A leading Republican Congressman said Sunday that his party would present by the end of the week its own plan for health care reform, one of President Barack Obama's top domestic priorities.
House Minority leader John Boehner spoke after Obama's top allies on Thursday unveiled sweeping compromise legislation, including a government-backed insurance plan to compete with private firms.
"By the end of this week, people will be able to look at one proposal" that provides transparent cost figures and clearly states the number of people to be covered, Boehner told CNN.
He said the proposal will clearly delineate that "what the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) says it will cost and ... what the CBO says will end up the percent of Americans who will have health insurance," Boehner said.
Republicans oppose the so-called public option in the Democratic plan, saying it introduces too much government intervention into the private business of health care.
Democrats however say a government-backed public option would allow greater numbers of Americans to have health insurance and would compete with private insurers to keep costs down.
Boehner declined to give details on the Republican proposal, but said it would not increase taxes, cut existing government programs for the poor and elderly, or have "mandates on individuals or businesses."
House Democrats unveiled their draft text after Democrats in the US Senate have crafted their own version, and if the two chambers approve rival measures they must forge compromise legislation to send to Obama to sign into law, a process that could easily run into 2010.
Democratic House lawmakers have estimated their measure would cost 894 billion over 10 years and expand health insurance to 36 million Americans, helping to extend coverage to 96 percent of the population of the world's richest nation.
