats who are worried about the cost. the congressional budget office says the bill would increase the federal deficit by $239 billion over ten years. those are different numbers than what the white house has floated out there. the gop says it's clear that the bill, any bill right now is in trouble, even when democrats can't come together. >> this is not what the american people want. so mr. president, it's time to scrap this bill, let's start over in a bipartisan way. >> let's begin today with white house now for more on tonight's prime time event, with me anita dunne, communications director for the white house. thanks for taking the time in what i know is a very hectic day for you guys. >> thank you for having me on, dr. nancy.