Obama’s last push to get health bill passed

US President Barack Obama is leading his Democratic allies in an all-out campaign to win over wavering lawmakers ahead of a cliffhanger vote tomorrow on his historic healthcare overhaul.

A day after postponing a planned trip to Asia to June so he could make 11th-hour personal appeals by telephone and in person to tip the balance in his favour in the make-or- break House of Representatives test, Obama yesterday headed to nearby Virginia in an election rally-style push for reform.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the president had spoken to more than three dozen lawmakers since last Monday on a hunt for the 216 votes that ensure passage.