neilsen, president of the american medical association. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. see, i've watched the president, he goes thank you, thank you, and you sit down. good morning,ern. it's a great, 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've 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 ideal is 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 patience and our country. [applause] we know firsthand 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

. >> in a few moments, president obama's speech to the american medical association. he outlined his plans for the future of health care. the speech is one hour and after that reaction from leaders of the ama and congress. later, treasury secretary speaks on the a economy. on washington journal tomorrow, we will discuss the supplemental spending bill with jane hampshire -- hamsher. we will also speak with two other guests after that. "washington journal" live on c- span every day at 7:00 a.m. eastern. a couple of live events to tell you about on our companion network on c-span3. a hearing will be held on insurance industry oversight at 10:00 a.m. eastern. they will look at pursuing policies that may threaten the financial system. later will be the nominations to the federal communications commission. that is at 2:30 p.m. eastern. president obama spoke to the annual meeting of the american medical association monday to discuss his proposed changes to the health-care system. this is one hour. >> good morning, everyone. it is my pleasure to welcome the president of the u

>> i think as nancy has highlighted the goal that both the president and the american medical association is to make sure that all americans have affordable health insurance coverage to prevent the diseases that we know we can prevent and to not use the emergency room has the access point for healthcare. the emergency room should be used for emergencies and not for routine preventive care. we are also excited with the president signaling the important investment in prevention because as we have discussed with the president, the importance that even if we do health system reform the disease burden coming down the road both with the demographics of our baby boomers reaching age 65 has well as the obesity epidemic and its challenge on the health of individuals that we have to put the proper investment to prevent diseases, so we are excited about working with the president on this. >> doctor? dr. nelson, bruce jensen with the tribune. what did you hear that you like relative to the liability reform aspect, and also, what kind of public option the you see the amsa favoring? in the next couple

but leading up to that legislation, again it was the american medical association. it was really the most conservative members. i know an awful lot of doctors that want to see us move forward, including my doctor who was a general practitioner for almost 50 years, died at the age of 89 in the year 2000. i know a whole lot of doctors who want us to move forward on health care reform. the american medical association in 1965 said those who supported the creation of medicare, they called it socialized medicine, said it was too expensive, said it would lead to runaway, rampant socialism, the same arguments they used in the 1930's and the same arguments some of them are using about what's called the public plan option in this health care legislation today. people obviously know that medicare, since 1965, for coming up on 44 years since it was enacted, has worked for the american public. in fact, here's the best illustration why medicare works. when you -- there have been many studies over the years comparing the united states -- the outcomes of the united states, health

the american medical association has long battled democrats who oppose protecting doctors from malpractice lawsuits. during a meeting last month, association officials found one democrat willing to entertain the idea, the president. in talks, mr. obama is making the case that reducing malpractice lawsuits can help drive down health-care costs, and should be considered as part of any health-care overhaul. tennessee on our republican line. caller: i am retired from the state of tennessee. i have to pay for part of my insurance. i also have to pay for the d plan. if i can pay for that. i don't think the government needs to get into anything. i would be willing to pay part of mine in order to keep the government out. anytime you get the government in anything, they mess it up. host: you said you had a plan from the state of tennessee? how do you like that plan? caller: i like it. i pay $95 a month. in good times it goes down maybe $10, and bad times, it goes up. host: who is the provider? caller: tomco. i had to pay for my d plan. when the federal government came out and said that we had to ha

morning at 9:30 a.m., the president will deliver a speech at the annual meeting of the american medical association alliance -- chicago. that is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. central time. he will return at 3:45 p.m. eastern time and will meet with italian prime minister in the oval office. on tuesday he will meet with willlee south korea and wednesday, he will attend meetings and an event at the white house. the same scheduled for thursday, thursday evening he will attend a fund-raiser for the dscc and dcc events and that evening will attend the radio and tv correspondents association dinner in washington. wednesday, just meetings and an event in the white house. >> i wanted to ask where the white house and administration skills, you stand now towards moving or closing down. >> this week has been marked progress in the transfer and resettlement of detainees, some of which, five of the six of which were mandated by courts in the united states. we continue to make decisions on a case by case basis on detainees as those cases come. again, i think we have made progress. we have brought someone to new york

