Health Care Reform Debate Heats Up on Capitol Hill

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• JIM LEHRER:

  And finally tonight, the president kicks off his drive to reform health care. Betty Ann Bowser begins our Health Unit coverage with a report on this weekend's developments. Our Health Unit is a partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

  BETTY ANN BOWSER, NewsHour correspondent: Kathy Meyer does everything she can to stay in shape.

• KATHY MEYER:

  The most important issue is your health. Without your health, you can't do anything else.

• BETTY ANN BOWSER:

  While the 58-year-old unemployed grandmother has done a good job of taking care of her health, she hasn't had much luck with controlling her health care costs.

  Two years ago, she lost her health insurance when she got divorced. Since then, she's had one insurance problem after another.

  So, over the weekend, Meyer went to an event in Charlottesville, Virginia, sponsored by the former Obama for President campaign.

• KRISTEN SZAKOS:

  This is part of a national day of meetings just like this all over the country, where there are thousands of people, simultaneous with us, all over the country doing this.

• BETTY ANN BOWSER:

  Last year, Kristen Szakos and her husband, Joe, organized people in Charlottesville to vote for candidate Obama. Now they're using the well-oiled campaign machine to lobby for an issue: health care reform.

• KRISTEN SZAKOS:

  We know that we're going to have to have a major push, because change has been tried before and it's failed. And so this time it's going to have to be different, and I think we're going to need all of us and all the people that we can talk to…

• BETTY ANN BOWSER:

  All across the country, in living rooms, community centers, diners, and the like, participants were asked to help the president get legislation for affordable, portable health care for all Americans.

• KRISTEN SZAKOS:

  So what I'd like to do right now is watch the video that we have from President Obama.

• U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:

  After decades of rising costs, I believe that real health care reform is finally possible. Today, I'm working to build a diverse coalition to support this effort. And partners have already stepped forward who have never worked together before. But the most important seat at the table belongs to you. To get this done, I need your voice to be part of the debate.

• BETTY ANN BOWSER:

  The video was distributed by the former Obama campaign, which now has morphed into Organizing for America. It's headquartered at the Democratic National Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington.

• ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA WORKER:

  I mean, I'm really glad to hear that you're remaining involved now and that you're looking for solutions.

• BETTY ANN BOWSER:

  Armed with an e-mail list estimated at 13 million, YouTube videos, and text messaging, many of the same people who pounded the pavement for candidate Obama now work for his issues. The immediate focus is health care reform.

  Mitch Stewart is director of the effort.

  MITCH STEWART, director, Organizing for America: I think our supporters feel like this is our moment, this is our opportunity to really provide something that will have lasting change for, you know, future generations.

• BETTY ANN BOWSER:

  Stewart refused to give any numbers when asked how many of these events were held, but he said there were thousands in all 50 states and that a lot of new people came on board.

• KATHY MEYER:

  The starting deductible is $2,500.