The Republican chairmen of House committees on Saturday requested audits due to an “astonishing volume” of possible fraud involving Obamacare enrollment.
According to a report from the Paragon Health Institute, the chairs of the Judiciary, Ways, and Means, and Energy and Commerce committees, as well as the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), called on government watchdogs, including the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the inspector general at the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), to investigate a “large level” of potential Obamacare enrollment fraud.
According to a study by a conservative think tank organization, up to five million Americans might be fraudulently obtaining insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.
The leaders of the House Republicans argued, “The scope of the issue indicates malevolent intent.” They demanded a “systemic assessment of enrollment” from the watchdog groups.
Health brokers may have fabricated information to enroll clients or mistakenly switched them between plans without the client’s knowledge or consent, according to a new investigation from Kaiser Family Foundation Health News, or KFF Health News.
Even some Democrats, like Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), have called for information regarding enforcement measures to shield citizens from unscrupulous middlemen.
According to The Washington Post:
“As politicians continued to argue over the health bill and how to pay for its programs, attention shifted to possible ACA fraud. Democrats have applauded the number of people who have signed up under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). During the debate on Thursday night, President Biden mentioned that the ACA’s Medicaid expansion and insurance marketplaces have covered over 40 million Americans. Republicans have responded by saying that Democrats have been overly liberal in providing federal subsidies for private health insurance and that the program’s original intent has been misinterpreted.”
Former Trump White House health policy official and Paragon President Brian Blase remarked, “It’s amazing how little has been done to date looking at these challenges.”
According to Blase, in 2024, this level of possible fraud would cost $20 billion.
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