Hatch Calls Out Administration’s Numbers Game on Obamacare Enrollment
“Despite claims by this White House that the health law and its execution have been transparent, the facts continue to tell a different story.”
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) confirmed that marketplace enrollment totals provided to Congress were 400,000 less than previously provided:
“Since the Obama Administration first announced they reached their enrollment goal last spring, the actual numbers have dramatically ticked down while costs have gone up. Creative accounting aside, there are still many more questions the Administration needs to answer regarding these numbers. For one, how many of these individuals were kicked off their previous plans because of Obamacare’s crushing mandates? Despite claims by this White House that the health law and its execution have been transparent, the facts continue to tell a different story. The American people deserve better.”
In April, the Administration announced they had reached their enrollment goal of over 7 million enrollees. Today, CMS confirmed the final number of individuals with marketplace medical coverage is 6.7 million—400,000 less than the latest number the agency provided Congress.
Several nonpartisan experts have warned of the adverse economic impact the health-care law will have on American individuals, families, and job creators:
- LOSS OF COVERAGE: The Congressional Budget Office recently reported that 7 million employees will actually lose their employer-sponsored coverage under Obamacare.
- PREMIUM SPIKES: The Office of the Chief Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) found that two-thirds of Americans that work at small businesses (roughly 11 million workers) will see their premiums rise under Obamacare
- JOB LOSS: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the President’s health-care law would eliminate 2.3 million American jobs in 2021.
- SUSCEPTIBLE TO FRAUD, FICTITIOUS APPLICANTS: The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted an undercover examination of enrollment controls in the Obamacare health-care exchanges and found that premium tax credits and health insurance could be obtained with fake information through telephone and online applications.
Additional Background:
A staunch opponent of the President’s health law, Hatch has introduced legislation that would repeal the two central pillars of the Affordable Care Act, the employer and individual mandates, and has bipartisan legislation repealing the medical device tax that partially funds the law.Hatch has also championed legislation to repeal the tax on job creators and their employees. Hatch introduced the Trust But Verify Act, to delay the launch of the exchanges, where people will buy their Washington-mandated insurance, until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) can certify that the Data Hubs, the online marketplace to buy insurance is secure. Most recently, Hatch joined Senators Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Tom Coburn, M.D., R-Okla., to introduce the CARE Act, an alternative proposal to Obamacare that lowers health-care costs and increases access to quality care.
