House Democrats approved a far-reaching overhaul of the nation's health system on Sunday, voting over unanimous Republican opposition to provide medical coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans after an epic political battle that could define the differences between the parties for years.

President Barack Obama described the stakes of this weekend's health care vote in stark terms Friday, using words uttered so rarely out of the White House that they seem all but banned.

President will leave for Indonesia three days later than planned, in an effort to move stalled legislation through Congress

President Obama challenged wavering members of his party on Monday not to give in to political fears about supporting health care legislation.

The bill's fate depends on whether the House speaker can land enough votes - and whether the president can take control of the debate, which Democrats say he has not done.

Opinion by David Ignatius

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President Obama met Thursday with insurance industry executives and House Democrats as party leaders on Capitol Hill struggled to figure out whether they could meet the president's timetable for enacting legislation within a few weeks.

President Obama opened the final act of a year-long drama over health-care legislation Wednesday, calling on Democrats in Congress to approve the sweeping bill despite political risks and Republican opposition.

Opinion by Jonathan Cohn

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Opinion by John McCormack

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