last year concluded the wyden bennett plan would prove revenue neutral and stiewlly start making money soon thereafter and the c.b.o. director who said so was peter orszag, now president obama's budget director. >> senator ron wyden would tax our benefits at work as if they were income. taxing health benefits, that doesn't make sense. >> to stalwart democrats, wyden-bennett is strong medicine. was a me has run ads targeting wyden. >> it's unfortunate that you can have a union arguing this healthcare plan for employees. i like this system, but by the way, the guys across the street are not getting good healthcare for their families, but that's an advantage for me, because i can tell people to come and join the union, because i have an opportunity to offer better healthcare. >> with healthcare stalled in the senate and still contentious in the house, wyden and bennett say they are hearing from lawmakers who want to take a second and third look at their proposal. james rosen, fox news. bret: the postal service is considering closing 1,000 local offices as they are struggling with a $7 bil

/benne wyden/bennett.'m pleased you joined us for that conversation and i mean that quite sincerely. i hope you will rejoin us to continue the conversation. my only point to you i understand not liking what you're looking at it even helps us more if you can say here is something better. i don't like this and here is something better. if you could do that on the 222nd, that would be fantastic. i'd like to have you talk about what you think is better rather than what your protesting is. eric odom, thank you. american liberty alliance. >>> next up on the agenda here, the chicago way in the obama administration. while congress debates health reform in public, there are reports the president is cutting his own back room deal. why are there parts of this debate that are being carried out in back room meetings if, in fact, we claim to be a democracy? >>> then rush limbaugh comparing president obama's health care program to a nazi symbol. talk of being productive. we've now gone too far. let us change directions a

or wyden/bennett. i'm sure there are three or four other options. create a different conversation? not one that is do nothing, in other words, fly the airplane into the side of the mountain and don't change course. that would be stupid. >> yes. >> or do some sort of government-run plan which gets everybody afraid we're going to become england and nobody is saying that's what we are going to do. how do you get people to focus on port ability and cost saving which is what you're trying to say you're doing? >> well, look. first of all, what you see is the hurly-burly of politics. the president i think has shown wide leadership of his principles and leaving it to congress, both houses to work out the details which he will then deal with. so we've got a house plan. we've got a wyden/bennett plan and other plans coming from the senate and we don't know what the final contours look like. two important points. first, any health care reformary talking about will deliver more choice to the american people. it's as simple as that. there will be an exchange. pe

you're looking at him here, democrat ron wyden joins us with wyden/bennett and a proposal that now is accumulating support on both sides of the aisle. one that actually focuses on how to fix health care, not simply who is paying for what is now a very inefficient system. >>> plus, the democratic national committee taking on a new ad. the president taking on the protests, quote/unquote, erupting at local town halls. details on the so-called phenomenon of uprising who many folks believe that is a produced event and a little more. we are back with senator ron wyden and their health care idea, good ones they are, indeed, after this. upbeat rock ♪ singer:wanted to get myself a new cell phone ♪ ♪ so i could hear myself as a ringtone ♪ ♪ who knew the store would go and check my credit score ♪ ♪ now all they let me have is this dinosaur ♪ ♪ hello hello hello can anybody hear me? ♪ ♪ i know i know i know i shoulda gone to ♪ ♪ free credit report dot com! ♪ that's where i shoulda gone! coulda got my knowledge on! ♪ ♪ vo: free credit score and report with enrollment in triple advtage. >>> good we

wyden. >> i. >> mr. wyden. i. mr. bennett of utah. no. mr. bayh. i. mrs. hutchison. no. mr. inhoff. no. mr. begich. i. >> they are just about to announce the final tally here. they've collected all the votes. so we're going to hear the announcement here in just a moment so we'll continue to listen. we're seeing the figure passed up from the clek there from the first row to second row, which will be passed to the presiding officer, which is al franken, and he will announce the result. what will often hold this up now if there is one or two members who came late or have not voted or changed their vote. there's a small period of time, a window of opportunity for them to do so and again, it's unclear exactly what the discussion is right now, but we expect at any moment we'll see al franken slam the gavel. >> the white house is saying judge sotomayor is going to stay out of the public view today. she's at a federal courthouse in new york watching this as well with a number of people with her. we hope to speak with someone who's with the judge and get the reaction. let's listen back in. >

