Hello, boston its good to be back in boston. Its good to be back in boston, because one of americas best governors introduced me, devalue deval patrick. Its good to see bill keating here. Give bill a big round of applause. I want to praise somebody not here, just left him. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He loves this city so much, and it shows in what he has been doing for years now, one of americas best mayors, tom menino. And its good to see all of you i was just at the airport, deval was kind enough to meet me with may are menino, and mayor menino went back to work so he could wrapup in time for the first pitch. I understand. I am well aware that a president ial visit is not the biggest thing going on today in boston. I understand that. I tried to grow a beard. But michelle, she wasnt having it. I am also old enough to remember a time when the red sox were not in the world series three times in ten years. But i know the chance to win one at home for the First Time Since 1918 is a pretty special thing. So i promise, we will be done here in time for everybody to head over to fenway and maybe see big papi blast another homer. Maybe the other sox will do better next year. Im just you know, you can hope. You can dream. The reason im here, though, is because this is the hall where seven years ago, democrats and republicans came together. To make Health Care Reform a reality for the people of massachusetts. Its where then governor mitt romn romney, democratic legislators, senator ted kennedy, many of the folks who are here today, joined forces to connect the progressive vision of health care for all with some ideas about markets and competition that had long been championed by conservatives. And as deval just said, it worked. It worked mr. President health care [ heckling ] okay. Okay. Were talking about health care today. But we will mr. President [ heckling ] [ booing ] no, no, no. Its okay. That is the wrong rally we had the Climate Change rally back in the summer this is the health care rally. Now so Health Care Reform in this state was a success. That doesnt mean it was perfect right away. There were early problems to solve. There were changes that had to be made. Anybody here who was involved in it can tell you that. As deval just said, enrollment was extremely slow. Within a month, only about 100 people had signed up. 100. But then 2,000 had signed up. Ask then a few more thousand after that. And by the end of the year, 36,000 people had signed up. And the community all came together. You even had the red sox helping enlist people to get them covered. And pretty soon, the number of young uninsured people had plummeted. When recession struck. The Financial Security of health care sheltered families from deeper hardship. And today, there is nearly universal coverage in massachusetts. And the vast majority of its citizens are happy with their coverage. And, by the way, all of the parade of horribles, the worst predictions about Health Care Reform in massachusetts never came true. Theyre the same arguments that youre hearing now. Businesses built stop covering workers. The share of employers who offered insurance increased. People didnt get left behind. Racial disparities decreased. Care didnt become unaffordable. Costs tracked. What was happening in other places that wasnt covering everybody. Now, mitt romney and i ran a long and Spirited Campaign against one another. But ive always believed that when he was governor, here in massachusetts, he did the right thing on health care. And then deval did the right thing by picking up the torch and working to make the law work even better. And its because you guys had a proven model that we built the Affordable Care act on this template of proven bipartisan success. Your law was the model for the nations law. So lets look at whats happened. Today the Affordable Care act requires Insurance Companies to abide by some of the strongest Consumer Protections this country has ever known. A true patients bill of rights. No more did he say crim naturing against kids with preexisting conditions. Scriminating against kids with preexisting conditions. No more dropping your policy when you get sick and need it most. No more lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits. Most plans now have to cover free preventive care, like mammograms and birth control. Young people can stay on their parents plans until they turn 26. All of this is in place right now. It is working right now. Now, the last element of this began on october 1st. So when the Affordable Care act created a new marketplace for quality, private insurance plans for the 15 or so of americans who dont have health care. And for the 5 of americans who have to buy it on their own and theyre not part of a group. Which means they dont get as good a deal. And this new marketplace was built on the massachusetts model. It allows these americans who have been locked out to get a better deal from insurers. Theyre pooling their purchasing power as one big group. And insurers want their business. Which means they give them a better deal. And they compete for that business. And as a result, insurers in the marketplace, they cant use your medical history to charge you more. If youve been sick, you finally have the same chance to buy Quality Affordable Health Care as everybody else. A hot of people will qualify for new tax credits under this law, that will bring down costs even further. So that if you lose your job, or you start a new business, or youre selfemployed or youre a young person trying several jobs until you find that one that sticks. Youre going to be able to be insured. Insurance that goes with you. And gives you freedom to pursue whatever you want. Without fear that accident or illness will derail