Trump reaches out to Democrats in bid for 'great' healthcare bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is reaching out to Democrats to see if they "want to do a great HealthCare Bill" after Republicans have failed so far to fulfill their yearslong promise to repeal and replace the Obama health law.

Trump tweeted that he called Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Friday. The president says the Obama health law "is badly broken, big premiums. Who knows!"

There's no immediate word from Schumer about Trump's tweets.

The president has suggested earlier that he'd be open to negotiating with Democrats on health care.

But there've been no clear signs of a compromise between Republicans who've wanted to scrap the Affordable Care Act since it became law in 2010, and Democrats who want to protect it.

The day after the Republicans decided against bringing the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill to the floor for a vote in late September, Trump outlined several potential paths forward on healthcare. One suggestion was to work with Democrats to pass a bill by early 2018.

"I'm also going to meet with Democrats and see if we can get a health care plan that's even better," said the president at the time. "So I will negotiate with Democrats."

It's unclear what sort of plan Trump would pursue with Democrats, Business Insider's Bob Bryan reported earlier. 

It could be a stabilization package for the Obamacare exchanges, similar to one that was being developed by GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray - before Republican leaders scrapped the plan. It could also be a broader package to help correct some of the issues with Obamacare. 

 

Reporting for the Associated Press by Ken Thomas.