first off, why did you decide to cosign wyden/bennett?like about it relative to everything else that you saw? >> it uses the private sector to drive the policy that will basically move towards resolution and control costs and expand coverage. under the wyden bill, everybody gets a type of coverage, even people who can't afford it today will be able to obtain coverage through a subsidy. under the bill, basically, we say that we're going to control out your costs by basically increasing the incentive for people to be healthier and consumers of health care. focusing on diseases, which are driving health care. and basically creating an atmosphere where there is competition for people relative to their insurance and giving them different options. you know, everybody doesn't need one size fits all insurance. >> last question. same one we asked senator grassley yesterday and you're even more interesting situation or that i guess both 6 you are in different ways. what can you do or willing to do if you see a health care plan come out of the senat

i want to mention that you worked for senator wyden back in 1992, but now, there's a lot of focus beinging to do with employers, if they offer insurance, actually paying a voucher or whatever to get insurance, that the voucher would work in a way that allows people with employment. and if you don't have employment insurance, the government would offer some sort of voucher for people making less than a certain amount of money. do you think there is anything you've heard in any of the plans, from your former employer or others, that would help you buy insurance? to make sure that when your son asks to go to the doctor, you feel like that's do able? >> you know, ron wyden is probably one of the smartest guys in congress and he's been working on health insurance and health care for as long as as i've known him. i really think that he's come up with a plan. i'm really not sure that without a public option, that would be helpful. what i do like about some of the plans i've been looking into are the consumer protections that absolutely have to be done. anybody who has a preexisting condition r

>> listen, ron wyden and bob bennett put in so much work on this. i really respect them for it. they take a different approach than most other plans. it's not employer-based health insurance. it's up to individuals to buy health insurance. i'm not going to dismiss that or any plan. i'm going to keep an open mind. we want to make sure if people have a plan today they like, they can keep it. if they want to change, they can do so. you've got to bring down the overall cost of the system. >> how do you do that if you're focussing on bringing down costs because let's face it. one reason people can't afford health insurance is because of the cost of health care. when you're in the finance committee and you're talking about how to give people health care coverage, what do you do to address the spiralling cost? >> you have to look at the whole picture. we spend twice as much on health care per person in america than any other nation on earth. large part is being wasted. things that really aren't necessary. we've got to get to the bottom line, the most effective way to keep us healthy. p

that's why senator wyden came to the cleveland clinic.r own employees. and we lowered that a substantial amount by getting in fact food that is healthier identified easier for them. offering free physical activity. and encouraging it. by changing the way we address stress and free tobacco cessation. just as dr. weil said, it's not a protein pump prohibiter, it's changing diet or at least treat it with diet sloon or exercise alone. those are really keys. for 16 years, we've shown if you do those four things healthy, you decrease both the cross and the incidence of chronic disease by 80% to 90%. >> this is a subject very close to dr. gupta's heart, as we know. sanjay, what can we do? so much of the medical costs would go away if people just listened. they exercised. they ate properly. they didn't smoke. things that everyone knows they have to do but people system do it. what can the country do to force people to straighten out their lives because billions and billions of dollars would be saved. and their lives would be -- they would live a

we have a million people in our plan for the wyden household. that that's a lot of people. i don't think we will have it that big for the rest of our country and will try? are you not voting for any public option or are you still open to that? >> i am making it clear what i am mostly interested in is holding down premiums and holding down costs. i think the best model is the one we have found in our healthy americans act, which is to insure all of our people have these private sector choices like members of congress. if people have other idea, i'm willing to look at them. we have a model that works, low administrative costs lots of bargaining power and real clout for individuals in the marketplace. >> tanya. >> senator, given the fact most americans have to rely on the public conversation to get information about these reform efforts, are you worried the proponents of reform will simply be outspent as that conversation is skewed in favor of anti-reform interests? >> certainly, there will be a lot of spending on all sized. my real concern is closing the sale this summer with

