Obama says overhaul would help economy

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama tried hard to create momentum Wednesday for his ailing health-care-overhaul plan, offering a lengthy, methodical — and at times defensive — explanation of why Americans should embrace his changes.

Obama, whose plan has been stymied by moderate Democrats who worry about higher taxes and Republicans who paint the effort as a big government takeover of health care, told the nation in a primetime news conference that the initiative is "central" to his effort to rebuild the economy to be "stronger than before."

He urged Americans to be patient, saying, "We just can't afford what we're doing right now," and he appeared to be irritated by critics who say the nation can't afford the change.

"Everybody who's out there who has been ginned up about this idea that the Obama administration wants to spend and spend and spend, the fact of the matter is that we inherited an enormous deficit, enormous long-term debt projections," he said.

Obama's latest health-care push came as his popularity has been slipping. In a July 9-13 Ipsos-McClatchy poll, 57 percent said they approved of the job Obama was doing, a 7-point drop from early June and the lowest of his presidency.

Obama was intent on explaining his push for health care, and virtually every question at the 55-minute news conference dealt with that subject.

In response to a question from McClatchy, he said that as a symbolic gesture, he would use any public option that became law.

"Not only the public option, but the insurance regulation that we want to put in place will largely match up with what members of Congress are getting through the federal employee plan," Obama said.

Obama opened his news conference by trying to reassure viewers that "we have been able to pull our economy back from the brink."

Health care was most on his mind, however. With all the political doomsayers circling, Obama said, "Many Americans may be wondering, 'What's in this for me? How does my family stand to benefit from health-insurance reform?'

"Tonight," the president said, "I want to answer those questions."

He listed a host of areas where the White House and key lawmakers have what Obama called "rough agreement."

They want to keep government out of health-care decisions, "giving you the option to keep your insurance if you're happy with it," Obama said.