A fired-up President Barack Obama has turned his populist ire from Wall Street to the insurance sector as he sought to rally support for a last-ditch bid to pass a historic health care overhaul bill.
Obama laid a bold bet on Monday with his remaining political capital in an event in metropolitan Philadelphia, painting insurance firms as villains and seeking to win over lawmakers wavering over tough votes crucial to his presidency.
"I'm kind of fired up," Obama said, reprising 2008 campaign language in an outspoken attack on insurance firms he had once sought to court during his faltering year-long drive to reform the mostly private US health system.
Obama is piling pressure on the House of Representatives to back his plan by March 18, before he leaves on a trip to Indonesia and Australia -- a week-long voyage that could drain political momentum from the health care push.
He wants the House to ditch legislation it approved in November and pass the Senate's version, coupled with "fixes" to that bill -- but the approach is high-risk as some conservative Democrats oppose it.
"The United States Congress owes the American people a final up-or-down vote on health care. It's time to make a decision," Obama said in Pennsylvania, a state which helped him claim the presidency in 2008.
With millions of Americans lacking coverage, Obama accused insurance giants of making a cynical calculation, that even if rate hikes cost them customers, they could rake in more cash through higher premiums on remaining plan holders.
"Every year, they drop more peopleâ�s coverage when theyâ�re sick and need it most. Every year, they raise premiums higher and higher," Obama said.
"How much higher do premiums have to rise until we do something about it? How many more Americans have to lose their health insurance?"
Obama positioned himself as a crusading reformer on the side of the people, and slammed knee-jerk pundits obsessed with the "sport" of politics in Washington, oblivious to the suffering of heartland Americans.
His rhetoric was reminiscent of past attacks on Wall Street bankers and his attempts to tap into a seam of popular anger dominating American politics in the runup to mid-term congressional polls in November.
The president was due to take his health reform show on the road to St. Louis, Missouri, on Wednesday, with more travel expected next week.
At Monday's rally at Arcadia University, Obama also stiffened his tone against Republicans who are opposing his plans, less than two weeks after seeking compromise at a White House summit.
"You had 10 years, what happened, what were you doing?" Obama asked.
The president was introduced by Leslie Banks, a self-employed single mother with diabetes who was recently been told by her plan provider she must pay double premiums for her and her daughter to stay insured.
"Do I simply cover my child and go without health care myself... or do I place myself in jeopardy?" Banks asked the 1,800-strong crowd.
Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's health and human services secretary, meanwhile sent a letter to the chief executives of top health insurance firms demanding they publicly justify proposed health insurance premium hikes.
"If insurance companies are going to raise rates, the least they can do is tell us why," said Sebelius in the letter to the heads of insurance giants UnitedHealth Group Inc., WellPoint Inc., Aetna Inc., Health Care Service Corporation and CIGNA HealthCare Inc.
But John Boehner, the top House Republican, branded Obama's assault as "heavy on snake oil, light on reality."
"The American people have heard all this rhetoric from the president before, and they continue to say loudly and clearly they do not want a massive government takeover of health care."
Republicans complain Obama's plan would mean higher taxes and be partly paid for by cuts to government health care plans for elderly people.
Obama counters his approach would cut costs, expand access, rein in abuses by health care insurance firms and help reduce the rolls of more than 40 million people in America who lack health coverage.
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