In the London Underground, a recorded voice warns travelers to “mind the gap” between an incoming train and the station platform. The phrase became so popular that it has spawned a book, a TV quiz show and countless T-shirts.

As President Obama tries to overhaul the healthcare system, he actually has to mind two gaps: a treasury gap and a trust gap. Either one could derail his ambitious plans to cover the 47 million Americans who lack health insurance.

Without a doubt, there are some positive signs. At a White House meeting this week, major players in the healthcare industry – doctors, drug makers, insurers, hospitals – pledged to reduce the rapid rise in healthcare costs by 1.5 percent a year for 10 years. Since healthcare accounts for about 17 percent of the entire American economy, those savings could, in theory, amount to $2 trillion.

Obama has clearly made headway with his argument that everyone suffers from spiraling health costs: Workers lose wages, businesses lose customers and young families can’t afford premiums or find jobs that provide benefits. In the latest Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 59 percent said healthcare reform is more important than ever, while only 37 percent called it too costly in the current economy.

Still, skepticism is the only sensible mindset when it comes to healthcare reform. Obama went way overboard in using words like “historic” and “watershed” to describe his White House meeting. He forgot to mind the gaps.