As Congress inched toward passing health care legislation, President Barack Obama seemed too aloof from the process. Not anymore. Now he's on the offensive to resuscitate an effort that seemed dead when Massachusetts voters deprived Democrats of their filibuster-proof Senate majority.

Mr. Obama held a health care summit Feb. 25 with Democratic and Republican leaders. Last week he sent a letter to the main participants and said he was exploring four Republican-inspired ideas -- undercover investigations of fraud in Medicare and Medicaid, more effort to curb medical malpractice costs, increased Medicaid reimbursements for doctors and an expansion of health savings accounts.

The president followed that with a call Wednesday for an "up or down vote" in Congress in a matter of weeks. Mr. Obama's vigorous leadership is welcome and the most compelling reason for change may not even be coming from his own mouth.

Who can best describe the frightening cost of doing nothing? It could be the Business Roundtable, which last week reaffirmed its belief that health care reform is a "national priority."

Last September, a report done by Hewitt Associates and issued by the Business Roundtable found that the cost to provide an employee with health care will rise from $10,000 to $28,000 in 10 years. The Roundtable said, "Cost increases of this magnitude imperil the competitiveness of our companies and the health coverage of our employees; they must be addressed."

Remember, this is not the administration talking -- although Mr. Obama has echoed the same theme. It's an association of CEOs whose companies sell the products and make the payrolls. The member companies in the Business Roundtable have nearly $6 trillion in annual revenues, employ more than 12 million people and represent nearly a third of the total value of U.S. stock markets. If this group says health care reform is a necessity, you can take it to the bank.

To be sure, its statement did not endorse any one piece of legislation. It simply urged Congress to "continue to work in a bipartisan manner to pass legislation that will reduce costs, improve quality, expand coverage and avoid disruption of the benefits currently provided by employers to employees, retirees and their families." It said that "the economic and human consequences of not addressing the cost spiral are too great to quit."

Thankfully, Mr. Obama is not quitting. But he needs some allies, Republicans and Democrats, to get the sort of bill that will meet the aims of groups like the Business Roundtable. Unfortunately, the Republicans seem destined to say "no" to all attempts at compromise, so in thrall are they to the ideology that anything involving the government is socialism.

In the end, it will be up to the Democrats to get the job done, especially House members like Jason Altmire of McCandless, who voted against reform last fall. Mr. Altmire, the moment of truth is at hand. The president is calling you and the eyes of the nation are upon you. Where will you stand?

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