The Prime Minister is battling to get his ambitious health and hospital reform program over the line, and that effort may become even more difficult after Labor took a beating in both states at the weekend.

Labor faced a massive backlash, although the Liberals don't appear to have won enough votes in the seats that matter, meaning both results remain in doubt.

Mr Rudd had been expected to ask the states to agree to his proposal for the commonwealth to take over majority funding control of public hospitals at a Council of Australian Governments meeting on April 11 but that meeting has now been postponed until April 19.