Mike Pence slammed for photo of all men making healthcare bill decisions

Republicans discussing the replacement Obamacare bill have been criticised for the lack of women included in Thursday's talks.

A picture shared on social media by US Vice President Mike Pence showed a table of men discussing healthcare coverage.

The photograph was a snapshot from a meeting held on 23 March with the House Freedom Caucus, which President Donald Trump has appealed to for help to pass his replacement bill for Obamacare.

The caucus is reportedly holding up the bill's passage through the House as 25 of its members have refused to vote in favour of the bill as it stands.

Instead, many members of the caucus want to see insurance premiums reduced by scaling back some of the minimum requirements for healthcare provision, which include maternity care, The Hill reported.

The fact the meeting with the House Freedom Caucus appeared to have no women in the room when such topics were discussed was slammed by some Democrats – although it was reported that Trump's senior adviser Kellyanne Conway was in the room, out of picture shot.

After Pence shared the picture on Twitter, writing: "Appreciated joining @POTUS for meeting with the Freedom Caucus again today. This is it #passthebill."

Democrat Jim McGovern responded: "This is outrageous: Not a single woman in the room as ‪@Mike_Pence and ‪@HouseGOP propose removing maternity coverage in ‪#Trumpcare."

His sentiments were echoed by a number of Twitter users, including senator Patty Murray, who shared the photo and wrote: "A rare look inside the GOP's women's health caucus."

A vote on the Obamacare replacement bill was postponed from Thursday (23 March) to Friday, in what the White House claimed was an effort to avoid a 3am vote.

However, the push back of the vote is something of a setback for Trump, who has failed to rally his own party behind the legislation.