"I don't know how this plays politically, but I know it's right," President Barack Obama plans to say this afternoon about the health care overhaul plan he and fellow Democrats have put together.

According to excerpts just released by the White House, the president will also make the case that the plan:

"Incorporates the best ideas from Democrats and Republicans — including some of the ideas that Republicans offered during the health care summit, like funding state grants on medical malpractice reform and curbing waste, fraud, and abuse in the health care system. My proposal also gets rid of many of the provisions that had no place in health care reform — provisions that were more about winning individual votes in Congress than improving health care for all Americans."

Update at 2:05 p.m. ET — Call For A Vote. The president just urged Congress to give his plan an "up-or-down" vote:

"So, no matter which approach you favor, I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform.

"We have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for the past year, but for decades. Reform has already passed the House with a majority. It has already passed the Senate with a super-majority of 60 votes.

"And now it deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that was cast on welfare reform, that was cast on the Children's Health Insurance Program, that was used for COBRA health coverage for the unemployed, and bu the way for both Bush tax cuts — all of which had to pass Congress with nothing more than a simple majority."

Update at 1:52 p.m. ET — "Everything There Is To Say About Health Care Has Been Said." The president just began speaking. At the start, he said:

"Last Thursday, I spent seven hours at a summit where Democrats and Republicans engaged in a public and very substantive discussion about health care. This meeting capped off a debate that began with a similar summit nearly one year ago.

"Since then, every idea has been put on the table. Every argument has been made. Everything there is to say about health care has been said and just about everybody has said it. So now is the time to make a decision — about how to finally reform health care so that it works, not just for the insurance companies, but for America's families and America's businesses."

Our colleague Scott Hensley is following the health care overhaul debate over at Shots, the NPR health blog.