WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- President Barack Obama in his weekly address on Saturday highlighted the choice America faces in the current health-care debate and called for deficit-neutral reforms that will expand coverage, lower costs and increase choices for consumers.

"What they all recognize is that health-care reform is no longer a luxury, but a necessity we can't postpone any longer," Obama said, defending his proposal to reform health care. "And I'm committed to paying for it without adding to our deficit."

Obama has proposed spending about $950 billion over 10 years to finance a health-care overhaul. He is seeking to have a bill enacted by October.

Based in part on Obama's proposal, congressional committees in both the House and Senate are working feverishly on proposals that include public health insurance, health-care "exchanges" and mandates on individuals and businesses to have and provide coverage.

Last week, members of three House committees released a draft bill that they said will bring down spiraling costs and insure about 95% of Americans.

However, House Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, delivered the weekly GOP address and suggested that the U.S. could lose an additional 4.7 million jobs under the Democrats' health-care proposals at a critically difficult time for the economy. He added that over a million small-business jobs, "the engine of our economy," could be lost.

"We should help them [small businesses] weather the storm and create jobs," Boehner said. "This would be a real stimulus, but Washington hasn't tried it yet."

Energy bill passes in the House

The health-care debate comes as Democrats and Republicans continue to battle over legislation seeking to curb greenhouse-gas emissions and boost the use of renewable energy in the U.S.

House lawmakers approved an energy bill late Friday, by a vote of 219 to 212, which would put in place the first national limits on greenhouse-gas emissions.

The energy bill now heads to the Senate where it may experience more difficulty. Regulatory observers argue that the bill's impact on the economy may limit its support by Senators.

In his weekly address, Boehner also addressed his concerns about Obama's energy bill, which Republicans have called a "cap-and-tax bill."

"By imposing a tax on every American who drives a car or flips on a light switch, this plan will drive up the prices for food, gasoline and electricity," Boehner said. "Even President Obama has said that energy prices will -- quote -- 'skyrocket,' and its consequences will be especially severe in rural communities across our country. The Democrats' bill will also ship millions of jobs to competitors like China and India."