July 1, 2013
WASHINGTON –House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell
Issa, R-Calif., today announced that he and Subcommittee Chairmen James
Lankford, R-Okla., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter
to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius seeking more
information about Obamacare implementation in light of recent gsmall business
mandates,h which limit the ability of small businesses to purchase competitive
insurance plans for their employees.
The District of Columbia and Vermont have both passed gsmall business
mandatesh requiring organizations of 50 individuals or fewer to purchase
insurance through state Exchanges established under Obamacare. The mandates
contradict the health care law, which states qualified employers will not be
prevented from selecting health plans offered outside of an Exchange.
g[T]he Districtfs proposal to force individuals and small businesses onto its
Exchange is inconsistent with principles of consumer choice and competition,
which are vital to a well functioning health insurance market,h the letter
states.
gThe Oversight and Government Reform Committee has expressed concerns on
multiple occasions regarding your Departmentfs implementation of Obamacare,h the
letter continues. gAs HHS Secretary, you are responsible for ensuring that
states implement Obamacare in accordance with the provisions of the law.
At a minimum, we request that you use your authority to ensure that all
Exchanges comply with the provisions in PPACA that ensure that individuals and
employers have the freedom to enter into contracts outside of a regulated
government-created bureaucracy.h
You can read the letter to Secretary Sebelius here.
The Committee also sent related letters to the District
of Columbia Health Benefit Exchange Authority and the Department
of Vermont Health Access.
Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform
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