President Barack Obama will address a joint session of Congress next Wednesday to inject new impetus into his plans for healthcare reform, seeking to overcome the bitter disputes that have bedevilled the debate during the August recess. The president would “set the course” for passing a healthcare bill in the autumn, laying out in clear terms what kind of reform he wanted to see passed, Democratic officials said on Wednesday.

The address – on Congress’s second day back after a summer of frenzied lobbying particularly by Republicans opposed to the administration’s plans – will mark Mr Obama’s return to the centre of the debate. It will be only the second time since taking office that he has addressed both houses on Capitol Hill.

The president had been criticised for squandering his huge electoral mandate for reform by giving Congress too much authority over shaping the legislation.

“I think he realises that he has got to stand up and show some leadership here because Congress is deadlocked,” said Dean Baker, a healthcare analyst at the Centre for Economic Policy Research.

“It really will fall to him. If he wants to get this through, he has got to stand up and make the case and be prepared to take the hit, because Congress won’t do it on their own,” Mr Baker said, adding that the pro-reform camp had to remind the public what the changes would achieve.

The increasing opposition to Mr Obama’s plans led to a sudden decline in the president’s approval ratings.

A Pew Research Center poll released on Wednesday found that 46 per cent of Americans surveyed last month opposed the healthcare reform proposals while 39 per cent were in favour, a slight widening of the gap from the previous month.

But the debate was entering a new phase, the president’s aides said.

“We’re entering a new season,” David Axelrod, a senior administration official, told the Politico website on Wednesday.

“It’s time to synthesise and harmonise these strands and get this done. We’re confident that we can do that. But obviously it is a different phase. We’re going to approach it in a different way. The president is going to be very active.”

It remains to be seen whether Mr Obama will insist on a public option for healthcare insurance – a key part of his original vision for healthcare reform and an important tool for constraining expenditure – but there is a growing expectation he will drop it.

Aides to Senate Democratic leadership on Wednesday played down the significance of Mr Obama dropping his insistence on a public option, saying that this would enable centrist Democrats to vote for the reform.

However, more liberal lawmakers would be disappointed.

“This will be a clear signal to the Republicans that he is prepared to compromise but for his supporters, this would be a big disappointment,” said Mr Baker.