Obama aims to end healthcare 'silliness'

Barack Obama is hours away from delivering a crucial address that he says will provide 'clarity' over his healthcare reform plans to a sceptical political scene and general public.

At 20:00 local time tonight (01:00 BST tomorrow) the US president will outline his reform blueprint to Congress.

In remarks filmed on the eve of the address for ABC, Mr Obama said he hoped the speech would end the 'silliness' that his mooted plans have often been greeted with.

The bitter opposition his ambitious reform ideas have been met with by Republicans has crossed the Atlantic, with Gordon and Sarah Brown rallying behind the NHS after it was dubbed 'evil' by Sarah Palin.

Many ordinary Americans are worried, however, that the $1 trillion cost of overhauling the insurance-led existing system could cripple the country, which is already labouring under historic debt levels.

'There's some core principles that I have already laid out previously,' President Obama said ahead of tonight speech.

'We're going to be providing a much more detailed plan.'

He added that he hoped to 'dispel some of the myths and, frankly, silliness that's been floating out there for quite some time'.