your dreams. This marketplace is open now. Insurance companies are competing for that business. The deal is good, the prices are low. But lets face it, weve had a problem. A website hasnt worked the way its supposeded to. Over these last couple of weeks. And as a consequence, a lot of people havent had a chance to see just how good the prices for Quality Health insurance through these marketplaces really are. Now ultimately, this website, healthcare. Gov, will be the easiest way to shop for and buy these new plans, because you can see all these plans right next to each other and compare prices and see what kind of coverage it provides. But, look, there is no denying it. Right now the website is too slow, too many people have gotten stuck. And i am not happy about it. And neither are a lot of americans who need health care and theyre trying to figure out how they can sign up as quickly as possible. So theres no excuse for it. And i take full responsibility for making sure it gets fixed asap. We are working overtime to improve it every day. Every day. And more people are successfully buying these new plans online than they were a couple weeks ago. And i expect more people will be able to buy conveniently online every single day as we move forward. Were going to get these problems resolved. Now, in the meantime, you can still apply for coverage over the phone or mail or by person. Because those plans are waiting. And youre still able to get the kind of affordable, reliable Health Insurance thats been out of reach for too many people for too long. So i am old enough to remember when there was not such a thing as a website. I know that i know thats shocking to people. But the point is, im confident these marketplaces will work. Because massachusetts has shown that the model works. And we know whats being offered by these insurers. We know its going to work. And so far, choice and competition in the new national marketplaces have helped keep costs lower than even we projected. In fact, nearly half of all single uninsured 18 to 34yearolds may be able to buy insurance for 50 bucks a month or less. Less than your cell phone bill. Less than your cable bill. And one study shows nearly 6 in 10 uninsured americans may find coverage for 100 bucks a month or less. Even if theyre older than 34. And frankly, if every governor was working as hard as deval, or governor omalley in maryland or Governor Cuomo in new york, to make this law work for their citizens as opposed to thinking politically, about 8 in 10 americans would be getting Health Insurance for less than a hundred bucks a month. And, by the way, its not just in massachusetts. Look at kentucky. Governor steve beshear, who is a democrat, is like a man possessed with helping more people get covered. He thinks its the right thing to do. Keep in miamidade, mind, did i not win in kentucky. But there are a lot of uninsured people in kentucky. And theyre signing up. Oregon has covered 10 of its uninsured citizens already because of the Affordable Care act. 10 of the uninsured have already been covered. Arkansas. I didnt win that state either. Covered almost 14 of its uninsured already. Thats already happened. And youve got some republican governors like governor casich of ohio who have put politics aside. And theyre expanding medicaid through this law to cover millions of people. Unfortunately, there are others that are so locked into the politics of this thing, they wont lift a finger to help their own people. And thats leaving millions of americans uninsured, unnecessarily. Thats a shame. Because if they put as much energy into making this law work as they do in attacking the law americans would be better off. Ericans would be better off. So thats the Affordable Care act. Better protections for americans with insurance, a new marketplace for americans without insurance. New tax credits to help folks afford it. More choice, more competition. Real health care security. Not just for the uninsured, or underinsured, but for all of us, because we pay more in premiums and taxes when americans without good insurance visit the emergency room. We get taxed. And since we all benefit, there are parts of this law that also require everybody to contribute. They require everybody to take some measure of responsibility. So to help pay for the law, the wealthiest americans, families who make more than 250,000 a year, have to pay a little more. The most expensive Health Insurance plans no longer qualify for unlimited tax breaks. Some folks arent happy about that, but its the right thing to do. Just like in massachusetts, most people who can afford Health Insurance have to take responsibility to buy Health Insurance or pay a penalty. And employers with more than 50 employees are required to either provide Health Insurance to their workers or pay a penalty. Again, because they shouldnt just dump off those costs on to the rest of us. Everybody has got some responsibilities. Now, it is also true that some americans who have Health Insurance plans that they bought on their own through the old individual market are getting notices from their Insurance Companies suggesting that somehow because of the Affordable Care act, they may be losing their existing Health Insurance plans. This has been the latest flurry in the news. Because theres been a lot of confusion and misinformation about this, i want to explain just whats going on. One of the Things Health reform was designed to do was to help not only the uninsured but also the underinsured. And there are a number of americans, fewer than 5 of americans, who have got cutrate plans that dont offer real financial protection in the event of a serious illness or an accident. Remember, before the Affordable Care act, these bad apple insurers had free rein. Every