the american medical association has been trying to work with the administration up until, my guess is about yesterday. they have said they're absolutely opposed to a government run health care plan. they have discovered that as one of the competitors, very quickly, you will have no competitors. the government shifts the cost to everybody who does not have that plan. doctors have seen that now. these are adjectives for a competitive marketplace that works. and our principles, one of the principles we have had is that we're not for a government takeover of health care. most americans really think the coverage they have now works pretty well for them. they have heard all of their reports, they have heard all of the discussion, they have listened through the campaigns. they believe there is a problem. they just do not think the problem affects them. about 83% of the american people believe that their coverage is good or excellent. 83%. that is why you hear the president saying as mrs. clinton started saying last year, if you like what you have, you can keep it. they know that people like

the american medical association, which has been trying to work with the administration up until my guess is about yesterday, yesterday announced that they are absolutely opposed to a government-run health care plan. they understand, as does everyone else who has analyzed this, as one of the competitors that very quickly you'll have no competitors. all the government plan does is shift the cost of everybody who doesn't that have plan and doctors have seen that now. these are not advocates for insurance company. these are advocates for something that works. one of our principles, with not for a government takeover of health care because we think it drives people away from the coverage they have tuned in most americans really think the coverage they have now works pretty well for them. they have heard all the reports and discussion and listened through campaigns and they believe there is a problem. they just actually don't think the problem affects them. about 83% of the american people think their current health care coverage is either good or excellent. 83% and that's why you hear the pre

the former head of the american medical association, which has endorsed our legislation said this in the chicago tribune today. he is talking about the british agency. it is the national institutes -- i will get it in just a moment. the agency that makes these decisions in the united kingdom determine that we are all worth it 2000 -- $22,750 for six months of life or $125 a day. $125 is the cost of a nice day with my wife, not the value of pilot -- nice with my wife, not the value of life. the value that they're going to place on the life for the purpose of comparing the cost to see whether the cost of the treatment outweighs the value of the life. and think about that. let me quote from the nuys webb said. national institute for collette -- clinical health and excellent. here is what it says. with the rapid advances of modern mersenne -- medicine, most people except that no publicly funded health care system can possibly pay for every new medical treatment which becomes available. if that is right. if the federal government has a monopoly, it probably does not have enough money to p

[applause] >> today president obama addressed the american medical association's annual conference about his health care plans. we will show you that speech in its entirety litter this evening on the c-span network. next, a portion of his remarks. >> 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 it's, and 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 are 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 or the federal budget. and it is not sustainable for the united states of america. if it is unsustainable for americans like a young mother that i met in wisconsin just last week's who has worried that the breast cancer she thought she had beaten had spread to her bones. bu

the former head of the american medical association, which incidentally has endorsed the legislation that senator mcconnell and i are introducing here, said this in an op-ed in the "chicago tribune" today. he said, he's talking about the british agency which ironically is the acronym is nice, the national institute for comparative-- i will get it in just a moment but he says quote for example the agency that makes these decisions in the united kingdom determined that we are all worth $22,750 for six months of life or $125 a day. i am sorry but $125 of the cost of the nice date with my wife, not the value of my life. what he is talking about are something called quality adjusted life years, which is the british definition of the value that they are going to place on a life for the purpose of comparing the cost done by this cost effectiveness research to see whether it because the of the treatment outweighs the value of the life. just think about that. let me quote from the nice web site. i told you i would tell you what it stands four, national institute for health and clinical excell

medication you can have. yes, you can cut costs this way but it is in the right. and it's not what americans want. nor is it what physicians want. the american medical association, an organization of 250,000 of america's physicians said in a recent statement, "it does not believe creating creating a public health insurance option for nondisabled individuals under the age of 65 is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs." i agree. the doctors, those who provide the care, are concerned about what a washington-run health care would mean for their patients and for the uninsured americans who need to get in to see them. republicans have been discussing the state of health care in canada and the united kingdom because those countries have government-run health care and delay or deny treatment for citizens to keep costs under control. the canadian and british governments created the systems with good intentions but government-run care is not serving their citizens' need and we don't need to replicate their problems in the united states. in canada, claude, chair of the commission which recommended the quebec establish a government-run system in

