President Obama opened a fresh round of debate on health care reform Wednesday night, urging Congress to stop "bickering" and approve a package that will expand and improve coverage for millions of Americans.

But in between the jawboning were signs that he's willing to deal -- and his ability to do so and to convince congressional allies to do the same is considered critical in the uphill effort ahead to round up enough votes to move a bill toward his desk.

The president's address to a joint session of Congress was widely seen as a chance to recharge the push for health care reform following a rocky recess. To keep that charge alive, he and his top advisers signaled Wednesday they will try to follow up the speech by bridging key differences in Congress -- a daunting task...