The Case Of The Missing Health Care Bill

Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, demanded Thursday to see a House version of an Obamacare replacement bill as he was met by resistance from his own party. Other lawmakers and reporters joined in, leading to what Vox's Sarah Kliff called a "bipartisan wild goose chase."

Drafts of a new House bill to replace Obamacare have been shrouded in mystery. Bloomberg reported that it was being treated like a "top-secret surveillance intercept," which was to be shared among some House Republicans on Thursday.

Though there have been various versions of GOP health care bills released, no draft of legislation currently under consideration appears to have been released.

Paul has not been a fan of the secrecy. “We want to see the bill. We have many objections,” he said.

He went to the room, H-157, where a meeting about the bill was reportedly being held; he had a photocopier in tow to distribute copies of the documents. But Rand was denied a copy of the bill by a staff, and then spoke to reporters who had gathered at the scene:

“We're here asking for a written copy of this because this should be an open and transparent process,” he said.

Rep. Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican, and Rep. Paul Tonko, New York Democrat, also joined in on the search, according to Kliff.

Eventually the people who had gathered gained access to the room, but there was no bill inside:

Read Sarah Kliff's full account of the incident>>

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi later tweeted out that her dogs could help out with finding the bill:

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