Painful health care lessons from Mass.

President Barack Obama, providing the first real details on how he wants to reshape the nation's health care system, urged Congress on Wednesday toward a sweeping overhaul that would allow Americans to buy into a government insurance plan.

President Barack Obama's call for an overhaul of the nation's health care system gained fresh momentum with the introduction of long-delayed Senate legislation to rein in spiraling medical costs and require nearly everyone to be carry health insurance.

5 painful health-care lessons from Massachusetts:

US President Barack Obama hailed the "historic" passage through the Senate of a sweeping health care bill, saying it ended a "century-long struggle" to reform the flawed system."In an historic vote that took place this morning, members of the Senate joined their colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass a landmark health insurance reform package," Obama said.He called it "legislation that brings us toward the end of a nearly century-long struggle to reform America's health care system."

US President Barack Obama will incorporate Republican suggestions for a health care overhaul when he lays out his plans on Wednesday to get the historic legislation passed by Congress.A White House official said Obama's remarks about "moving forward into the final stage of the health insurance reform debate" will strike a bipartisan tone suggesting at least some agreement between Democrats and Republicans on the most ambitious health care overhaul in decades, a senior official said.

Michael Johnston submits:The U.S. House of Representatives worked late into the night on Sunday to pass historic health care legislation, capping months of intense debate and dealmaking. Sweeping changes to the nation’s health care system seemed like a done deal earlier this year before a major upset in a special Senate election sent Democrats back to the drawing board.

The nation can't afford to wait for the economy to recover before tackling out-of-control medical costs, President Barack Obama is telling some of the most powerful players in the health care reform debate.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation can't afford to wait for the economy to recover before tackling out-of-control medical costs, President Barack Obama is telling some of the most powerful players in the health care reform debate....