US President Barack Obama has given a live news conference to defend his plans for health care reform and to pledge to push through a reform package by the end of the year. The president has made passing a health care reform bill his top priority for his first year in office.

Mr Obama said reforming health care was critical to get the US economy back on track. He underlined that the new system will reduce costs, increase choice and widen coverage, making it available to every ordinary American. He said that the current health care system was highly inefficient and too expensive to make it sustainable. Currently millions of people in the US lack health insurance.

Many Republicans as well as a number of Democrats oppose the plan on the grounds that it is expected to cost some 700 billion euros during the first ten years.