Obama sells health care plan in U.S. West

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama began a tour Friday to sell his health care reform plan in the country's west.

At a town hall-style meeting in Belgrade, Montana, in the afternoon, Obama defended his plan and reiterated pledge not to raise taxes on those making 250,000 U.S. dollars or less a year.

He will hold another event on Saturday in Grand Junction, Colorado, to drill up support for this centerpiece of his domestic agenda.

"We'll do some events not yet announced over the course of the next few days after that," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs was quoted by CNN as saying Friday.

The White House, and many Democrats in Congress, hope that by building support in the West, the president can start to regain upper hand in the health care debate.

In his vision, Obama aims to bring down health care costs and provide medical insurance to many of the more than 45 million Americans currently without coverage.

His plan also calls for a government-run health insurance program to compete with private insurers.

A government-run health insurance program is one of the most contentious features of the Obama health reform proposals, with Republicans suggesting that such a plan could force health care providers out of business, forcing Americans to switch doctors.

The president's plan is the first major push for health care reform since former President Bill Clinton's failed attempts in 1993 and 1994.

Recent polls show Americans are growingly skeptical of the president's plan.