March 3 (Reuters) - In a final push for a sweeping healthcare overhaul, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday it was time for Congress to act and he urged a simple “up-or-down” vote on the legislation.

“Now is the time to make a decision about how to finally reform healthcare so that it works, not just for the insurance companies, but for America’s families and businesses,” Obama said in remarks at the White House.

Democrats are planning to use a budget tactic known as “reconciliation” to get final legislation through Congress despite Republican opposition. The process will allow for a simple 51-vote majority in the 100-member Senate, where a 60 vote supermajority is often needed for controversial bills.

Here is some reaction to Obama’s comments:

REPUBLICANS

*Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell: “Every election in America this fall will be a referendum on this issue. To ignore public opinion is not going to put the issue behind them, it’s going to put the issue before them.”

*Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele: “President Obama has decided to use Republican ideas as political cover for his government-run health care experiment that will destroy the doctor-patient relationship and add to our national deficit.”

*Senator Richard Shelby: “If the majority truly had the support of the American people and their representatives in Washington, then reconciliation would be unnecessary.”

*Representative Dave Camp: “The American people have rejected the Democrats’ healthcare bill because it spends too much, taxes too much, increases premiums too much and increases the deficit too much. Adding a few watered-down Republican proposals does not change that fundamental problem.”

*Representative Wally Herger: “It’s a different day but the same story. The president’s remarks today continue to reflect how tone deaf the White House is to the will of the American people.”

DEMOCRATS

*House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “We will now move forward to pass health insurance reform that includes the best ideas of both Democrats and Republicans, and address one of the most pressing challenges facing our families and small businesses.”

*Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “The president and the American people have called on Congress to act now. We remain committed to this effort and we’ll use every option available to deliver meaningful reform this year.”

*Representative John Dingell: “When Republicans had control of the Senate, they vehemently argued for up-or-down votes on judicial nominations and have used reconciliation for tax cuts for the wealthy. I hope my Republican colleagues acknowledge the steps the president has genuinely taken to bridge the partisan divide that has plagued the process.”

MARKET ANALYSTS

*Steve Shubitz, healthcare analyst at Edward Jones:

“It doesn’t really seem like there’s any change here. Basically, what it was was a call to action. ... The big question is then does something get passed or not, and that’s still a wildcard at this point.”

*Wayne Schmidt, chief investment officer at Gradient Investments: “It’s still just political maneuvering on healthcare, I don’t know that it changes the fact that I’d be surprised if anything does get done.”

*Kenneth Kamen, president, Mercadien Asset Management, Hamilton, New Jersey: “The reality of it is, the votes aren’t there to do it with a 60-vote majority and maybe the market is just looking at this as likely to die ... To me, I just think it’s more gridlock ahead. So there’s no trade in it.” (Compiled by Donna Smith, additional reporting by Lewis Krauskopf, Chuck Mikolajczak, Ellis Mnyandu: editing by David Alexander and Stacey Joyce)