White House effort to revive health bill gets mixed reaction
WASHINGTON — A White House offensive to resurrect the moribund House Republican health care bill got an uneven reception Tuesday from GOP moderates and conservatives, leaving prospects shaky for the party to salvage one of its leading priorities.
Vice-President Mike Pence and other top administration officials were offering to let states request federal exemptions from insurance coverage requirements imposed by President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. About two dozen top GOP lawmakers met for two hours Tuesday evening with Pence and other White House officials, but participants said differences remained over giving states flexibility to drop those mandates. Meetings will continue Wednesday.
“It was a very good exchange of ideas, with concerns that represent the very broad spectrum of our conference,” said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who leads the conservative House Freedom Caucus. The group’s roughly three dozen members have largely opposed the GOP legislation for not repealing enough of Obama’s law.
At the White House, Pence said he and President Donald Trump “remain confident that working with the Congress we will repeal and replace Obamacare.”