Hi, evybody. Thanks for being here. Its great to moderate a panel with three of the Outstanding Young jonalists covering politics. And when i say young, i dont mean to slight their experience, but theyre all young to me. I also cant fail to observe the big picture here and place sort of in context. The problems were about to talk about. The last te jackie and i were together, we were traveling in israel in the west bank with an organizaon called peace players, which tried to bring israelis and palestine together through basketball and seein the ghastly events that are unfolding inhat part of the world right now, it makes me be thankful that our problems are onhe scale that they are. Nevertheless, we do have problems, and one of them is how journalism treats this moment of peril for democracy. And so. Well, let me kick it off this way. The role of journalism in our democracy is embedded in the constitution. Um, and throughout all of our careers, we have had embedded in the ethic of our
Determines vasyl stus went through repression and the soviets and died because he did not back down from what he believed in. The same fate awaited volodymyr vakulenko, a writer from the izyum region who refused to leave his native village of kapitolivka when it was occupied by the russians. The invaders killed volodymyr for his proukrainian position he loved ukraine even more and loved his native country before the invasion volunteers in his village he was an activist he restored order before the abduction volodymyr had time to buy his diary on a hill in the garden in it he described life in the occupation victoria amalina ukrainian writer among his literary work and documenting russian war crimes after the liberation of izyum oblast, she was the first to visit volodymyr vakulenkos parents and helped them find his sons diary, since then the writer she told his story at all public places. Victoria herself died on volodymyrs birthday, she was mortally wounded during the rocket attack on
Now we turn to the house energy and Commerce Committee. Who last week heard from the administrator of the fda. And the director of the National Institute of health. About a year after they updated members on some of the medical developments and innovations spurred by the 21st century cure act. Chfts approved by congress a year ago this month. This runs about two and a half hours. Order. Chair recognize himself. A monumental achievement. Cures was the product of a by partisan multiyear effort by the energy and Commerce Committee. To brought the laws into a modern era of medicine. It has been one year since cures was signed into law. I remember remarking at that press conference a year ago to imagine a world in which government was not an obstacle but an ally in helping us deliver drugs and devices to patients cures to patients. Todays hearing marks the Health Subcommittee first look into the implementation of the what many in the Healthcare Community called it transformation bill. That
Chfts approved by congress a year ago this month. This runs about two and a half hours. Order. Chair recognize himself. A monumental achievement. Cures was the product of a by partisan multiyear effort by the energy and Commerce Committee. To brought the laws into a modern era of medicine. It has been one year since cures was signed into law. I remember remarking at that press conference a year ago to imagine a world in which government was not an obstacle but an ally in helping us deliver drugs and devices to patients cures to patients. Todays hearing marks the Health Subcommittee first look into the implementation of the what many in the Healthcare Community called it transformation bill. That would positively impact not only the researchers and the scientists who are developing the latest breakthrough therapy. But physicians seeking treatment for their patients. Giving home to them, their loved ones and advocates. This morning we will hear from two leader responsible for implementin
Affordable care act. We wanted to start with the chairman of the Senate Health committee, lamar alexander. He has been holding a series of hearings. Here is the senator talking about the goal. [video clip] our goal is to come up with in a census consensus early next week. Hopefully we can have senator mcconnell an Agreement Congress can pass by the end of the month that will limit premium increases next year and begin to lower premiums after that and prevent insurers from leaving the market. That is our schedule. What happens if we dont succeed . Last year, or percent of american counties had one Insurance Company on the exchange. This year 36 have one insurer. Of counties half will have one or zero counties on the exchange. We have heard from state Insurance Commissioners that this monopoly in so many. Ounties drives up premiums without costsharing reductions, the Congressional Budget Office, the joint committee on taxation, and as our witnesses have said, premiums will increase 20 in