White House aides say President Obama will release a revised version of his health-care proposal this week, and it will address some of the issues Republicans raised at the Blair House summit last Friday. Still, the prospects of winning Republican support appear grim. Republicans want the White House to abandon the bill and start over. Obama says he is unwilling to do so.
"I'm concerned that the majority in Congress is still not listening to the American people on the subject of health-care reform," said Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a doctor. "By an overwhelming margin, the American people are telling us to scrap the current bills and we should start over."
Still, a lot of strategy has to be in place before anything can pass. Some are saying the White House might accept having the House pass a version of the measure that cleared the Senate with 60 votes in December. The Senate would then pass changes to the bill to satisfy some demands of House Democrats. That Senate vote would take place under a parliamentary procedure known as reconciliation, which requires 51 votes rather than 60.
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