Obama puts off Asia visit for final health care push

Washington : A trip to Asia must wait as President Barack Obama's sweeping $940 billion (Dh3.45 trillion) US health care reform plan heads for a long-awaited vote this weekend.

As Obama played host to a procession of Democrats still wavering over the health care programme, the Democrats received one last boost: a nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office report that said health care reform would trim federal deficits by an estimated $138 billion over the next decade.

Obama then postponed his Asia trip for a second time to ensure he was in Washington for the final push. He assured the people of Indonesia that he is still looking forward to visiting his former home once the health care debate is resolved. In an interview airing on RCTI, Indonesia's largest commercial television network, Obama said it made sense to wait until June so that he and his family are not rushed when they visit Indonesia, where he lived for four years as a child. Obama has put his presidency on the line to gain passage of his top domestic priority, in the face of Republicans who say the plan is a government-takeover of health care that will lead to higher deficits and taxes. One Republican has said it could prove to be the president's Waterloo if the drive collapses.

Confidence

The health care reform programme would affect nearly every American and remake one-sixth of the US economy. For the first time, Americans would be required to have health insurance. Democrats set a showdown in the House for tomorrow, and while Pelosi and others expressed confidence about the outcome, Obama's decision to delay the Asia trip was a confession that the votes were not yet secured. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the total 10-year cost of expanding coverage at $940 billion.