and they could have been handled much more simply and more economically than the current program dr benjamin where is dr carolyn wrong well we have fifty million people who don't have health insurance that's a lot of people we also know that about forty four thousand people die each and every year simply because they don't have health insurance and i can tell you when i was practicing emergency medicine the first question anyone ever asked was what kind of insurance are you have so the affordable care act tried to build on our existing system provide as minimal disruption even though with having some challenges compared to what could have happened this is really minimal disruption jamling how do you respond. well the fifty million figure was a fiction that was composed largely of people that were between jobs and didn't have insurance transient leave for part of the year and who eventually got insurance and it also included illegal aliens and people who were young and healthy and invincible and who felt that buying insurance was a bad deal for them so there is perhaps ten million twelve mill

the association of american physicians and surgeons a practicing nephrologist in washington dr george s. benjamin executive director of the american public health association he's a internist and emergency room doctor and he supports obama care we thank you both for coming dr i am willing an overview and briefly if you can what's what's the rub what do you have against this concept since up until obama get think we were the only industrialized nation in the world without a health care plan for its citizens. well we have a fractured and disjointed healthcare plan that is heavily government financed at this point almost fifty percent are on some sort of government can finance health care as of right now before obamacare and then we have this crazy private system where individuals purchase health insurance through their employer and that of course is a real problem because it limits the choice and it makes the. payment a benefit in lieu of salary and gives you an incentive to spend so we have this massive third party system in reality very few people are without some sort of health insurance and tha

and dr benjamin gordon not as a doctor concern you you know sort of why would anyone want to pay for something that doesn't work why would anyone want to continue to provide care that isn't of high quality. we are in a profession and that profession ensures that. we work together and we share our experiences with others practice guidelines are advice for other clinicians based on the best evidence that we have and it isn't driven by the kinds of devious things that many things that we hear every day is driven by a true goal and desire to give patients the best quality and pay for performance why would anyone simply continue to pay for doing stuff again that we know doesn't work or when you've had a problem paying for performance means that you pay for good outcomes and you can do that in a way which protects physician decision making and that's what the affordable care act is designed to do. you think philosophically that we have a right to health no we don't have a right to health care and of course you can be healthy or sick and a lot of it depends on what lifestyle you choose to l

dr benjamin how would you respond to that seems very sensible yeah well that's assume we had lots of people who die we had lots of disparities in health care medicaid actually is a decent insurance we know that people when they get medicaid mortality goes down we know that children who go on medicaid are able to go to school they have less days out of school we know kids who get dental insurance on their medicaid again less days out of school. they're always challenges when in time you have insurance but it's three o'clock in the morning the first thing that anyone ever asked you is what kind of insurance card do you have and the fact is we have an insurance based system and that's what we built upon doug cameron you said that obamacare represents a threat to physician autonomy what you mean well the government clearly wants to control how medicine is not only financed but practiced and what i mean by this is that they aren't forcing standards of care now you might think standards of care are really a good thing but the truth is everybody is very different and everybody requires indi

dr. benjamin, good to have you on this program. see my friend norman francis, the longest serving in the country. he said he made a great decision having you at xavier. you went to school there, did you not? >> i am an alum. i was in undergrad all four years. got introduced to medicine their and emma dr. because of it. quek look back -- >> look back on what you are most proud of. >> i led the efforts and helped establish the first strategy, a roadmap to the nations health and wellness, it to lead us in becoming a more healthy and fit nation. it is one of my most prized accomplishment. it is the first time ever to have a counsel of 17 cabinet level members sit down together to put together a strategy for the nation to become more healthy and fit. tavis: what do you plan to do to continue that work. >> i am continuing to push the efforts of public health, to lead us from a health care on welfarene based and prevention. this was a wonderful opportunity for me. having this and out chair allows me to continue that level of engagement, b

dr. regina benjamin: cigarette smoke causes immediate damage that leads to health problems, even death. or die are being replaced by a new generation of smokers. i'm dr. regina benjamin, united states surgeon general. go to cdc.gov. learn how to make our next generation tobacco-free. >>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good tuesday morning. thank you for joining us. we head straight to the weather. serious stuff going on. >> cold weather. leyla gulen? >> another at home we have 8:00er temperatures than yesterday. our live doppler 7 hd shows we are tracking high clouds moving in over the bay area. the higher clouds are giving way to lower clouds as it continues to the peninsula. you will notice it is windy. we are at 15 miles per hour in san francisco. northwestern winds. the flags are blowing out along the embarcadero at the ferry building but it is clear. we do not see thing for from yesterday. possible isolated shower in the north bay and windy and freezing cold later tonight through thursday. as we take a check of our temperatures for the next 12 hours, we wil

