President Obama, facing challenges to his ambitious health care overhaul from Congress, is taking his health care plans on the road, aiming to hear from Americans affected by exisiting system.
There are 50 million Americans today without health care coverage. The president is proposing to spend around $1.5 trillion over the next decade to cover unisured Americans. Obama's trip comes as a possible compromise emerged in the senate to one of the most vexing obstacles in the health care reform debate.
Administration officials said the president's speech while on the road will not contain new policies, but instead put Obama and the traveling White House press corps- in direct contact with fellow Americans affected with the existing system.
Obama has set a deadline of this year to pass health care legislation. The president recently told political suppoters during a private conference call that if reform doesn't happen this year, the opportunity would pass. And then what does that mean for all of the insured Americans?