Whack-a-Bill, everyone’s least favorite carnival game is over. And people were really starting to wonder about the Obamacare repeal repeal and replace whatever…

Remember when Nancy Pelosi famously declared, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it?” She was, of course, referring to the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare, and was justly skewered by “conservatives” at the time for the outlandish statement. Fast forward seven years, and now it’s the Republicans doing the exact same thing.

The GOP has chosen to conceal the text of what may become the replacement for Obamacare. Not only can you – someone the bill will most definitely affect – not read it. Members of the U.S. Senate are not even allowed to see what is contained in the legislation.

Senator Rand Paul, who is advocating for a complete repeal of the ACA, has made repeated attempts to view what he refers to as “Obamacare Lite,” but has still been unable to get his hands on a copy of the bill. The Kentucky senator has even gone so far as to wheel a copy machine to where he was told the bill was being housed. Paul, a Republican, was denied access.

The secrecy should be enough to alarm citizens across the U.S. and cause the public to demand to see what kind of health care reform may be about to be shoved down their throats. But what Senator Paul believes the bill contains is the most distressing part of this story.

“When we heard it was secret, we wanted to see it even more because if something is secret, you do worry that people are hiding things,” Paul said speaking to CNN.

Well pass around the cigars.The baby is here! THE FULL TEXT.

I gave it a brief skim through. Much of this requires adjusting the existing law, 42 U.S.C. 300u–11. I don’t feel so ambitious tonight as to do a full reconcile. You’re on your own in that regard.

I see retroactive modification to the Community Health program, back to 2015. And another $422 Million spent.

They want to reroute Medicaid payments to the States. I heard some GOPers jibbering on the news about this: “Power out of Washington! Back to the States!” What about power to the people (and our money with us too)?

Mandates… Where are the mandates???

Oh heck …going to turn over analysis to Fox News. They are calling it a full replacement:

The sweeping legislation would repeal ObamaCare’s taxes along with the so-called individual and employer mandates – which imposed fines for not buying and offering insurance, respectively.

It also would repeal the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies, replacing them with tax credits for consumers.

The mandate and the fines were what most concerned me. Unconstitutional intrusion and theft (robbery, really), John Roberts’s “reasoning” aside.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., told Fox News they also “are not pulling the rug out from under people.” Rather, he said Republicans want to restore power to the states and control costs in Medicaid and elsewhere.

“It’ll amount to the biggest entitlement reform, probably in at least the last 20 years,” he said.

Good. Keep those reforms coming on a monthly basis at least. Aim for 1912!

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said …

Who the hell cares?

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said the proposal “would cut and cap Medicaid, defund Planned Parenthood, and force Americans, particularly older Americans, to pay more out of pocket for their medical care all so insurance companies can pad their bottom line.”

Yeah, yeah. Killing babies, good; killing old folks, scare tactic… Do shut up, Chuck. He’s probably right about the insurance companies though; they pay Congress well to keep them in the black.

And from possibly the only respectable member of Congress:

However, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the bill “looks like ObamaCare Lite to me … It’s going to have to be better.”

Then, make the changes, Rand. That’s what committees and reconciliation are for. We may have to settle for ObamaCare Lite. Anything would be better than what we have now – a doomed system on imminent approach to bankruptcy and ruin. I’m not sure about Rand but I know his honorable father would, ultimately, like a return to a free enterprise-based system, one sans Medicare, Medicaid, and all other forms of government mismanagement and tyranny. That’s not going to happen … any time soon.

What has to happen is a reform. Is this it? Who knows. At least we have something to read and work with.

I’ve been hounding Congress to fix this mess since the summer of 2012. Finally, we’re getting somewhere. I’ll go ahead and take the credit. You can thank me tomorrow.