Pelosi says closer on U.S. healthcare revamp

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday lawmakers were "moving closer" to an agreement on healthcare reform but would not predict if a vote would be taken before a monthlong August recess.

House Democratic leaders seized on a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that said a government health insurance plan would not drive private insurers out of business, and they promised to end the "obscene" profits of insurance companies.

"We're moving closer to a point where we can hold insurance companies accountable," Pelosi told reporters, repeating her frequent prediction that once a bill hits the floor "it will win."

President Barack Obama's drive for healthcare reform has slowed in the Senate and House, both controlled by his fellow Democrats, amid criticism from all sides about the cost, scope and funding of the more than $1 trillion measure.

The proposal has been imperiled in the House by disputes among Democrats about reining in costs, while Republicans in both chambers have slammed the measures as an expensive first step toward a government takeover of healthcare.

Republicans have criticized an option in the House proposal for a government-run public insurance plan that would compete with private insurers, saying it would hurt the insurance industry.

House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer said that charge was "absolutely untrue" and cited the CBO report. It estimates only 11 million to 12 million people would sign up for the public plan, far fewer than an earlier report that predicted 100 million participants.

(Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Paul Simao)