Trump says it's 'OK' if health bill doesn't pass

President Donald Trump says that if the health care bill fails to pass in the Senate, he won't like it — but "that's OK."Trump spoke Tuesday at a gathering of Senate Republicans after their leaders shelved a vote on their prized health care bill until at least next month.

Trump says, "This will be great if we get it done and if we don't get it done it's going to be something that we're not going to like and that's OK and I can understand that."He adds, "I think we have a chance to do something very, very important for the public, very, very important for the people of our country."

Add three more names to the list of Republican senators saying they oppose the GOP health care bill.

But these three get an asterisk. They released statements of flat-out opposition after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was delaying the vote in hopes of rounding up enough support for passage.

Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia have persistently criticized the bill's cuts in Medicaid, and have sought billions more to combat opioid abuse. Both said for the first time Tuesday they opposed the measure.

Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said last week he would examine whether the proposal was good for his state. He said Tuesday the bill did not have his support, saying he wanted more affordable and better quality health care.

President Donald Trump says he wants the replacement of the 2009 health insurance law to increase the number of insurance coverage choices and lower premiums, a senior White House official says.

The president was stressing these goals in a meeting Tuesday with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican who opposes the Senate's planned replacement of the government's health insurance expansion under former President Barack Obama. The official insisted on anonymity to describe private conversations.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has delayed a vote on that replacement, which has been unable to attract sufficient support from Republican lawmakers. The replacement would reduce funding for Medicaid, cut taxes on investments and cause 22 million fewer people to no longer have health insurance, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

AP