single year to limit the care that you received, or use minor preexisting conditions to jack up your premiums or bill you into bankruptcy. So a hot of people thought they were buying coverage, and it turned out not to be so good. Before the Affordable Care act, the worst of these plans routinely dropped thousands of americans every single year. And on average, premiums for folks who stayed in their plans for more than a year shot up about 15 a year. This wasnt just bad for those folks who were had these policies. It was bad for all of us. Because, again, when Tragedy Strikes and folks cant pay their medical bills, everybody else picks up the tab. Now, if you had one of these substandard plans before the Affordable Care act became law, and you really liked that plan, you were able to keep it. Thats what i said when i was running for office. That was part of the promise we made. But ever since the law was passed, if insurers decided to downgrade on cancel these substandard plans, we said under the law, youve got to replace them with quality, comprehensive coverage. Because that too was a central premise of the Affordable Care act. From the very beginning. And today that promise means that every plan in the marketplace covers a corset of minimum benefits like Maternity Care and Preventative Care and Prescription Drug benefits and hospitalization. And they cant use allergies or pregnancy or a sports injury or the fact that youre a woman to charge you more. They cant do that anymore. They cant do that anymore. If you couldnt afford coverage because your child had asthma, well, hes not covered. If you are one of the 45 million americans with a mental illness, youre covered. If youre expecting a baby, youre covered, safer. The system is more secure for you and its more secure for everybody. So if youre getting one of these letters, just shop around in the new marketplace. Thats what its for. Because of the tax credits were offering and the competition the key stone pipeline for our generation the because the tax credits that were offering and the competition between insurers, most people are going to be able to get better comprehensive Health Care Plans for the same price or even cheaper than projected. Youre going to get a better deal. Now, theres a fraction of americans with higher incomes who will pay more on the front end for better insurance with better benefits, and protections like the patients bill of rights. And that will actually save them from financial ruin if they get sick. But nobody is losing their right to health care coverage. And no Insurance Company will be able to deny you coverage or drop you as a customer all together. Those days are over. And thats the truth. That is the truth. So for people without Health Insurance, theyre finally going to be able to get it. For the vast majority of people who have Health Insurance that works, you can keep it. For the fewer than 5 of americans who buy insurance on your own, you will be getting a better deal. So anyone peddling the notion that insurers are cancelling peoples plan without mentioning that almost all the insurers are encouraging people to join better plans with the same carrier and stronger benefits and stronger protections, while others will be able to get better plans are new carriers through the marketplace, and then many will get new help to pay for these better plans and make them actually cheaper, if you leave that stuff out, youre being grossly misled. To say the least. But frankly, look. You saw this in massachusetts. This is one of the challenges of Health Care Reform. Health care is complicated and very personal. And its easy to scare folks. And its no surprise that some of the same folks trying to scare people now are the same folks who have been trying to sink the Affordable Care act from the beginning. You know and frankly, i dont understand it. Providing people with health care, that should be a nobrainer. Giving people a chance to get health care should be a nobrainer. And ive said before, folks have actually good ideas, better ideas, than whats happening in massachusetts, or what weve proposed, for providing people with Health Insurance, id be happy to listen. But thats not whats happening. And anyone defending the remnants of the old broken system, as if it was working for people, anybody who thinks we shouldnt finish the job of making the Health Care System work for everybody, especially when these folks offer no plan for the uninsured or the underinsured or folks who lose their insurance each year. Those folks should have to explain themselves. Because i dont think we should go back to discriminating against kids with preexisting conditions. I dont think we should go back i dont think we should go back to dropping coverage for people when they get sick or because they make a mistake on their application. I dont think we should go back to the daily cruelties and indignities and constant insecurity of a broken Health Care System. And im confident most americans agree with me. The Health Care System is complicated and if its hard to do in one state, its harder to do in all 50 states. Especially when the governors in a bunch of states and half of the congress arent trying to help. Yeah. Its hard, but its worth it. It is the right thing to do. And were going to keep moving forward. We are going to keep working to improve the law, just like you did here in massachusetts. We are just going to keep on working at it. Were going to grind it out. Just like you did here in massachusetts. And, by the way, just like we did when the Prescription Drug program for seniors, known as Medicare Part d was passed, by a republican president a decade ago. That Health Care Law had some early challenges, as well. There were even problems with the website. And