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WASHINGTON - Even as Republicans publicly welcome President Barack Obama's call for a bipartisan summit on health care reform, some privately worry that he might be laying a trap to portray their ideas as flimsy.

If so, a shaky showing by Republican leaders could possibly embolden congressional Democrats to make a final, aggressive push to overhaul the U.S. health care system, with or without any Republican votes.

Some Republicans doubt that scenario, saying Democrats have lost momentum for any plan that is certain to draw fierce criticism, especially after the Republicans won a Senate election in usually Democratic Massachusetts. The victorious Republican candidate emphasized opposition to health care reform in his campaign.

The victory dealth a severe blow to Obama's top domestic priority, stunning his Democratic party and buoying Republican hopes for big gains in the November congressional elections. The win also reduced the Democrats majority in the 100-member Senate to 59 votes, depriving them by one vote of the ability to block Republican delaying procedures.

But the Democrats noted Monday that the White House has not backed away from its support of legislation similar to what the Democratic-controlled House and Senate passed separately in December over strong Republican objections.

"This is a clever tactic by the president to try to put the Republicans on the defensive," said John Feehery, a Republican consultant and former congressional aide. "There's a vast ideological gulf" between the two parties on health care, he said, making it likely that the Feb. 25 half-day meeting will be more showmanship than substance.

The House's top two Republican leaders openly questioned Obama's sincerity and hinted they might skip the meeting if he uses the Democratic bills as the starting point for discussions.

"Assuming the president is sincere about moving forward on health care in a bipartisan way, does that mean he will agree to start over?" said a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel from House Republican leader John Boehner and Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican.

"If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate," Boehner and Cantor wrote.

They asked Obama to rule out the possibility of using "budget reconciliation" rules, which could allow Democrats to enact some health care provisions with a simple Senate majority, not the 60-vote super majority needed.

In response to the letter, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs released a statement contending that Obama is "open to including any good ideas that stand up to objective scrutiny."

White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said the president will not rule out the reconciliation route but is sincere in wanting to hear Republicans' ideas for improving the health care legislation.

In announcing his call for the bipartisan event in a CBS News interview Sunday, Obama was vague when asked whether he was willing to start from scratch on health care. But the White House circulated talking points saying the president is "adamant about passing comprehensive reform similar to the bills passed by the House and the Senate" shortly before Democrats lost their 60-vote Senate majority.

If that's true, Republicans said, what is the point of the Feb. 25 meeting? Some looked to the CBS interview for signs that Obama may use the televised event to depict Republicans' proposals as falling short in key areas.

"What I want to do is to look at the Republican ideas that are out there," Obama said. "And I want to be very specific. 'How do you guys want to lower costs? How do you guys intend to reform the insurance markets so people with preexisting conditions, for example, can get health care? How do you want to make sure that the 30 million people who don't have health insurance can get it?"

Republicans say their health care proposals are frugal and practical. But Obama may be able to cast unkind lights on some details, such as nonpartisan estimates that the House Republican bill would cover 3 million uninsured people while the Democratic version would cover 36 million.

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Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.