Republican leaders plan town halls on replacement for Obamacare

WASHINGTON, March 18 (UPI) -- Republican congressional leaders plan a listening tour to help develop an alternative to President Obama's healthcare plan, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy says.

McCarthy, R-Calif., and other leaders acknowledge there will be no bill on the table for months, if ever, the New York Times reported. Republicans plan a series of town hall meetings around the country to launch the "House Obamacare Accountability Project."

The meetings will be held during the April recess.

"It's important to show the American people that there is a better approach to improving healthcare for Americans than Obamacare," McCarthy said. "Unlike the president and congressional Democrats, we have been listening to the American people, and what Americans want is affordability, greater flexibility and access to care, which we are focused on achieving."

While Republicans, who have held the majority in the House since January 2011 have voted dozens of times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they have had less success providing an alternative. Some proposals floated in bills introduced to provide a replacement include a greater use of tax-free health savings accounts, state or federal pools to help people with medical problems get insurance and small-business pools.