my name is ben hirschenson. i'm a republican. i don't know when i'm doing here, but i'm here. >> we're happy to have you. we're happy to have you. >> mr. president, you've been quoted over the years, when you were a senator and perhaps even before then, that you are essentially a supporter of a universal plan. i'm beginning to see that you're changing that. do you honestly believe that? because that is my concern. i'm on medicare, but i still worry that if we go to a public option, period, that the private companies, the insurance companies, rather than competing -- because who can compete with the government? the answer is nobody. so my question is, do you still, as yourself now, support a universal plan or are you open to the private industry still being maintained? >> well, i think it's an excellent question. i appreciate the chance to respond. first of all, i want to make a distinction between a universal plan versus a single payer plan. because those are two different things. a single payer plan would be a plan like medicare