Obama on health care: "The country is geared up"

Another day, another health care meeting for President Obama.

"You may be seeing a theme," Obama told reporters after speaking with business leaders about health care costs. "We're doing some stuff on health care because I think the country is geared up, businesses are geared up, families are geared up to go ahead and start solving some our extraordinary health care system problems."

Obama said his guests shared stories of how their companies have kept costs in line, largely by promoting wellness and better health among employees. This confab came a day after he hosted officials from health care stakeholders - including insurance, hospital and drug industries - who pledged to cut costs by $2 trillion over the next decade.

The president is looking for as much business support as he can get as Democratic allies in Congress begin moving health care bills forward.

Of course, Republicans are gearing up also. Joe Pounder, a spokesman for House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia, said there is "an ever more confusing and fuzzy picture of how the Democrats intend to pay for their program."

(Posted by David Jackson; photo by Charles Dharapak/AP)