In his most important speech since becoming president of the United States, Barack Obama gave a forceful address to both Houses of Congress on Wednesday, pointing out that it has been nearly a century since Theodore Roosevelt first called for health care reform. President Obama vowed that although he may not be the first president to take up the cause, "I am determined to be the last".

He said the US is the only advanced democracy and wealthy nation on Earth that allows millions of its citizens to endure extreme hardships because they have no health care insurance. President Obama described this as a "collective failure" that "has led us to the breaking point".

The US president said that there are now more than 30 million Americans who are denied coverage. "In just a two-year period, one in every three Americans goes without health care coverage at some point. And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage."

President Obama faces a difficult campaign because most Republicans and some conservative Democrats still view public health care as a form of socialism. Mr Obama pointed out that without public health care Americans still pay one-and-a-half times more than people in other countries, but are no healthier.

A snap opinion poll conducted by CNN showed that two out of three Americans who watched the speech supported President Obama's plans, an increase of 14 percent.