President Obama told ABC News anchor Charles Gibson that the federal government "will go bankrupt" if Congress does not pass a health care bill, among other problems.

"If we don't pass it, here's the guarantee," Obama said. "Your premiums will go up, your employers are going to load up more costs on you ... Potentially they're going to drop your coverage, because they just can't afford an increase of 25 percent, 30 percent in terms of the costs of providing health care to employees each and every year."

He added that the costs of Medicare and Medicaid are on an "unsustainable" trajectory and no is action taken to bring them down, "the federal government will go bankrupt."

The interview aired tonight on ABC's World News Tonight.

Obama spoke as Senate Democratic leaders struggle to find the 60 votes necessary to move a health care bill forward.

Republicans are planning a filibuster, saying the plan gives the government too much control over the health care system and will lead to higher insurance premiums and doctors' bills.

Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, said the White House is making it "abundantly clear they will say and do anything to pass a health care bill. Desperation does not change the fact that this bill will do nothing to bring down health care costs for Americans."

Obama said cost is a major reason for passing legislation.

"If we don't do this, nobody argues with the fact that health care costs are going to consume the entire federal budget," Obama told Gibson, the ABC anchor who is retiring this week.

Even if (when?) the Senate passes something, it must resolve differences with a House health care bill -- and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared to express doubt today on whether a final product would ready by Obama's State of the Union address, which is expected in late January.

Oval colleague Kathy Kiely gives us Pelosi's take here at our On Politics blog.

(Posted by David Jackson)