Key Lawmakers Say Health Care Bill Needs To Reduce Federal Spending.

The Washington Post (8/14) reports, "With polls showing rising concern over the government's grim financial situation, key Republicans and a growing number of Democrats say it will be hard to push an ambitious health reform bill through Congress unless it reduces projected federal spending on medical care and begins to bring the national debt under control." For President Obama, the "stakes are much higher than simply fulfilling a campaign pledge." A reform bill that "reins in the soaring costs of Medicare and Medicaid -- the primary drivers, along with Social Security, of the nation's financial problems -- could fundamentally alter the federal budget outlook, clear the way for other Obama priorities and cement his party's reputation for fiscal responsibility." Obama "heads to Montana on Friday to continue his pitch for a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health-care delivery system."