Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't willing to share the details of his bill to repeal Obamacare with the public, but he's also not willing to share any details with industry groups that represent millions of patients.
According to the LA Times, requests from over a dozen groups have been turned down.
This week, a group of more than 15 patients groups -- including the American Heart Assn., the March of Dimes, the American Lung Assn. and the American Diabetes Assn. -- asked McConnell’s office to meet with them next week, proposing any time between Friday and June 22.
A representative from McConnell’s office told them staff schedules were too busy, according to representatives of several of the organizations.
They're "too busy" fidgeting with legislation that will impact the healthcare industry to meet with the... healthcare industry.
These patient groups are far from alone. Vendors and providers are also being left out of the process. This isn't even a case of Republicans advancing a bill scripted for them by lobbyists; they're making strictly political calculations. Senate Republicans, like their House colleagues, are not interested in the myriad of ways in which their bill will effect health, patients and the economy.
Their only goal is to devise a legislative formula that cuts taxes for the rich at the expense of providing healthcare while mustering enough support to actually pass it with a bare minimum of votes. Expanding or improving access to healthcare isn't even given lip service at this point.
These are the calculations of unaccountable sociopaths.