Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the connection between the process used to draft the Senate Republican health care bill and its substance:

“The Senate Republican health care plan is the most indefensible bill I’ve seen in my 24 years in the Senate. But rather than learning from their mistake—that secrecy is their enemy—we now hear that Republican leaders are again working behind closed doors to tweak their dangerous bill in an effort to attract enough members of their own party.

“Health experts and health advocacy organizations were completely shut out. No one representing doctors, nurses, patients, children, the elderly, hospitals, community clinics or health plans was able to provide feedback on how the bill would harm people.

“Candidly, it was inevitable that a bill written in secret by 13 men would fall far short.

“The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, and it has worked. It has provided insurance to more than 20 million Americans who weren’t covered. And if Republicans would actually work to improve the law, our entire country would be better off.”