Hopefully Mitchell granted the youngster an autographed piece of memorabilia after he left the set.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on March 23 at 1:36 p.m. EDT, is as follows:
ANDREA MITCHELL: One year ago today, President Obama signed the massive
health care overhaul into law. One of the most visible and unlikely
spokesmen to emerge from this heated debate was 12 years-old. Now 12
year-old Marcellus Owens stood beside the President as he signed the
Affordable Care Act with Vice President Biden's hand firmly on his
shoulder. His mother Tiffany had died of pulmonary hypertension in 2007
after losing her job and her health insurance, but did not qualify for
Medicaid. Now Marcellus is determined to finish the work that his mother
had started and become himself a grassroots activist, fighting to make
sure that everyone has health coverage. Marcellus Owens joins us now,
and Marcellus, I apologize, I said you were in fifth grade. You are a
sixth-grader now, in the year that's passed, so thank you very much for
joining us from Seattle. What is it that you're hoping to accomplish in
your mother's name and on her behalf?
MARCELLUS OWENS: Can you repeat that?
MITCHELL: What is it that you're trying to accomplish for your mother?
Your mother Tiffany tried so hard to fight for health care for other
people. What do you want to do now?
OWENS: I want everybody to have something that my mom didn't have a
chance to have - the equal rights to have health care and to get
medicine or treatments that they need.
MITCHELL: What do you think can be done, because a lot of people don't
understand the need for health care, and they say there isn't enough
money to pay for everyone to have health care.
OWENS: I think that everybody needs it, and it really doesn't matter because it will benefit -
MITCHELL: Talk about what you went through. You watched your mother
struggling, and she didn't have the money to pay. Now you're being taken
care by your grandmother, who is helping take care of you and raising
you. But why do you think that other people need to better understand?
What is it you want people to know?
OWENS: I want people to know that the health care bill is a good thing
and it will help not only just a few people, it will help everybody. And
I just want them to know that.
MITCHELL: Well, I want to bring you back to a year ago, because what
was it like to be at the White House with the President of the United
States?
OWENS: It was amazing, because I was kind of shy and I was just
admiring him because he is the first African-American President.
MITCHELL: It must have been really an awesome moment for you to be
there watching the President taking all those pens. Did he give you a
pen, Marcellus?
OWENS: No.
MITCHELL: Oh, we have to find out why that didn't happen. He gave -
those pens are for members of Congress, I guess. It's a shame that you
didn't have that. Did you - now in school, you're now in sixth grade.
What are you studying, and what do you hope to do about health care, and
about all these big issues as you grow up?
OWENS: Well, I'm starting to get back into school, and I was wanting to
start to work on more things, and to start to make not just health care
better, but everything a better place for the whole United States and
more.
MITCHELL: And what's your favorite subject in school?
OWENS: Um, I have a few, like PE, math, and writing.
MITCHELL: Well, they're all important, and we hope that you have lots
of success in school, and study hard, and continue working on the things
you care about. And I know health care is the biggest thing right now
that you care about.
