President Barack Obama's address to Congress and the nation was clear, simple and direct. He succeeded Wednesday night in promoting a strong package of needed health care reforms in America.

It's time for Congress to follow the president's lead. Stop the partisan bickering. Start the constructive debate.

Lawmakers this fall should pass a bill that eventually will make sure 300 million Americans receive better, less costly health care in the future. As the president stressed, that is the morally correct action to take, especially for millions of people without insurance or at risk of losing insurance.

This nation must replace the overly expensive, underperforming status quo in its health care system.

Conventional wisdom said Obama had to come out fighting to promote his plan with skeptical Republicans and wavering Democrats. Mission accomplished. His passionate language and demeanor showed he meant business.

At the start, he said, "I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last."

And he directly took on irresponsible Republicans who have claimed Obama's plan would create bureaucratic death panels to kill the elderly. "It is a lie, plain and simple," Obama said sternly.

He succinctly stated the three overarching goals of reform: Provide more security and stability for those with insurance. Provide insurance for those who don't have it now. Slow the growth of health care costs.

The president's speech hit the right marks on almost all the major points that share our strong support.

n A public option for health insurance must be part of any proposal to come to his desk. It would provide competition and help drive down costs.

n Large insurance exchanges should be established and they should be national in scope to best benefit consumers.

n Everyone must carry insurance, including the young and healthy. All motorists are required to carry auto insurance, to protect their interests and the interests of others. Health care should be no different.

n Obama outlined excellent improvements for private insurance companies. They must not deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions. They can't put "arbitrary caps" on benefits. And they will be required to pay for many preventive care medical tests.

The speech was disappointing in one key area — how to pay for a $900 billion program over the next decade.

Strip waste and inefficiencies from Medicare? Get more money from drug companies? We're all for those and other measures, but also skeptical that the savings would amount to hundreds of billions of dollars.

Obama did propose a new fee on insurance companies that offer rich plans, and we'd like more details. Obama, however, did not give firm examples of the Medicare waste, and he did not offer support for higher taxes on the wealthy or small tax increases on soda or alcohol. All these proposals should be on the table.

As he wrapped up his address, the president effectively reached out to several Republicans by name, praising bipartisan actions on health issues in the past. And he made an on-target appeal for Americans to put aside their anger, reduce their level of distrust of government and concentrate on what truly matters.

He pointed out that Social Security and Medicare programs passed by Congress decades ago have helped seniors live more financially secure, healthier lives.

The reform of health care is another critical test for the "character of our country," Obama said.

The president is right, and now Congress must step forward to shape a better future for health care for all Americans.