Obama taking health-care overhaul effort to Ohio on Thursday

CLEVELAND (AP) — President Barack Obama is returning to a comfort zone in Ohio in his effort to pull Congress toward legislation that will overhaul the health system.

Obama plans to tour part of the Cleveland Clinic and lead a public forum Thursday at nearby Shaker Heights High School.

The president wants to extend health coverage to tens of millions who lack it while restraining the growth in health-care costs. But critics argue that the plan is too costly.

Ohio was a key state in Obama’s election campaign.

The state has since had job loss tied to the recession, particularly in blue-collar northeast Ohio, leading to more people without health care insurance.

Republicans have been honing opposition to the overhaul, and some Democrats are voicing doubts about moving ahead too quickly.