Hoyer, Boustany Meet to Discuss Health Care

FOX  has learned that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has met with Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA), a surgeon who the GOP tapped to deliver the official response to President Obama's health care speech before a Joint Session of Congress more than two weeks ago.

Earlier this week, Hoyer mentioned Boustany by name and expressed interest in meeting with GOP lawmakers after the Louisiana Republican said his party could reach an "80 percent" on health care reform.

Sources familiar with the session say they met in the Majority Leader's office for 30 minutes. Fox is told that Boustany told Hoyer that the current bill should be scrapped and the House should craft a new, bipartisan health care bill.

Sources familiar with the meeting say Hoyer signaled that starting anew could waste precious time.

Meantime, senior House Democratic leaders met multiple times to try to meld three bills that a trio of House panels approved in July. House leaders hope to present a unified bill to Democrats sometime next week.

Fox is told that Hoyer and Boustany agreed to meet again.