The White House bill is largely based on the reform measure that passed the Senate with 60 votes in late December, though it eliminates some controversial provisions including the “Cornhusker Kickback” that would shield Nebraska from Medicaid increases and pushes back the implementation of a tax on all insurance companies that offer high cost health plans to 2018 -- a provision previously only for union contracts -- and offers more generous subsidies to help moderate income people buy health insurance, a concession to the House version of the bill.

In the face of GOP calls to scrap that legislation and start over from a blank slate, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs insisted that the plan was simply intended as a starting point for health reform discussions held at a summit on Thursday.