Republicans: U.S. healthcare timetable may slip

By Donna Smith and David Alexander

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Critics assailed the Obama administration on Wednesday for a deal with hospitals meant to cut costs, and a top Republican said the U.S. Senate may need more than a planned month to pass a bipartisan healthcare reform bill.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid met with key Republicans on the issue while supporters of healthcare reform searched for ways to bring down the plan's price tag of at least $1 trillion and pay for it without raising taxes on the middle class and poor.

"Our strong preference is to pass a bipartisan bill that lowers crushing health care costs for the middle class," Reid said after the meeting, adding that he "looked forward to more Republicans joining us at the negotiating table."

Senator Charles Grassley, the senior Republican on the Finance Committee, said that the Democrats' goal of passing a bill before the monthlong August recess might not be met.

"Bipartisan talks are going to continue, and not continue under a very hard timeline," Grassley said.

Vice President Joe Biden announced the agreement with hospitals to save $155 billion in healthcare spending over 10 years, mainly by lowering charges for health services to the poor and elderly.

But Republicans questioned whether the deal, and a similar $80 billion agreement with drugmakers announced last month, would ultimately provide real cost savings.

"The administration and congressional Democrats are literally bullying health care groups into cutting backroom deals to fund a government takeover of health care," said House Republican leader John Boehner.