you have the bennett-wyden bill, bennett from utah, joined on 14 cosponsors of the bill. >> i want tor your description of ron wyden. >> he is a liberal member of the senate from oregon but the definite sill in the details. five republicans on the by, a companion bill introduced by anna eschew. >> how much does it cost? >> that's deficit neutral over ten years. >> it's been scored by the cbo. >> scored by the cbo and no one wants to talk about it because it's deficit neutral. >> no the president says very clearly, it's the only kind of bill he will sign. >> he's not interested in that because, of course, it doesn't -- >> help us out here. >> well, here's the thing about that proposal, though. that proposal is a proposal that will actually switch us, will move us from an employer-based system to a different system and i think it actually is a proposal that's very admirable in many respects, but i think the problem is when republicans have been arguing against obama-care, they've been focusing on fear, what people will lose. but if we move toward some other system that's going to be mor

jon: i guess that senator wyden is on the senate finance committee.sn't his committee take up his own idea? quote there was some thought that it might back in may. there was a committee hearing by the finance committee examining health care reform. when senator wyden tried to draw attention to the plan, the chairman of the committee who has been the leader of the gang of six in the senate that is negotiating health care reform said more or less that this bill is never going to happen. as we learn from time to time on capitol hill, it is not senators who run the united states senate, it is committee chairman and their staffs. jon: thank you very much, james rosen. jane: we want to show you a new video out of massachusetts. this gas leak has been making people sick at a trash facility in bedford. the area has been sealed off. fumes knocked it least 10 people out. we're hearing some kind of chemical reaction may be to blame their. the exact cause is under investigation. now to a frightening accident in the state of arizona. police say that more than a do

joining me now is oregon senator ron wyden. plan that has been unable to get any traction so far and might we end up through a series of compromises it's going to be important to close the deal with the insured. that wasn't done in 1993, 1994. that's the big job for the summer. we give the opportunity for the republicans and democrats to get that done. we say that everybody can go into a big group like members of congress can. the insurance companies can't discriminate against you. you have a lot of leverage and will be able to get that cash in your pocket. >> so are you hanging on to the idea that might what come of the deliberations and which is the only by partisan support so far? >> i have never said, larry, that it is my way or the highway. what i do know is that you've got more than 160 million people. i don't think all of them are sitting around with their calculators, by any means, but they want to know how this is going to pencil out for them. and i keep coming back to the fact that, members of congress, if you're in d

it would add for more competition and more consumer choice. >> wyden/bennett which i bring up all the plan that may or may not have a co-op in it but what do you think? >> i think we need to be talking about a public option and why that is important. >> isn't that competitive, too, though? >> no. >> protecting the health insurance companies, un-american and anti-competitive isn't it equally anti-competitive for the government to step into the marketplace in this way with a public option and co-op or other aspect? >> co-op, the part of the problem is a lot of questions they haven't worked out who sets the standards and port ability. with a public option basically what you're saying is the people have a choice. i mean, similarly -- >> how does that affect cost? we're evaluating based on port ability, patient choice and cost. >> if i can get quality health care at a lower cost over here, the insurance companies which currently hold a monopoly are forced to look at not what is driven by their profits but by delivering good, quality, affordable services. >> what if we were simply to break

care all year long and did mine over the fourth of july recess and also am the house sponsor of the wydent. with concrete examples of legislation that might work, that doesn't cost money, we've got a lot of work to do, but just saying no is not going to work. i don't think the american people want that. i think they want to try to see us working together, both sides, and trying to come up with some compromises. and that is what we do in missouri. it is, as the senator said, a 50/50 state and you really have to work together. our congressional delegations do that and i think that the american people want us to represent them responsibly and effectively and if we don't work together, then we're not doing our jobs. >> joanne, this is angela bert-murray, carlos' co-host to do. you say people are asking for their government to be more responsible and answer to what they want. what are the three things you're hearing from people, you know, just to cut through the rhetoric and yelling and screaming at the town halls, what are the top three things you think people really want the administration t

