Photo: The Canadian Press

Members of the House Freedom Caucus arrive at the White House 

Showdown day at hand, Republicans remained short of votes Thursday for their showcase health care overhaul, hoping for President Donald Trump to close the deal with balky conservatives at a White House meeting.

Frenzied last-minute wheeling and dealing was underway at the Capitol, too, but if anything the number of dissidents seemed to be growing. Signaling that more work was needed, GOP leaders postponed a planned morning meeting of rank-and-file lawmakers, and House Speaker Paul Ryan delayed a scheduled news briefing.

Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state became the latest to declare her opposition. Concessions being offered to the conservatives — they want to limit requirements that health plans offer benefits including maternity and substance abuse care — appeared to be scaring off moderate Republicans.

The House Freedom Caucus, whose conservative members comprise the bulk of GOP opponents, met at midday with Trump. A Trump aide tweeted a picture of caucus members giving the president a standing ovation at the start of the session.

But going in, the signals were mixed.

The head of the group, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., warned it would be a "Herculean task" to resolve their differences quickly. Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., said, "Any package of insurance regs that the president offers us that bends the cost curve down, I'm a yes. It's that simple."

The stakes could hardly be higher for a party that gained monopoly control of Washington's power centres in part on promises to get rid of President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement and replace it with something better. Now Republicans are staring at the possibility of failure at the moment of truth, an outcome that would be a crushing political defeat for Trump and Hill GOP leaders and would throw prospects for other legislative achievements into great uncertainty.

The Republican legislation would halt Obama's tax penalties against people who don't buy coverage and cut the federal-state Medicaid program for low earners, which the Obama statute had expanded. It would provide tax credits to help people pay medical bills, though generally skimpier than Obama's statute provides. It also would allow insurers to charge older Americans more and repeal tax boosts the law imposed on high-income people and health industry companies.