Obama makes final appeal ahead of healthcare vote

US President Barack Obama has rallied the support of Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill ahead of a crucial vote on sweeping healthcare reform.

Urging them to back the measure in a House vote expected in the coming hours, he said: "Let's get this done."

Democratic leaders have spent days working to get the 216 votes needed to pass the highly-contested bill.

Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he believed the party now had the necessary support.

Senior House Democrats have decided on a direct vote to pass a Senate version of the reform bill, rather than using a procedural measure that would have "deemed" it passed without a vote.


Is this the single most important step that we have taken on health care since Medicare? Absolutely

US President Barack Obama


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And Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid assured House lawmakers he had the "commitment of a significant majority" in the Senate to pass the next stage of the legislation, amending that bill with changes the House wants.

However, Democratic leaders can't be certain of victory, says the BBC's Mark Mardell in Washington.

If passed, the reforms will deliver on Mr Obama's top domestic priority by providing insurance to some 32 million of the Americans who currently lack coverage.

The Republicans are unanimously opposed to the legislation, which they say is unaffordable and represents a government takeover of a large part of the country's economy.

In the party's weekly radio address, House Republican leader John Boehner criticised what he said were tax increases and cuts in some benefits to pay for the bill, saying: "This is not reform."

Protesters opposed to the Democrats' proposals demonstrated outside the Capitol building in Washington, waving placards and chanting "kill the bill".