isn't that what people like ron wyden want to do and his republican colleague? >> it is. and, chris, i met with the president two weeks ago, and i appreciate it. i have been to meetings that you can't imagine the number of meetings i have been to on health care. i do not understand why the president will not sit down with leadership and focus on this very sensible solution. the other piece, chris, is taking $400 billion out of medicare, which is we all know insolvent. the trustees have told us it's going to be insolvent in 2017. taking money away from medicare, not doing the doc fix. you see us each year looking for ways to pay providers so they won't be cut by 21%, not even dealing with that, but using this money to leverage a whole new program is not even sensible. there are extremes being discussed on both sides. i think we could come together and do something in september that makes a lot of sense and does not create budget deficits. i really do. >> are you one of those that wants to see a health care bill passed this year? >> i do. i campaigned on it. i was the commi

we have the bipartisan wyden-bennett plan, and then we have the plan i'm going to spend a lot of time talking about. that is the p.h.s. plan. in listening to my colleagues as they speak on the floor of the senate, television, talk radio, newspapers and from private meetings, one thing is clear. they think the plan we'll end up with will be the p.h.s. plan. they think a combination of those who want no health care reform and those who like none of the proposed plans will combine to kill all other plans. so, madam president, what is the p.h.s. plan? our present health care system. let's look at what will happen to average americans if we keep our present health care system. first, americans' health care insurance costs will explode. that's not an overstatement. explode. the average family in america can look forward to praoepl costs for health insurance of more than $24,000 a year by 2016. that is an 83% increase over the cost in 2008. in my home state of delaware, the cost will be even higher, with the average premium for family coverage approaching $29,000. at that amount, more than h

you ask me what i'd do 10 years from now, i take the ron wyden fake.trying to get the system where everybody, low income, high income, seniors, commercial sector are looking at a choice of the same basic plans and what you subsidize that depends on your income level is much more rational than the balkanized mess we have today. host: a philosophical comment on what mr. scully just said? caller: well, i think, again, it's been very illuminating to watch -- guest: well, i think, again, it's been very illuminating to watch the health care debate. because patients suffer when there's no coordination, when there's no assumption of responsibility in the health care system. and yet the fear that americans appear to have of having anyone in charge of the health care system is very real and not entirely misplaced. and until we can really have sort of an honest, calm political discussion about how much we want to avoid making decisions or taking responsibilities for some of these issues so that everyone and every doctor can do whatever he pleases, even at the eno

you ask me what i'd do 10 years from now, i take the ron wyden fake.g to get the system where everybody, low income, high income, seniors, commercial sector are looking at a choice of the same basic plans and what you subsidize that depends on your income level is much more rational than the balkanized mess we have today. host: a philosophical comment on what mr. scully just said? caller: well, i think, again, it's been very illuminating to watch -- guest: well, i think, again, it's been very illuminating to watch the health care debate. because patients suffer when there's no coordination, when there's no assumption of responsibility in the health care system. and yet the fear that americans appear to have of having anyone in charge of the health care system is very real and not entirely misplaced. and until we can really have sort of an honest, calm political discussion about how much we want to avoid making decisions or taking responsibilities for some of these issues so that everyone and every doctor can do whatever he pleases, even at the enormous

jonathan capehart's point there is not a clear proposal to have one over and wyden/bennett which is notll burton is, the white house press secretary is joining us now. >> hi, dylan. thanks for having me. >> let's talk about the rationing. right now, the insurance companies decide at a certain point in time what they are willing to pay for and not willing to pay for. anybody who is paying for health care who is not me, if i'm the patient, at some point, will decide we're not going to pay for you to get x, y, z any more. i guess the fear the government will be more aggressive in rationing but totally unclear whether any foundation for that. will do you a comparison contrast between insurance company rationing and a version what you think the obama administration would like to see? >> i think there is misinformation about here about this notion that the government is looking to ration health care. as you stated, right now, the only people who are making any kind of decisions related to health care ration are the insurance companies. what the president is saying we need to provide people mo

if there is not a public option, if you go with something like wyden/bennett, port ability, choice, all, the unions lose their power to attract new members because their benefit of better benefits goes away. is it not self-serving for the unions to claim to be in favor of a particular health care option when all they are really in favor of or all they really are is against any health care reform that would diminish their ability to enlist new members even if it comes at the country's expense? >> absolutely. the labor unions right now simply exist for one reason, to self-perpetuate receiving union dues and having political influence. i think it's absolutely amazing to watch the clip from the show last night where this guy is saying that president obama, i'm strong-arming you, buddy. and my answer to this would be they are showing themselves to be as ridiculous as many members of the american public think they are. what happened to pragmatism? what happened to competition and what actually happened to winning? maybe it would be great for the democratic party to lose the support of labor u