pleased that in our quest to reform the health-care system, have gained the support of the american medical association. it proves true, the old expression that it is easier to catch flies with honey. if money doesn't work, feel free to use an open palm and a swift downward movement. . >> to all of those who say there is no place for empathy on the bench, i say this. i completely understand how you are feeling. [laughter] when you are upset, i am upset. [laughter] another difficult challenge is how to help our automakers to arrive in the 21st century. we tried a number of different approaches. tonight, i am announcing a new one, a plan passed on to me by a close friend and adviser, oprah winfrey. if each of you will look under your seat, you get a car company. you get a car company. fox, you get aig. [laughter] enjoy. [laughter] i have said all along, i have no ambition to run an auto company. gm will rise or fall on the quality of its products. like the taut, athletic design of the new buick enclave. it is more than transportation. it is a modern drivers retreat. come on, work with me here. i have got

this week in a speech before the american medical association president obama said this: the cost of our health care is a threat to our economy. it is an escalating burden on our families an businesses. it is a ticking time bomb for the federal budget. and it is unsustainable for the united states of america. the president said health care reform is the single most important thing we can do for america's long-term fiscal health. savings in waste, confusion, unnecessary or defective care and illness prevention could well exceed $700 billion a year eventually. it's not going to happen like that. but it's a goal we can shoot for. i applaud president obama's commitment and leadership and i commend my senate colleagues for their tireless efforts in the pursuit of meaningful comprehensive reform. in the new energy and focus we have seen in this debate isn't limited to us here in washington. in recent months doctors and hospitals, patients and insurance companies, labor unions and drug companies have all come together in support of the need for restructuring of our system. amidst all of thi

medical association. if obama fails, perhaps canada could open a system to medical tourism from the u.s. about 500,000 americans annually travel to other countries for high quality but much cheaper medical care. few of them go to canada where the notion of funding public hospitals has been politically unacceptable. the canadian system ensures that everyone has access to basic health care without ever seeing a doctor or hospital bill. nevertheless, the demands on the system have the to waiting list for treatments such as mri scans, cataract and artery bypass surgeries. that is one reason why 70% of canadians have some form of supplemental health insurance whether or not the plan to visit the united states. caller: yes, we have three military bases. i have been making an effort to talk to every single one of our military people about their health care system. if you want to know what the health-care system will look like being run by the government, look at the military. most of them are completely unsatisfied and scared to death of it. if you want nationalized health- care a look inside the governmentinsidehow i

in the last week, in my address to the american medical association, i spoke about the need for health-care reform and what will be needed. i said that everyone in the health-care community is going to have to come together. in recent days, chairman baucus who has been doing an outstanding job, as well as the members of my administration, have been in discussions with the pharmaceutical industry's to look at how to bring down the costs for america's seniors. over the weekend we reached an understanding that will close the award -- the victorious donut hole -- notorious -- notorious donut hole in the proposition. i know that many of you are familiar with this issue, this is a gap in prescription drug coverage, that makes it harder for the beneficiaries to pay for the medication that they need. this program covers $2,700 in prescription costs, and then it stops and the coverage comes back when this is over 6100. between 2760100, people are out of luck. this has been placing a burden on many older americans who cannot afford thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expense. christopher dodd has b

the american medical association, we want to reform our health-care system so we can remain healthy and competitive. this new foundation also requires strong, vibrant financial markets. transparent, fairly administered rules of the road that protect american consumers and our economy and the devastating breakdown that we have witnessed in recent years. it is an indisputable fact that one of the most significant contributors to our economic downturn was an unraveling of major financial institutions and the lack of adequate regulatory structures to prevent abuse and access. a culture of irresponsibility took root from wall street to washington to main street. regulatory regimes drafted in the wake of a 20th-century economic crisis, the great depression, which overwhelmed by the speed, scope, and sophistication of the 21st century global economy. in recent years, financial innovators seeking an edge in the marketplace produced a huge variety of new and complex financial instruments. these products such as asset to spread risks but ended up concentrating risks. loans were sold to banks whic

