The White House today sounded a conciliatory note before a high-level meeting to break a health care impasse in the US Congress, but an opinion poll found a vast majority of Americans predicted failure.
The health care plan offered by President Barack Obama on Monday was not the last word on the issue, the White House said, promising to work to find common ground with wary Republicans at a televised summit tomorrow.
"It is important to understand that this proposal isn't meant to be the final say on the legislation," Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, said in an email.
The summit will bring together leaders of both parties in a last-gasp effort to revive a sweeping health care overhaul that has stalled in Congress amid broad public dissatisfaction and unified Republican opposition.
Health care bills passed by the Democratic-controlled House and Senate last year were designed to reshape the $2.5 trillion health-care industry by cutting costs, regulating insurers and expanding coverage to tens of millions of Americans.
But efforts to merge them and send a final version to Obama collapsed in January after Democrats lost their crucial 60th vote in a special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts.
Americans have low expectations for Thursday's gathering to revive the overhaul, with about three-quarters of respondents in a USA Today/Gallup Poll believing both sides will leave the day-long session without agreement. One in five thought they would reach a deal.
Republicans, who have demanded Democrats scrap the bills and start over, criticised Mr Obama for signalling he would consider ramming the bill through Congress using a procedure that would bypass the need for Republican support.
"In light of all these behind-the-scenes efforts to get around the will of the people, it's hard to imagine what the purpose of Thursday's summit is," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said.
Reuters