wyden/benefit nell bill i bring up a lot.>> what is interesting is, obviously, this gop strategy to create these disruptions and the misinformation going out as congressman dingell was showing they are trying to press the buttons about things like abortion and who gets control and particularly when it comes to -- sarah palin had ridiculous comments over the weekend. >> you mean the death panel? >> right. >> if that isn't scary, i don't know what will be. >> talking to one doctor in particular, dr. dean, what is in fact, in the bill is what happens now and that is that should be a conversation and a decision between the doctor and the patient. doctors have those kinds of conversations with their patients all the time and what they are saying is we want to make sure we keep those decisions. but that's not the information that's getting out, obviously. >> dylan, part of the problem here is that we're still not dealing with a final bill. we're still dealing with proposals and, yes, various bills in the house and senate finance co

you ask me what i'd do 10 years from now, i take the ron wyden fake.rying to get the system where everybody, low income, high income, seniors, commercial sector are looking at a choice of the same basic plans and what you subsidize that depends on your income level is much more rational than the balkanized mess we have today. host: a philosophical comment on what mr. scully just said? caller: well, i think, again, it's been very illuminating to watch -- guest: well, i think, again, it's been very illuminating to watch the health care debate. because patients suffer when there's no coordination, when there's no assumption of responsibility in the health care system. and yet the fear that americans appear to have of having anyone in charge of the health care system is very real and not entirely misplaced. and until we can really have sort of an honest, calm political discussion about how much we want to avoid making decisions or taking responsibilities for some of these issues so that everyone and every doctor can do whatever he pleases, even at the enor

i swlowed my fear and we stepped up to the sheep garden store wyden arch. we excnged our bows on the banks of force a weitz ensign dimare the degette and add their nameto the city registry and with the k said was official. in skness and in health, and war and peace we were wed. in quickunz crib ceremy by live began erratical ship, not just from singleton to wife but from free flowing civilianship to tilin spouse. the household member who c's the pls goes a long ereever the army since the soldier. the day i really became an army wife carried the mark of bureaucratic flourish when i receive my military i.d. otherwise known as my dear scarred, t tents enrollment eligibility reporting system card. with our mage to degte in hand mic and i went to the schwin office at fort meade where thelerk readed us gormley. mike said she is here for her dependent id. the clerk shook her head and said no, we don't call spouses dependents anymore. the stereotype mitary spouses at divisibly pass dot appen@ant low geppart bypassed the the necessary paperwork r the my social secur

that is wyden convener rulemaking committee. want to make sure that the answers we get as working men and women aviators are actually the right rules. rulemaking not only this one size not fit all but it is absolutely unsafe to think that it can. therefore we have a pretty close scrutiny in this rulemaking process. the early look at the flight time and do the time so far is progressing well. they are looking at the subject of the tiegs science which is something new, bringing signs into the rulemaking which i highly applaud. they are looking to see the difference in our limitations again, based on scientific data as they go through this process. they have presented physiological concepts of time in flight time in dooby and rats limitations and how they ferry. we have now definitions of duty and rest. captains authority and reserve all being considered by this committee. the scientists who specialize in fatigued have made presentations about sleep operative tunis. all of these things including suki and rhythms and potential sched

let me do for now to josh lamel who oversees all of our telecom work, was an adviser to senator ron wyden on the hill for a number of years. and he leaves our committee effort to there. >> well, i think -- on th so the are a couple of things you. i think first, the first part of the question is the basic answer why does rural america, small-town america need broadband? why do we want, where is it going, why are we going to the 50000 person town's. i think there are a lot of recent. i think first and foremost for the residents of that counter the competitive in the 21st century job market, for the education to be competitive they need broadband. we are at a point in terms of when we talk about this broader debate around u.s. competitiveness where, if you do not understand and know how to use the services you get because of broadband you are left behind in this world. and you're not going to be creating a competitive workforce dish you are not creating a competitive workforce for 2005, when loan for 2025 and 2050. i think that is important. it bring huge economic efficiencies to these commu