GOP still underwhelmed with Roy Blunt's leadership on health care

It's almost Memorial Day, and Roy Blunt's colleagues in the Congress are still hoping for results from his Health Care Solutions Working Group. Blunt's Working Group, you may remember, was created by House Minority Leader John Boehner on February 4 to be the House Republicans' primary clearinghouse for health care ideas. His initial leadership was so uninspiring, though, that normal industry allies felt compelled to started their own planning for opposing the Democratic plan.

Blunt's assigned job is to "keep Republicans on the same track on health legislation" -- but as time continues to pass, the GOP response is becoming more and more fractured:

• A number of Senate Republicinans are participating in Senate Finance Committee talks to write bipartisan health care legislation. They have asked Blunt to hold off on issuing his talking points, fearing Blunt's planned grandstanding might disrupt the negotiations. 
• Four GOP colleagues have independently drafted their own health care bill, the "Patient's Choice Act," without the blessing of Blunt or other GOP leaders.
• Another group of moderate House Republicans - led by Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL), and Charlie Dent (R-PA) - are trying to prohibit the federal government from regulating the hiring of doctors and make it easier for patients to circumvent Medicare and pay for their own health treatments.

Blunt, for his part, still promises a "recess package" of ideas before the Memorial Day break, set to begin this weekend. He's had four full months to work on it -- enough time to produce something grand, I'm sure.