House GOP leaders pull bill to modify Obamacare

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WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- U.S. House leaders Wednesday pulled back a bill to modify Obamacare amid criticism from Republican hard-liners who wanted another vote on a complete repeal.

There was no formal announcement but House Republican leaders sent a note to members saying there would be no more votes Wednesday, The Hill reported.

The newspaper reported Republican aides said they would try to bring the bill back to the House in May.

The legislation was pushed by Majority Leader Eric Cantor but ran into tough conservative opposition, Politico reported.

Politico said the bill would transfer money from a preventative disease account to create high-risk pools for sick Americans. President Barack Obama has said he would likely veto the bill.

Before the withdrawal, conservatives said they want to tell voters they tried to scrap Obamacare and were demanded a floor vote to repeal the 2010 healthcare reform law.

The conservatives are frustrated by the Republican leadership's decision to push legislation that changes but doesn't eliminate President Obama's signature law, The Hill reported.

"The guys who have been up here the last two years, we can go home and say, 'Listen, we voted 36 different times to repeal or replace Obamacare.' Tell me what the new guys are supposed to say?" second-term Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., asked Wednesday.

The Hill said after two years in which House Republicans voted nearly every week to repeal part or all of Obamacare, the Republican leadership shifted strategy after Obama was re-elected in November, but hardliners were still calling for full repeal.