(For full coverage of U.S. healthcare reform, click [nN20512341])

* Democratic leaders hunt for 218 votes for healthcare

* Effort bolstered by endorsements from AARP, AMA

* Obama urges Congress to listen to medical groups

(Recasts, adds quotes, details)

By John Whitesides and Donna Smith

WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - With a close vote looming in the U.S. House of Representatives, President Barack Obama's push for healthcare reform was boosted on Thursday by the support of powerful lobbies representing doctors and seniors.

House Democratic leaders struggled to round up enough party moderates to reach the 218 votes needed to pass Obama's top domestic priority ahead of a planned Saturday vote.

Obama will visit the Capitol on Friday to make a personal plea for support. He said endorsements from the American Medical Association representing doctors, and AARP, the lobbying group for older Americans, were a powerful argument.