and employee health-care benefits as president obama has to chicago and a speech to the american medical association, here is a reuters our records, obama to lobby on health care reform and a right to cost about 2.5 trillion in elite believes 46 million americans uninsured. and little access to medical care despite the cost the u.s. system consistently ranks worst and other developed countries on many key measures. michigan is next, republican caller. make sure you turn down your television or radio, i can hear your feedback. >> caller: yes, sir. i am from michigan and i also support the single payer system of a medical. i think it is the only system that will work and i know is the only that all work. there is no other system that is going to work. as far as i'm concerned that the insurance companies have been given plenty of chances and all the have done have put the screws to us barrett if we have a lot of small businesses and people will start small businesses and be able to afford the two support themselves. it is just unbelievable all the positive benefits from compared to all the negative fee

of the very beginning 2001, the "journal" of american medical association looked at the data and said look for it is pretty clear that patient was taking less has more than twice the risk of heart attacks as the one that is taking alleve. powerful findings. merck scientist paid by merck for that major medical centers replied, no. look at the studies to different ways either vioxx cars as a heart attack but we believe alleve is preventing heart attacks. we do not have a drug that prevents a 60% but we would put it in the water supply. [laughter] they say the defense is corteo protected and eventually the real truth came out with a placebo was done three years later hundreds of thousands of people, and millions of people took vioxx in the meantime. it was withdrawn from the market september 2004 but by then 20 million people had taken the drug and somewhere between 88,000 and 144,000 part attacks occurred because of this. this is a public health disaster. we see the same campaign and approach by the tobacco scientist much more widely. there is a famous memo from a political consultant w

after that explanation, the bill is endorsed by the american medical association. i am a co-sponsor. it ensures that patients and doctors remain in charge of making treatment decisions by prohibiting the federal government from using the results of comparative effectiveness research, cer, to deny coverage under medicare or any other federal health program. it requires that cer be accountable for the treatment responses and preferences of individual patients. these provisions are required because current law does not prohibit the government from using the $1.1 billion awarded in the stimulus package for cost containment and to achieve cost savings but th. neither do the bills before us today. we've all heard the stories of the united kingdom national institute for health and clinical excellence, the acronym for that is nice. still lying access and requiring seniors to go blind in one ad says before approving treatment -- this is a real thing. it actually happens. we need a safeguard to guarantee that this scenario will not happen in american medicine. i want to make

pleased in our quest to reform the health care system, i have gained the support of the american medical association. it proves true, the old expression, it's easier to catch flies with honey and if honey doesn't work, use an open palm and a swift downward movement. now the challenges we face are many and i don't have all the answers. and when i'm not sure what's right, i often ask myself, wwld, what would a wise latino do? [laughter] >> i'm proud of my nominee sonia sotomayor and to all those who say there's no place for empathy on the bench, i say this, i completely understand how you're feeling. [laughter] >> when you're upset, i'm upset. another difficult challenge is how to help our auto makers thrive in the 21st century. we have tried a number of different approaches and tonight i'm announcing a new one, a plan a passed on by oprah winfrey. if you look under your seat, you will find thaw get a car company. you get a car company. and fox, you get a.i.g. [laughter] enjoy. the truth is as i have said all along, i have no ambition to run an auto company. gm will rise or fall on the quality of its

on monday, before a receptive crowd at the american medical association, the president stuck his toe in the medical liability reform waters by acknowledging that medical liability reform is real. but the president took caps on noneconomic damages off the table by saying -- quote -- "don't get too excited yet. just hold on to your horses here, guys. i want to be honest with you. i'm not afrbgd -- advocating caps on malpractice awards. this all but ensures that meaningful reform won't happen. today "the wall street journal" stated in an opinion piece -- quote -- "president obama mentioned the medical liability problem, and we suppose this is progress. but mr. obama's call might have had more credibility had he not specifically ruled out the one policy top deter frivolous suits. without caps on medical malpractice awards, the lottery will continue. interestingly, mr. president, my neighbor in the state of california addressed this precise problem in 1975 that passing legislation that capped jury awards for noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering for medical malpractice lawsuits. n