dr. benjamin carson. tomorrow at 7:00 on fox. >>> get her done. larry the cable guy, what are you looking at my camera for? a "hannity" favorite. starring in -- what is it? >> madea christmas. >> "madea christmas". >> you have to read the name of the movie? >> i forgot which camera. >> just look at me. >> three cameras? shoot. that's 30 pounds. >> it's actually 20. that's 60 pounds. >> i haven't been here in a while. >> i'm skinnier than you and you were doing the weight loss commercial. >> it so what, it's the christmas season. i have sleeves on, too. >> you always have sleeves on. >> no, i come with no sleeves. i'm the sleeveless guy. you're on medication. >> let's start over. >> first of all, where is combs? >> you have been gone a while. >> we're working on a book. >> what's it called? >> "killing beckel." i love him. it's more like noogeying beckel. >> we'll be right back with merle haggard. >> are you following the health care thing? >> sean, it's a disaster. >> i know. >> i have figured a lot of it out. >> yeah? >> i figured out the bronze

dr. regina benjamin: cigarette smoke causes immediate damage that leads to health problems, even death. r die are being replaced by a new generation of smokers. i'm dr. regina benjamin, united states surgeon general. go to cdc.gov. learn how to make our next generation tobacco-free. ♪ >>> we're doing a special edition of "pop news" this morning. we're getting ready for the biggest new year's blowout on the planet, happening in times square and right here on abc. a big part of the midnight madness is the confetti that goes nearby. >> we're testing it out. a very special pop news. a pop-in spider-man is here. the amazing spider-man 2 and our sara haines is joining us in downtown times square with the latest. hey, sara. >> we had him to put him in pop news. i'm here with spider-man and some of his friends. you met mark the director, the movie comes out may 2nd. >> yes. >> what can you say about the movie? >> spider-man having a blast at being spider-man. he'll have to face off not only the wrath of the big villainous corporation but one of the most size mattic villain lains he's played by j

dr. benjamin aaron. >> as the main head surgeon, digging through the president's chest looking for a bullet that could lodge do his brain and kill him. he tucked the president's beating heart in his hand and held it aside. a 31-year-old surgical intern literally held the beating heart of the president of the united states in his hand. >> while reagan is in surgery, the suspect, john w. hinckley jr. of evergreen, colorado, is being questioned. >> he admitted who he was. he made no attempt to hide who he was. >> the fbi and secret service have two questions. why did he do it, and, did he act alone. >> he said to them at the time you'll understand why i did this when you see my room. >> according to sources, john hinckley jr., the accused gunman, may have tried to kill mr. reagan because of an infatuation with a young actress. peoi go to angie's listt for all kinds of reasons. to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthc

dr. regina benjamin: cigarette smoke causes immediate damage that leads to health problems, even death. aced by a new generation of smokers. i'm dr. regina benjamin, united states surgeon general. go to cdc.gov. learn how to make our next generation tobacco-free. >>> this morning on "world news now," travel nightmare for pilots and for passengers stranded an entire weekend. the unforgettable ice storm and who's at risk this morning. >> south africa and the world mourn the loss of nelson mandela world leaders leave today to pay their respects in johannesburg. >>> on trial, the newlywed accused of pushing her husband off of a cliff is facing justice. the attorney's strategies as the case continues today. >>> showdown. the dispute between paris hilton and lindsay lohan. who is threatening whom and what led to a bloody scene over the weekend. it is coming up in "the skinny" on this monday, december 9th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now" with john muller and diana perez. >>> perhaps not on the calendar but the winter has finally arrived. >> oh, my gosh. in the northeast it

dr. benjamin bennie mays, a mentor to dr. martin luther king who said, "you are living by what you get. you are a life by what you give." think about that for a second. "you earn a living by what you get. you earn life by what you give." think about that and think about all the times that jeh -- jeh johnson has left the comfort of the private sector -- three times before -- so that he could give back and serve the people of our country as a leader in our government. with that in mind, i think we know what kind of leader we're getting in jeh johnson and what he will bring to the department of homeland security. i urge my colleagues -- i urge my colleagues to join me in voting today for jeh johnson. thank you, madam president. i would note, madam president, the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. sessions: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: i would ask consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sessions: madam president, i want