American Morning
Obama meets with governors, talks health care
President Obama met with the nation's governors at the White House Monday.
At the meeting, the president defended his calls for increased spending on education, roads and research and offered a challenge to the governors on the subject of health care. Obama told the governors he would allow states to create their own health care systems as long as two requirements are met: the states' plans must cover as many people as Obama's plan, and states must do so at the same or lower cost.
Governors Rick Scott (R-FL) and Martin O'Malley (D-MD) were in attendance Monday and talk to American Morning's Kiran Chetry about health care, as well as the labor union protests across the country.
Rep. Ron Paul: 'We can't blame China for us spending too much money'
As the House of Representatives prepare to vote on health care reform repeal today, President Obama has released a statement signaling that he is willing to make improvements on the bill but is not in favor of a full repeal:
"So I’m willing and eager to work with both Democrats and Republicans to improve the Affordable Care Act. But we can’t go backward."
But congressmen on Capitol Hill like Representative Ron Paul, R, Texas, believe that repeal is the only option. He tells Kiran Chetry that the bill going to vote today "tells us what we should do in the future."
Representative Paul is also unhappy with the way we are treating our relationship with China. He says that more government intervention in China is not the answer and "we can't blame China for us spending too much money."
Watch his complete interview below:
Next on the House Floor: 'Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law'
The House of Representatives begins debate this morning on H.R. 2 or as its named, "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act." Co-sponsored by Representative Steve King, R, Iowa and Representative Michele Bachmann, R, Minnesota, the bill hopes to repeal President Obama's health care reform legislation of last year. But with President Obama still in office and sure to veto any legislation the bill seems largely a symbolic effort.
Even amongst the public, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out this morning shows that Obama's approval rating is up five points since last month and support for repealing isn't overwhelming.
Before the debate begins, Rep. Steve King joins T.J. Holmes on American Morning defending the bill and saying the effort is all in hopes of electing a new president in 2012.
One man's heart-wrenching search for a transplant
Editor's Note: If you would like to help Randall Shepherd you can go to NTAFund.org
Randall Shepherd is resorting to his own pocket and Facebook to raise money for his heart transplant. Shepherd, a married father of three kids, has lived with a heart problem since his teenage years and was on the list for a transplant…until the Arizona government decided to cut back its funding.
Shepherd is one of about one hundred such victims of October’s AZ budget cuts, which affected only certain types of organ transplants. Two patients who were taken off the list have already died. Having a pre-existing condition has left Shepherd without health insurance, forcing him to pay health care bills out-of-pocket for himself, his wife, and his kids. But, this time, paying the bill is a bit harder: the transplant costs $600,000, 80% of which is covered by Medicaid. Randall Shepherd sat down with Kiran Chetry this morning.
Rep. Cantor: Health care will "bankrupt the government"
Representative Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia, took his new position yesterday as the majority leader in House of Representatives and he hasn't taken any time to make his party's position on President Obama's health care reform clear. Cantor tells Kiran Chetry that unless something is done the health care bill could potentially bankrupt the federal and state governments.
Rep. to forfeit benefits, sleep in office to protest healthcare reform
Republicans in the House could hold their first vote on the repeal of the President’s healthcare reforms by the end of this week. It probably won’t get too far, but there’s one freshman Representative who’s determined to stand up against those reforms.
His name is Joe Walsh, a Tea Party-backed Republican from Illinois who beat out Democrat Rep. Melissa Bean. Walsh plans to repeal the healthcare reform law and refuse his own health benefits in protest.
Today on American Morning, Jim Acosta talks to Walsh about why he’s going to the extreme of giving up his own benefits and how it would affect his wife, who has a pre-existing condition.
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