our bill, incidentally, is endorsed by the american medical association. mr. president, government-run and rationed approaches have caused much pain to people in other countries. for example, in an article for the "manhattan institute city journal" it was written of the long waits that canadians endure for any procedure or diagnostic test. seniors who lay on stretchers for five days in a hospital waiting room. a three-year wait list for a hernia operation, a two-year delay for sleep apnea treatment, a year-long delay for hip replacement and so on. it's one thing for washington it take over car companies, getting it wrong there usually won't lead to life or death problems. but it's an entirely different matter to allow washington to go into business as the nation's health care provider. who's going to protect you when they get it wrong? who are you going to appeal to? in his health car speeches president obama has stressed if you like your current health care, you can keep it. if you don't want to get on the washington-run plan. and that sounds allell and good,

according to the american medical association, 94% of the insurance market in the united states are now highly concentrated. this has decreased the amount of competition. this is a major problem of health concern. >> there is a monopoly and much -- in much of the country. >> this is a serious concern. how does the public plan to address this concern? this is not yes or no. >> i appreciate that. i think what the public option within the market place does is use market principles, competition and choice, to lower costs and provide consumers a choice of plans. i think that a public auction -- option, 2/3 of might state for and instance, there would only be one choice which is not terribly effective in terms of holding costs down and does not provide consumer choice. that is why states in state employees plan to create public options that stand side-by-side with private. but many states have done with the children's insurance program, are side-by-side options to provide choices. >> as a former governor and former commissioner, you were able to speak to this question. state insurance regulat

last week in my address to the american medical association i spoke about the urgent need for healthcare reform and what will be required to achieve it. one of the things that will be required, i said, was that everyone in our healthcare community is going to have to come together and do their part. in recent days, chairman max bauccus who has been doing an outstanding job leading the finance committee on this issue as well as members of my administration have been in discussions with the pharmaceutical industry to find a way to bring down costs of prescription drugs for america's seniors. and i'm pleased to report that over the weekend we reached an understanding that will help close the notorious doughnut hole in medicare part b. this is a significant break through on the road to healthcare reform, one that will make the difference in the lives of many older americans. i think many of you in the press are familiar with the issue. the doughnut hole refers to a gap in prescription drug coverage that makes it harder for millions of medicare beneficiaries to pay for the medications they ne

health solve is the high cost of health care in americ i have gained the support of the american medical association. it proved true the old expression that it is easier to catch flies with honey. if honey does not work, feel free to use an open palm and a swift downward movement. [applause] the challenges we face are many, and i do not have all the answers. when i am not sure what is right, i often ask myself, wwld? what would a wise platinlatina ? i am proud of my nominee, sonia sotomayor, and to all those who oppose her, to those -- i say this, i completely understand how you are feeling. [laughter] when you are upset, i am upset. another difficult challenge is how to help our automakers to arrive in the 21st century. we tried a number of different approaches. tonight, i am announcing a new one, a plan passed on to me by a close friend and adviser, oprah winfrey. if each of you will look under your seat, you get a car company. you get a car company. fox, you get aig. [laughter] enjoy. [laughter] i have said all along, i have no ambition to run an auto company. gm will rise or fall on the quality

the american medical association says the government plan threatens to restrict patient choice by putting out of business existing health plans that cover nearly 70% of americans. one estimate suggests 119 million americans could lose the private coverage they have as a consequence of the government plan. moreover, the a.m.a. in a statement yesterday notes that "the corresponding surge in public planned participation would likely lead to an explosion of costs that would need to be absorbed by the taxpayers ." republicans and democrats alike agree health care reform is needed in our country. but a government plan is not the kind of reform the american people want. they want real reform for a system that's in serious need of it. ultimately what some in washington are proposing instead is the allusion of a reform that will replace what's good about health care in america with something that's far, far worse. instead of making health care more affordable and accessible, these proposals could make treatments and procedures that every day americans currently take for granted less accessible or

