US President Barack Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to take aim at health insurance companies, saying the "status quo is good for the insurance industry and bad for America." "As bad as things are today, they'll only get worse if we fail to act. We'll see exploding premiums and out-of-pocket costs burn through more and more family budgets," Obama said. Since the start of the year, Obama has sought to regain control of the public debate on healthcare, revive flagging enthusiasm for the overhaul among some Democratic lawmakers, and inject new momentum into the process. Obama said he had invited members of the Democratic and Republican parties to the healthcare summit on Thursday to share ideas on how to bring down healthcare costs, which he has repeatedly warned threaten to cripple the U.S. economy. "I hope they come in a spirit of good faith. I don't want to see this meeting turn into political theater, with each side simply reciting talking points and trying to score political points," he said. "Instead, I ask members of both parties to seek common ground in an effort to solve a problem that's been with us for generations."
