President Obama says he is "extraordinarily pleased and grateful"  that two key groups have endorsed a health insurance reform bill that is working its way to a vote in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Obama surprised reporters today with an impromptu appearance in the Brady Press Briefing Room to laud the announcements from the AARP and the American Medical Association. 

The endorsements, the President says,  bring the country "even closer" to passing reform. 

Keep reading to see the full transcript of the President's remarks. Keep Reading ...