democrats werent happy with a lot of the aspects of the law, because in part, it added hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit. It wasnt paid for, unlike the Affordable Care act, which will actually help lower the deficit. But you know what, once it was the law, everybody pitched in to try to make it work. Democrats werent about to punish millions of seniors, just to try to make a point or settle a score. So democrats worked with republicans to make it work. And im proud of democrats for having done that. It was the right thing to do. Because now because now about 90 of seniors like what they have. Theyve gotten a better deal. Both parties working together to get the job done. Thats what we need in washington right now. Thats what we need in washington right now. You know, if republicans in congress were as eager to help americans get covered, as some republican governors have shown themselves to be, we would make progress. Im not asking them to agree with me on everything. But if they would work with us like mitt romney did, working with democrats in massachusetts, or like ted kennedy often did with republicans in congress, including on the Prescription Drug bill, we would be a lot further along. So the point is, we may have political disagreements. We do. Deep ones. In some cases, weve got fundamentally different visions about where we should take the country. But the people who elect us to serve, they shouldnt pay the price for those disagreements. Most americans dont see things through a political lens or an ideological lens. This debate has never been about right or left. Its been about the helplessness that a parent feels when she cant cover a sick child. Or the impossible choices a Small Business faces between covering his employees or keeping his doors open. I want to give you just i want to close with an example. A person named allen schaeffer, hes from pratsburg, new york. And hes got a story to tell about sacrifice, about giving up his own health care to save the woman he loves. So allen wrote to me last week. And he told me a story. Four years ago, his wife, jan, who happens to be a nurse, was struck with cancer. And she had to stop working. And then halfway through her chemo, her employer dropped coverage for both of them. And allen is selfemployed. Hes got an antique business. So he had to make sure his wife had coverage, obviously, in the middle of cancer treatment. So he went without insurance. Now, the great news is today jan is cancerfree. She is on medicare. But allen has been uninsured ever since. Until last week. When he sat down when he sat down at a computer and im sure after multiple tries signed up for a new plan under the Affordable Care act. Coverage that can never be taken away if he gets sick. So i just want to read you what he said in this letter. He says, ive got to tell you, ive never been so happy to pay a bill in my entire life. When you dont have insurance at my age, it can really feel like a time bomb waiting to go off. The sense of relief from knowing i can live out my days longer and healthier, thats just a tremendous weight off my shoulders. So two days later, allen goes over to his buddy bills house. He sits bill down, and his wife diana, at their computer. And after several tries allen helped lift that weight from their shoulders by helping them to sign up for a new plan also. And compared to their current plan, it cost less than half as much and covers more. See, thats why we committed ourselves to this cause. For allen and jan and for bill, diana. For annie. For anyone who wrote letters and shared stories and knocked on doors. Because they believed what can happen here in massachusetts could happen all across the country. And for them, and for you, we are going to see this through. Were going to see this through. We are going to see this through. This hall is home to some of the earliest debates over the nature of our government. The appropriate size, the appropriate role of our government. And those debates continue today, and thats helping. There are debates about the role of the individual. And society and rugged individualism, and our sense of self reliance. Our devotion to the kind of freedoms whose first shot rang out not far from here. But there are also debates tempered by a recognition that were all in this together. And that when hardship strikes, and it could strike any of us at any moment, were there for one another. And that as a country, we can accomplish great things that we cant accomplish alone. We believe that. We believe that. And those sentiments those sentiments are expressed in a painting right here in this very hall. Liberty and union. Now and forever. One and inacceptable. In separatable. Thats what Health Care Reform oh is about. Thats what america is about. We are in this together, and we are going to see it through. Thank you, god bless you. God bless the United States of america. Youve been listening to the president speaking from bostons historic annual hall, the same spot where the president s onetime rival, mitt romney, he mentioned it himself, signed massachusetts Health Care Law in 2006. And the president this afternoon used the success of that law to champion its bipartisan spirit and to try and boost Public Confidence in the Affordable Care act. Which, of course, used Massachusetts Law as a model. He called it grossly misleading this widespread claim of people losing coverage under the law. And the president urged patience with the laws troubled rollout, citing the many months of low enrollment in massachusetts, and vowed that ultimately, the Affordable Care act will offer Americans Health care access and security, like they have never known it before. His speech comes the same day as i said earlier, that health and Human Services