PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire _ Trying to put new energy behind his health care plan, President Barack Obama on Tuesday took direct aim at the health insurance industry, promising Americans that "meddling" bureaucrats should not be determining anyone's care.

"Your health insurance will be there for you when it counts, not just when you're paying premiums," Obama said to applause at a local high school.

With his poll numbers slipping and the public growing more skeptical, Obama retooled his message to the tens of millions of people who already have health insurance. That's a notable change from his typical audience of the roughly 46 million who are uninsured.

"I don't think government bureaucrats should be meddling. But I also don't think insurance company bureaucrats should be meddling," Obama said.


The president also said he seeks a rational debate and took a poke at critics who he said were trying to "scare the heck out of folks." He said there should be a vigorous debate over health care, but "with each other, not over each other."

"Where we disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that don't bear any resemblance to anything that's actually being proposed," Obama said, trying to wrest back control over the debate.

He accused critics of creating "boogeymen."

Obama's pitch came as angry crowds have put many lawmakers on the defensive as they try to talk about health care with their constituents, leading some to replace public forums with teleconferences or step up security to keep protesters at bay.

The disturbances come at a critical time as lawmakers _ mostly Democrats _ return home for the August recess and host the meetings to boost support to overhaul the nation's costly health care system.

"Spread the facts. Let's get this done," Obama implored the crowd.