US President Barack Obama's health summit failed to break an impasse over his reform drive, prompting him to warn he would press on with or without Republican help.
Mr Obama ended the summit with an appeal for Republicans and Democrats to consider whether they could resolve some of their differences over healthcare reform in the next six weeks, but Republicans called that time frame unreasonable.
‘It's not going to be possible with that kind of an approach to come together within the time frame that he indicated,’ said Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl, flanked by fellow Republican leaders as he spoke to reporters outside the White House.
That leaves the White House and congressional Democrats in the difficult position of deciding whether to try to force a reform of the system through Congress with a little-used parliamentary manoeuvre that would allow approval by a simple majority vote.
Republicans have condemned any such move, but Mr Obama suggested at the end of the healthcare summit the Democrats might have to consider it.
‘We cannot have another year-long debate about this,’ the US president said.
‘Is there enough serious effort that in a month's time or a few weeks' time or six weeks' time we could actually resolve something?’
‘If we can't, then I think we've got to go ahead and make some decisions,’ he added, saying the voters could then pass judgement in November on the differing Republican and Democratic visions for the country.
Leaders of the two parties clashed frequently during the summit, with Democrats pushing their ideas for a sweeping reform of US healthcare, which now consumes some 16% of the economy while still leaving 48m people uninsured with little access to regular care.
While Mr Obama argues sweeping reform is necessary for the long-term health of the economy, Republicans sharply disagree with the size and scope of the plan.
‘There are some fundamental differences between us that we cannot paper over,’ Mr Kyl told Mr Obama, adding that his plan gave Washington too much power over the health system and took it away from patients and doctors.
‘We do not agree about the fundamental question of who should be in charge,’ Mr Kyl said.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said he was discouraged and thought it was clear Democrats planned to ram through a version of the Senate-passed healthcare plan.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid seemed to reinforce that view, telling reporters, ‘It is time to do something and we are going to do it.’