secretary, kathleen sebelius, faced intense grilling from house lawmakers on everything from coverage for those in the private market to those website glitches. Nbcs Kristen Welker is traveling with the president , and she joins us now. Kristen, that was an upbeat and confident president , defining this law in the context of it being something for all americans to commit to. Because, as he said, thats what we are. We can do this, were in this together, we can accomplish great things that we alone cannot accomplish. Right. I think thats right, martin. And the headline here today is what you pointed out at the top, which is that president obama really responding to some of that criticism that hes gotten recently for saying that if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. A lot of people getting notices in the mail saying that their plan is going to be cancelled, that their plans might be shifted over to new plans. Thats happening, because their plans dont meet the new standards that the president s Health Care Law requires. Things like coverage for materni maternity, hospital visits, Prescription Drug coverage. Mental Health Coverage. So president obama today Preventative Care, mammograms. Yeah, all ten, actually. Ten new things that are required under the president s Health Care Law that werent required before. So thats why you have thousands of people getting those letters. And the president really defending that today, saying, look, this law was always meant to help the uninsured, but also the underinsured. And hes making the case that those folks fall into that category. That will be about 5 of people, and the white house says, look, 50 of those will also get subsidies. So thats really the takeaway here. One other point, martin, on a much lighter note. The president noted that his visit was not the biggest thing in town today. Of course, theres also game six of the world series, which will take place tonight. Martin . Actually, kristen, you being in boston is the most important thing today. Thank you so much, Kristen Welker. Lets get right to our panel in bethlehem, pennsylvania, msnbc contributor, Professor James peterson. In los angeles is democratic strategist, Professor Bob shrum. And in washington is former minnesota governor and 2012 president ial candidate, mr. Tim pawlenty. And i would like to start with you, mr. Pawlenty. You know mitt romney well. There the president was, praising the effectivaneness of Massachusetts Health coverage that was signed into law in 2 it,000 and making the point that in the first month, only about 123 had signed up. By the end of the year, it was in the thousands. Did he make the case . Well, martin, good afternoon to you, and the president , of course, noted some of the similarities between the massachusetts plan and the Affordable Care act. And but there are also some important differences. He noted that in massachusetts it was done on a bipartisan basis. Of course, in washington, d. C. , it wasnt. In massachusetts and we know why that is, dont we, sir . Yeah, in massachusetts. We do know why that is, dont oh we, because the president repeatedly referenced the fact that governors in various states and half of congress are doing absolutely nothing to help the rollout of the Affordable Care act. Of course, martin. But the point is, simply, there are some significant differences and we can go through them if you want. But i think on the main point of the day, which is these individuals indicating theyre being dropped from their insurance, the president said, look, yeah, some people are being dropped. But theyre being required to be made available to them better insurance with more coverage. And i think some of the concerns the individuals have is, yes, the policy theyre getting may cover more things, but some of those things they dont need. For example, if youre not a smoker or not in need of Mental Health services but yet youre paying for that scope of coverage, it can become more expensive. So i think thats one of the main issues thats been in the news the last few days. But as to massachusetts and the Affordable Care act, there are some similarities, and theres obviously some differences. Professor bob shrum, your reaction to the president. First of all, its very interesting listening to governor pawlenty, because i dont understand how anybody can know that theyre not going to be in need of Mental Health services. Thats precisely the point. People dont know when this is going to happen to them, when Something Like that is going to be needed. And thats why you ought to have insurance cover it all. Secondly, i thought the president today was not only confident, its the best explanation ive heard of the Affordable Care act from him, since it passed. Thirdly, im kind of stunned by this controversy over the 5 of people who are in the individual marketplace now. The republicans have actually ended up in the position of defending Health Insurance that doesnt actually insure health. That allows people to be thrown off. And as the president said, most of these folks are going to get policies that are better. And as he said, in most cases, theyre going to be cheaper. So it seems to me, the president made a very, very powerful case today, and i only wish he could do it over and over and over again. And he may have to. He may. Professor peterson, were you solved with t satisfied with th way the president explained that during the period prior to the Affordable Care act becoming law, that people were not going to be dropped from their policies, but subsequent to that, because there was now a higher base level expected across the board for Health Insurance, they might well be dropped, but many of these policies literally were worthless. Right. I think thats one of the headlines