STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And NPR's Alison Kodjak, who covers health policy and is covering this legislation, is in our studios once again. Alison, what did you hear there that was significant?
ALISON KODJAK, BYLINE: You know, what I heard was a really interesting sort of conciliation language. You don't hear a lot of Republicans or Democrats talking about working together. He definitely - the congressman doesn't seem to have the leadership on his side. But he was saying he's having these conversations with Democrats on how to repair the law. And Democrats have said, if you could drop the word repeal, maybe we can work something out. Now, I'm not sure that you're getting a lot of traction on that on either side. But it's interesting to hear at least some people publicly coming out with that.
INSKEEP: I'm wondering if this is one of those issues like Mideast peace, where it's hard to see in practical terms, political terms, how the two sides would get on the same page. But if they sat down and talked about it, the basic elements of a solution - some of them, anyway, are right there in front of both sides.
ALLISON KODJAK: Oh, I think it's very clear what some of the solutions could be to repair these markets and improve how the health care works. Nobody is saying that the Affordable Care Act markets are perfect. They certainly need help. And the answers are there. It's just a matter of getting the political rhetoric and the promises to meet up with what needs to be done.
INSKEEP: And the answers are plausibly acceptable to conservatives as well as liberals, you think...
ALLISON KODJAK: I - this interest on both sides, most certainly.
INSKEEP: OK. Alison, thanks very much, really appreciate it.
ALLISON KODJAK: Thank you.
INSKEEP: That's NPR health policy correspondent Alison Kodjak on this morning after Senate Republicans released their version of a replacement for the Affordable Care Act.
(SOUNDBITE OF JON HOPKINS' "A DRIFTING UP") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