the event coupled with a speech to the american medical association on monday represents a fresh push to sell the public of legislation that could dramatically alter health care is given and pit for in this country. in the coming days and weeks, the president will be more active in making a public case for the origin need to reform our health-care system said a white house spokesman. what obama is likely to your is testimony to the value of digital records, a physician coverage in, preventive care, and transparency. that is from "the washington post" this morning. in "the wall street journal" -- how to stop socialized health care by carcarl rove. it says i would go the republican member of congress one for the -- it democrats and at a public auction health insurance program, america is on the way to becoming a european- child welfare state. competition is needed to provide health insurance privately. 1300 companies already sell health insurance plans. second, a private auction -- a public auction will undercut private insurers and passed the tab to taxpayers. for example, medicare pay

there was too much opposition from american medical association. whose members said they would kill social security if that is always needed to prevent socialized medicine. fdr backed off the national health insurance to save social security. frances perkins achieved almost all of her agenda. she became the most successful social progress of an american history. how did that happen? >> over the years it's been very difficult to get progress of legislation passed in the united states like the kind they have in europe. there are many obstacles. frances perkins was one of these people from a very young age found a path through obstacles and a way to get things done. coming here as i first came to washington, d.c. in 1988 as a reporter for "the washington post" and i didn't know who frances perkins was myself and i took a tour of the sites of d.c. and one of the things that stuck in my mind is this huge labor department building named after frances perkins and i thought there are not that many government buildings named after women so i sort of stored

monday morning, at 9:30, the president will go to chicago for a meeting with the american medical association that speech is scheduled for approximately 11:15 a.m. central time. he will return to the white house approximately 3:45 eastridge and will later that day meet with the italian prime minister berlusconi at the white house. on wednesday, he will meet with president li at the white house. the same schedule for thursday, thursday evening, he will attend a fund-raiser for the dccc, mes and an event on friday, and there'll be the radio and television correspondents association dinner here in washington. wednesday, just meetings and event here at the white house. yes, ma'am? >> i wanted to ask about the guantÁnamo developed over the last day or so -- development over the last day or so. what about moving to close down the prison?

earlier this week and speaking with the american medical association, president obama promised that under his health reform proposal every american who had coverage that they liked could keep it. the bill fails to deliver on that promise. i agree with president obama that expanding coverage should not interfere with the health insurance of americans who like what they have. i also support the president's commitment to fly pay for health reform. unfortunately, the bill fails on both those counts. the bill does not include any real payments to account for the trillion dollars in new spending. i understand that that's a finance committee challenge, but they're delaying their markup in an effort to have a bipartisan solution and to pay for it. the time -- the timeline on this isn't as tight as what we're saying. if they're taking extra time, we can take extra time, and it would be helpful if they discussed their pay fors before we discuss good expansion that we're going to have and especially when we get to talking about a government-run health care. so i think it's grossly irresponsible that

driving up costs, otherwise i don't think the president would have made that comment to the american medical association this week. you know, he doesn't just make a lot of extra statements. and that's something they were definitely interested in and it was something he said we would provide. i'm just trying to come up with, i hate it use the word, a very liberal way of doing it. you know, it's wide open to a lot of possibilities out there and none that i think violate what we're trying to do. and on the discussion about frivolous lawsuits, unfortunately most of the companies out there are taking a look at their bottom line and saying it's cheaper to do it this way than paying it off. i've had some cases when i was mayor that didn't have anything to do with medical if liability but my insurance company paid them off, i said no, no, these are ones we ought to take a stand on because it's going to lead to other suits that would be very similar. they said we can't afford to do that. so it's a cost factor. and it will happen. and so somehow we've got to have a mechanism and i'm hoping that we can rely on the

so after that explanation, the bill is endorsed by the american medical association, and i am an original co-sponsor. it ensures that patients and doctors remain in charge of making treatment decisions by prohibiting the federal government from using the results of comparative effectiveness research, i.e., cer, to deny coverage under medicare or any other federal health program. in addition, it requires that cer conducted account for differences in the treatment responses and preferences of individual patients. these prohibitions are required because current law does not prohibit the government from using the $1.1 billion awarded to cer in the stimulus package for cost containment and to achieve cost savings. along with other goals. neither do the cer provisions in the bill before us today. now we have all heard the horror stories of the united kingdom's national institute for health and clinical excellence. the acronym for that is n.i.c.e., and it's not very nice. delaying or denying access to cancer drugs and requiring seniors to go blind in one eye before approving treatment to access

