WASHINGTON – Healthcare reform can't come soon enough, according to President Obama, who met with congressional leaders Wednesday night to get a commitment on reform legislation.

Obama said in a statement released last night that Congress has promised to have comprehensive healthcare reform legislation passed by July 31.

"We also have an unprecedented commitment from healthcare industry leaders, many of whom opposed health reform in the past," Obama said. "Monday, I met with some of these healthcare stakeholders, and they pledged to do their part to reduce the healthcare spending growth rate, saving more than two trillion dollars over the next ten years - around $2,500 for each American family."

In conjunction with the President's campaign, leaders from companies met Tuesday at the White House to showcase ways to reduce healthcare costs by improving the health of their workers.

"The House and Senate are beginning a critical debate that will determine the health of our nation's economy and its families," Obama said. "This process should be transparent and inclusive and its product must drive down costs, assure quality and affordable healthcare for everyone, and guarantee all of us a choice of doctors and plans."

Congress originally set the end of June as a goal for a healthcare reform package, but they have recently extended the deadline to this Fall.

Senate Finance Committee leaders have said Congress has not yet begun to tackle the most difficult parts of the healthcare debate, including how to fund the reform, the destiny of the employer healthcare tax exclusion and a potential national health plan to compete with the private market.

Newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and White House Office of Health Reform director Nancy-Ann DeParle have said they are spending much of their time negotiating with Congress to promote the president's reform plans.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters this week that the president's designs for health reform have not wavered from his campaign promises. Obama campaigned on a promise of affordable access to quality care for all Americans via a portable public plan option. The president is not in favor of eliminating the tax exclusion for employers who provide health benefits, nor does he want to diminish the employer-based system in any way.

Obama's budget - most of which was adopted by Congress and passed recently - includes a $635 billion down-payment toward health reform. Republicans argue the president's plan will threaten the stability of the private healthcare market and is too costly. Proponents of the president's plan say the cost of not spending money on reform will be much higher, with sharply increasing healthcare costs straining daily American quality of life and threatening to topple America's global status.