Lawmakers urge bipartisanship after AHCA pulled

Kelly Gooch -

A number of lawmakers and senior White House officials are calling for bipartisanship on healthcare after the House called off a Friday vote for the GOP's health bill, reports The New York Times.

Here are five things to know.

1. On "Fox News Sunday," White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said President Donald Trump ultimately "wants to make sure that people don't get left behind" when it comes to healthcare, according to the report. Mr. Priebus added he believes "it's time for our folks to come together," and there is opportunity to "potentially get a few moderate Democrats on board," regarding work on reining in premium costs.

2. President Trump tweeted Saturday morning: "ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry!"

3. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, expressed optimism about the parties coming together, saying: "I believe that there is a group of centrist Democrats who recognize that the ACA has flaws that must be fixed. Until there was a repudiation of the House bill, they felt constrained from negotiating. Now that the House bill has died, I hope they will feel free to come to the table," reports NYT.

4. But some lawmakers still reiterated the need for an overall repeal and replacement of the ACA. "You cannot fix a broken system," White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said on NBC's "Meet the Press," according to the report. "You are never going to fix that. This system must be removed."

5. Former HealthCare.gov CEO Kevin Counihan provided NYT with some recommendations as far as opportunities for bipartisan compromise on healthcare. For instance, the American Health Care Act would have allowed insurers to charge older Americans five times more than younger people for the same plan, compared to the current 3:1 ratio. Mr. Counihan recommended seeking a possible compromise between the two, the report states.

Read the full NYT report here.

 

 

More articles on leadership and management:

House scraps AHCA: 5 things to know
Scripps CEO Chris Van Gorder: 'Good' healthcare law 'will not come out of back room deals'
AHCA vote called off: 10 reactions

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