Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed Saturday that President Trump called him to discuss healthcare, but indicated they had not reached an agreement on what needed to be done.
“The president wanted to make another run at repeal and replace and I told the president that’s off the table,” Schumer, D-N.Y. said in a statement. “If he wants to work together to improve the healthcare system, we Democrats are open to his suggestions. A good place to start might be the Alexander-Murray negotiations that would stabilize the system and lower costs.”
The negotiations Schumer raised are between Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Patty Murray, the committee’s top-ranking Democrat. The duo has been unable to reach a deal as Democrats press for funding and Republicans push for states to have more flexibility in how they implement Obamacare.
It’s unclear whether an agreement would lower costs in time for Obamacare customers who will receive coverage under the program in 2018.
Trump tweeted Saturday morning about the phone call with Schumer on healthcare, but did not say what had been proposed other than seeing whether a bipartisan agreement might be possible.
“ObamaCare is badly broken, big premiums,” he wrote. “Who knows!”
I called Chuck Schumer yesterday to see if the Dems want to do a great HealthCare Bill. ObamaCare is badly broken, big premiums. Who knows!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
The latest effort at an Obamacare overhaul bill failed after it neglected to receive enough support from Republicans, though some senators have vowed to revisit it in 2018.
