By DARLENE SUPERVILLE , Associated Press

Last update: February 20, 2010 - 5:10 AM

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Saturday the health care meeting he's holding next week with Democratic and Republican lawmakers will test their ability to solve not just this problem, but other problems, too.

Republicans said lawmakers must scrap current proposals and start over, lest the meeting turn into a charade.

"After debating this issue exhaustively for a year, let's move forward together," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. "Next week is our chance to finally reform our health insurance system so it works for families and small businesses. It's our chance to finally give Americans the peace of mind of knowing that they'll be able to have affordable coverage when they need it most."

A starting point for talks at Thursday's meeting at Blair House, across the street from the White House, is a yet-to-be-seen version of two health care bills passed separately by the Democratic-controlled House and Senate.

Speaking for Republicans in their weekly address, Michigan Rep. Dave Camp said people want Obama and the Democrats to "scrap their misguided plan of a government takeover of health care" and start over by taking a step-by-step approach.

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Obama said the session, to be televised by C-SPAN, will test whether the executive and legislative branches of government can work together. He said people are fed up with a partisan sourness that is causing gridlock.

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