Today's Globe: healthcare overhaul, diabetes and immunity, cancer drug for dogs, swine flu, private insurance, Partners vs. MetroWest

Laying out in the clearest terms yet what he wants in a healthcare overhaul, President Obama told Congress yesterday that he strongly believes Americans should have the choice of a new public health insurance plan that would compete against private insurers.

A common diabetes pill may help trick the body into making more powerful immune system cells that could help vaccines and cancer treatments work better, US and Canadian researchers said yesterday.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug made specifically to treat cancer in dogs.

An East Boston elementary school has been temporarily closed because of swine flu fears, the ninth closing of a Boston public school due to the disease, school officials said yesterday (second item).

"As state officials, insurers, and medical providers seek ways to reduce costs in the health industry, Newton-Wellesley Hospital wants to spend $17.5 million on a new outpatient surgical and screening center in Framingham. This puts it uncomfortably close to Metrowest Medical Center's Framingham Union and Leonard Morse hospitals," a Globe editorial says. "No one can claim that the Metrowest area needs more health facilities."

"Despite budget pressures, President Obama has not backed off his commitment to universal healthcare reform," Robert Kuttner, is co-editor of The American Prospect, writes on the opinion page. "But the devil is in the details. And if he is not careful he could end up with a reform worse than nothing."