americans who currently receive their coverage through their job. it would limit your choice of doctors and medical treatment options and it would result in the federal government taking control of health care. yesterday, the american medical association embraced all of those reasons not to have a public option, not to have a government-run option, not to have a government takeover of health care, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. pursuant to section 4-b of house resolution 5, 111th congress and the order of the house of january 6, 2009, the chair announces the speaker's appointment of the following members of the house to the house democracy assistance commission. the clerk: mr. price of north carolina, chairman. mrs. capps of california, mr. holt of new jersey, mr. schiff of california, ms. schwartz of pennsylvania, mr. payne of new jersey, mr. pomeroy of north dakota, mr. farr of california, mr. ellison of minnesota, ms. hirono of hawaii, and ms. roibled of -- and ms. roybal-allard of california. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. madam, pursuant to section 4-b of house resolution 5, 11

interested in a president obama adjust the public insurance option in a speech to the american medical association. what was his message? >> his message is he has no interest in socializing the united states health care industry, he has no interest in preventing people who like their doctors and their insurance companies and their insurance coverage continuing to receive the same coverage and going to the same doctors for treatment. all he wants to do is find a way to ensure that 46 million or so people who currently do not have health insurance and assure the people with pre-existing conditions and living to graphically out of the way price of the country and have access to the same quality of care as other people do. that was the message he was trying to send to them and he is trying to preempt the ama who started to grumble and take a look at the health care concepts coming out of the u.s. senate in particular, he is trying to prevent them from launching a full-scale offensive against the kind of health care reform he wants. >> health committee is scheduled to work on its health-care proposal l

the president talking to the american medical association the other day said tiptoed up to the edge and said i am for tort reform but -- and the clapping stopped and the blues began, he said i am against capping awards under malpractice. which means he is not really for a very much tort reform and the fact that is not surprising because of the trial bar and the trial lawyers are huge contributors to the president's party. >> host: as we close here come and give people a glimpse into a day in your life. we were talking in the beginning about how many issues summon a complex, how you spend your day and getting to the point to make a decision about what your column will be? >> guest: when i first on a writing a column i asked bill buckley my friend, you ever have trouble coming up with things to read and he said no, the world annoys me three times a week. the world and noise coming interests, amuses me a lot more than five times every to a switches hamid karzai right. i think the happiness a columnist barry's inversely with the help of the republican the more problems we have the more fun

driving up costs, otherwise i don't think the president would have made that comment to the american medical associationthis week. you know, he doesn't just make a lot of extra statements. and that's something they were definitely interested in and it was something he said we would provide. i'm just trying to come up with, i hate it use the word, a very liberal way of doing it. you know, it's wide open to a lot of possibilities out there and none that i think violate what we're

members of the american medical association, and my fellow americans, i'm here today because i don't want our children and their children to still be speaking of the crisis in american medicine 50 years from now. i don't want him to still be suffering from spiraling costs that we did not stem or sicknesses that we did not do or. i do want him to be burd

members of the american medical association, and my fellow americans, i'm here today because i don't want our children and their children to still be speaking of a crisis in american medicine 50 years from now, suffering from spiraling costs that we did not stem, or sicknesses that we did not cure. i don't want them to be burdened with massive deficits we did not curb, or worsening economy that we didn't rebuild. i want them to benefit from a health care system that works for all of us, where families can open a doctor's bill without dreading what is inside, where parents are talking to their kids and getting them to get regular checkups and checking themselves for preventable ailments. they are feeding kids healthier foods. patients are spending more time with their doctors, and doctors can pull up on the computer all the medical information and latest research they will ever want to know to meet patients' needs. where orthopedists and nephrologists, oncologists are working together to treat a human being. where what is best about america's healthcare system has become the hallmark