here today, actually, martin. That the president took on his critics directly, you know there are news channels and radio programs mounting this campaign, using what i think amounts to anecdotal information to try to suggest that the entire Affordable Care act doesnt work, when in actuality, this is a smaller percentage of that 5 that will be removed from their current policies and will have an option to get into the marketplace to get something a little bit better. But what i loved most about the speech, martin, is the emphasis on Civic Responsibility. Because i think at the end of the day, thats the argument that we should as americans all come to the table with in terms of Affordable Care act. Thats the reason why, by the way, we needed a public option, to make it more competitive and those rural areas where competition in the marketplaces wont be as strong as it is in places like new york and california. But at the end of the day, i think thats the most important argument. There is a Civic Responsibility here. I want to live in a nation where everyone is involved oh and everyone spreads the risk of Health Insurance so that we can become a healthier nation. I want to live in a nation where we have Preventative Health care, where Mental Health is accessible and the Affordable Care act provides those things. We can talk about the devil in the details all day long. But i love the Civic Responsibility argument. Governor pawlenty, may i ask you, what is your advice to republicans now . They have been fighting this for the past four years. We have had 42, 43 votes in the house. Isnt the president right . That what we should now do is what ted kennedy did in massachusetts. When mitt romney, your good friend, proposed a change like this. Is it not incumbent on republicans now to say, okay, lets work to make this work . Why not for the good of their party, but for the good of American People . Well, martin, i think of course, for the president , this is a legacy level accomplishment in his agenda, and with a democratic senate, theyre not going to be making any significant changes to the Affordable Care act. Even though he said some were made, by the way, in massachusetts. But in any event, for the republicans, while they may aspire to changes or repeal, thats not possible or practical in the near term. And so they threatened to do it and take the country into the fiscal abyss. But when they got to that abyss and the president didnt blink, of course, they had to back down. So i think they played that card, and dont have any real leverage at the moment to get any significant changes or repeal in the Affordable Care act. Sir, i wish that Speaker John Boehner was listening to what you said. Governor tim pawlenty, professor peterson, professor shrum, thank you all so much. Coming up, reaction to the president s speech from both sides of the aisle. Well start with a democrat, congressman charlie rangel. Stay with us. My name is mike and i quit smoking. Chantix. Its a nonnicotine pill. I didnt want nicotine to give up nicotine. [ male announcer ] along with support, Chantix Varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. [ mike ] when i was taking the chantix, it reduced the urge to smoke. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. If you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. Tell your doctor about any history of depression or other Mental Health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. Dont take chantix if youve had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. If you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be lifethreatening. 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You need some campbells chunky soup before todays big game, new chunky cheeseburger. Mmm. I love cheeseburgers. I know you do. When did you get this place . When i negotiated your new contract, it was part of the deal. Cool. [ male announcer ] campbells chunky soup. It fills you up right. And by the way, all the parade of horribles, the worst predictions about Health Care Reform in massachusetts never came true. Theyre the same arguments that youre hearing now. Dejavu all over again. The president speaking just moments ago in boston about a attacks against the Affordable Care act and point south weve heard them all before back when massachusetts enacted its own Health Reforms in 2006. Joining us now is representative charles rangel, a democrat of new york. Sir, i hope that you were listening to the president , as we just were. What is your reaction to his defense of the Affordable Care act and his explanation that he was not lying to anybody when he said that people would not be thrown off their Health Coverage . I never felt more proud of the president. For over four decades, ive been fighting, hoping, wishing, that all americans would have access to Affordable Health care. And i have to really pinch myself that this president is the defending attacks against the plan by republicans. Im elated that we passed it into law. The Supreme Court now guarantees that 30 Million People that couldnt afford or couldnt gain access will have the pride, the dignity and the ability to provide safety in terms of health care for their family. As far as defending and talking about republicans, i wish i could truly understand why they have this political death wish, except looking back at history, you would find that under the scope of too big a government, except when they need assistance for earthquakes and floods and other disasters invasions of iraq. Exactly. And want to bring democracy to people that have no idea how to spell it, other than that, theyre against big government. Other than getting their medicare benefits, theyre against big government. Other than Social Security and voting, theyre