President Obama confronted increasing doubts about the impact of widespread changes to the healthcare system during a prime-time news conference. Obama sought to assure middle-class Americans that the landmark legislation he envisions would improve their quality of life and is essential to curing the nation's economic ills. The president vowed that healthcare reform would drive down costs, eventually saving families thousands of dollars. But he struggled to explain how any of the measures under consideration would fulfill that promise, according to the Washington Post.