If our own senators can't see the Trumpcare bill, how are these lobbyists commenting on the content

If our own senators can't see the Trumpcare bill, how are these lobbyists commenting on the content?
By Jen Hayden
Wednesday Jun 21, 2017 · 12:58 PM EST



Donald Trump seems to be truly enjoying his time in the swamp

Roll Call has details of one of the hold-ups on the Republican’s secretive tax cut for millionaires disguised as a health care plan. It comes as no surprise, but the party of “smaller government” is hung up on strictly governing women’s health care decisions. However, there was a surprising element:


Two abortion-related provisions in the House-passed bill that rewrites the U.S. health insurance system have been dropped from the Senate’s counterpart version, according to several lobbyists.

A number of GOP offices would not confirm whether those provisions are still in the legislation and several aides cautioned that the working draft is still undergoing multiple revisions and that those measures could still be included.


The provisions in question?


The two measures would effectively prohibit federal funding to Planned Parenthood for one year and prevent government health subsidies from being used on insurance plans that offer abortion coverage.


Rage. They are hung up on defunding one of the nation’s largest health care providers.

But, let’s get back to the part in bold, “according to several lobbyists.” The secretive bill that our elected representatives are not allowed to review, hold hearings on, seek input for, make amendments to, is apparently making the rounds among insurance industry lobbyists. The people who stand to financially gain are seeing the bill, possibly even writing it. Meanwhile, organizations representing the 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions have been locked out of any meetings with Mitch McConnell and Republican leadership:


“It is deeply disturbing,” said Erika Sward, assistant vice president of the American Lung Assn. “Patients groups like ours need to make sure that our patients’ needs for healthcare will be met. … We can’t do that if we can’t see what is being proposed.”

The lung association is among 120 patient groups that this week sent a letter to senior Republican senators expressing deep concerns about GOP proposals to fundamentally restructure Medicaid, which provides health coverage to more than 70 million poor Americans.


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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/6/21/1673768/-If-our-own-senators-can-t-see-the-Trumpcare-bill-how-are-these-lobbyists-commenting-on-the-content?Detail=facebook