JEFFERSON CITY -- Missouri's congressional delegation awaits President Obama's health care address with a range of expectations.

In about an hour, the president will address a joint session of congress on his plan to reform health care.

And it might well be a make it-or-break it speech.

People on both sides of the debate said the president must step forward with the specifics of what he wants done.

"If we don't reform health care," Obama said. "Your premiums and out-of-pocket cost will continue to skyrocket,” Obama said.  

Everyone will be waiting to hear the phrase "public option." White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says the president will not avoid it.

"We have insurance markets that are dominated by just one company,” White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said. “There's no choice, there's no competition.”

The notion of government-run health care fueled much of the opposition at the town hall meetings held during August. Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, who has measured her support for the white house on reform, has been careful with the public option question.    

"Most people on Medicare are happy with their Medicare,” McCaskill said. “That is, in fact, a government-run program.”

Sen. Kit Bond said that he hopes if the president pushes public option that it will get killed in the senate. 

“I think that's a disaster, because the one we know about the government, when it gets into a business, it's not a competitor, it's a predator,” Bond said.

Kit Bond said health care reform must focus on coverage of prevention and wellness. Toward that end, Montana Democrat Max Baucus, the senate finance chairman, has offered a $900 billion plan with privately-owned cooperatives.

That plan would charge drug companies and other health service providers’ fees to cover the costs. Just offered this week, the plan is still awaiting signs of support from bond or other senate Republicans.

"The only bipartisan thing about this whole bill," Bond said, "is the opposition to the plan."

CBS News will have live coverage of the president's address to congress beginning at 7 p.m.