Story highlights Republican senators are considering voting on a 'skinny repeal' health care bill

In the House, the proposal is not finding a lot of GOP supporters

Washington (CNN) House Speaker Paul Ryan attempted to walk a fine line to keep the health care debate moving forward without putting House GOP members in a box on how it will deal with a scaled down version of the Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill that could emerge overnight from the Senate.

Pressed by a group of Senate GOP members with an unusual request of guaranteeing the House won't vote on the bill they could pass in the early morning hours, Ryan pledged if that's what it takes, he was on board.

"Senators have made clear that this is an effort to keep the process alive, not to make law. If moving forward requires a conference committee, that is something the House is willing to do," the speaker said in a written statement Thursday night.

But Ryan had a demand of his own, insisting the Senate had to come up with something it could get through, saying, "we expect the Senate to act first on whatever the conference committee produces." And he didn't specifically state what some Senate Republicans wanted him to guarantee -- that the House would never take up just the "skinny repeal."

His comments followed several Republican senators who said earlier Thursday that they wouldn't vote for a so-called "skinny" health care bill unless if went to conference committee for changes. That plan appeared to have the support to pass the Senate. House GOP leaders already put members on notice they may be working this weekend if it gets dropped in their lap and they scheduled a meeting for all House Republicans for Friday morning.

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