© WSJ 2009

Senate Democrats gathered at the White House on Tuesday for a final appeal on health-care legislation, with President Barack Obama urging them to overcome intraparty disagreements on key parts of the measure.

"It's clear that we are on the precipice of an achievement that's eluded Congresses and presidents for generations," Obama said after the session. "We simply cannot allow differences over individual elements of this plan to prevent us from meeting our responsibility to solve a longstanding and urgent problem for the American people."

The meeting comes as Democrats appear ready to drop a proposal to let people between ages 55 and 64 purchase health insurance coverage through Medicare, which liberals had strongly supported but which Sen. Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.) said could cause him to filibuster the measure. Read more.