against big government. But in all of these things, the republicans in Congress Oppose them. So it shouldnt be a surprise that they would oppose it. What really surprises me is how they wouldnt want to improve it. You know, why they would want to delay it, derail it. But also destroy it just doesnt make any sense. Because sick people are not republican and democrat. They are americans. And so if you were to poll the people, i dont think you would ask them how they registered. Or how their congressman voted. You would ask them, are you sick, are you got insurance, and can you afford it get it. If you cant, we are here to help. And so democrats are different from republicans on a lot of issues. Prescription drugs under bush. But when we found out we couldnt have oh it our way, we did it the american way to help make certain our constituents received the benefits of it. Representative charles rangel, we have a shorter broadcast today because we took the president live. But thank you, sir, for joining us this afternoon. Thank you for sharing the president with all of us. Thank you, sir. Coming up, the other side t aisle. We talk to a House Republican who questioned secretary sebelius earlier today. Stay with us. [ male announcer ] pepcid® presents the burns family dinner. Why would i take one pepcid® when i could take tums® throughout the day when my heartburn comes back . cause you only have to take one. [ male announcer ] dont be like the burns. Just one pepcid® complete works fast and lasts. Thats it . Is go out to dinner. Dont be like the burns. I mean, he picks up the tab every time, which is great. Hes using you. He probably has a Citi Thankyou card and gets 2x the points at restaurants huh the Citi Thankyou preferred card. Now earn 2x the points on entertainment, with no annual fee. Go to citi. Com thankyoucards i started parttime, now im a manager. N. My employer matches my charitable giving. Really. I get bonuses even working parttime. Where i work, over 400 people are promoted every day. Healthcare starting under 40 a month. I got education benefits. I work at walmart. Im a pharmacist. Sales associate. I manage produce. I work in logistics. Theres more to walmart than you think. Vo opportunity. Thats the real walmart. Okay, who helps you focus on your recovery . Yo, yo, yo. Aflac. Wow. [ under his breath ] that was horrible. Pays you cash when youre sick or hurt . [ japanese accent ] aflac. Love it. [ under his breath ] hate it. Helps you focus on getting back to normal . [ as a Southern Belle ] aflac. [ as a cowboy ] aflac. [ sassily ] aflac. Uh huh. [ under his breath ] i am so fired. Youre on in 5, duck. [ male announcer ] when youre sick or hurt, aflac pays you cash. Find out more at aflac. Com. Moments ago, the president had this to say to his republican opponents of the nations Health Care Law. Anybody who thinks we shouldnt finish the job of making the Health Care System work for everybody, especially when these folks offer no plan for the uninsured or the underinsured or folks who lose their insurance each year. Those folks should have to explain themselves. Joining us now is republican congressman, Michael Burgess of texas, who questioned directly secretary sebelius during Todays Health Care hearing. Good afternoon, sir. Good afternoon, martin. Whats it like to be a member of a party that is protecting those 5 of americans who have Health Insurance as individuals where those Health Insurance policies tend to have as many holes as my french colander at home. Since youre at the oneyear anniversary of hurricane sandy, im thinking about my friends of new york a lot the past couple days. Thank you, sir. I sat through the threeandahalf hour hearing with secretary sebelius today. I sat through the four and a half hour hearing with the contractors a week ago. You know, the thing that just top of mind, why didnt anybody talk to the president when he kept repeating over and over again if you like your doctor, if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan. It was obvious that was not the case. You heard the president speaking earlier today. No, i didnt. Chairman rangel was not sharing the Television Monitor with me. Oh, im so sorry. He ought to be more friendly. He is generally a friendly chap, actually. I can tell you the president explained very carefully that those policies were actually shot with all kinds of problems. And therefore, he you know, thats why this system that is replaced is so much better. Im afraid we only have a few seconds left. But martin, you know, im getting calls and letters from constituents continuously saying, look, i did like what i have. I did want to keep it. We always conflate the problems of the individual market with the large group market, as well. And that is a problem with the discussion of this thing. For those people in the small group market. Im hearing from them. They say why where my premiums going up 50, 60, 70 . Why is my deductible double or tripling. And im not able to keep the plan. Congressman, i wish we had more time but ed schultz is next so i have to go but thank you for joining us. Very well, thank you. Well be right back in a moment. And compare costs. It doesnt usually work that way with health care. But with unitedhealthcare, i get information on quality rated doctors, Treatment Options and estimates for how much ill pay. That helps me, and my guys, make better decisions. I dont like guesses with my business, and definitely not with our health. Innovations that work for you. Thats health in numbers. Unitedhealthcare. I have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i cant rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels dont unstuff your nose. They dont . Alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. What a relief it is