Obamacare Insurance Rate Transparency
At a recent Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing, I asked representatives of some of the nation’s largest health insurance providers if their companies expected that health insurance premiums for an average family would be cut by $2,500 a year, as promised by Barack Obama when campaigning for his health care bill now known as Obamacare. Not one insurance company representative raised his hand, nor did they raise hands when I asked about a $2,000 reduction or a $1,500 reduction.
Another promise made by the President and his Administration that they have failed to keep.
Because the Administration delayed Obamacare open enrollment until after the 2014 elections, many Americans will not know what premium increases to expect in the exchanges. However, the insurance providers indicated that they will be submitting their rates to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and certain states by the end of June.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, preliminary data indicates that insurance companies are proposing that their rates in Virginia will go up from approximately 3 percent to nearly 15 percent.
In an effort to increase transparency and ensure that the American people are not kept in the dark for political reasons, on Friday, May 9, I introduced the Insurance Rate Transparency Act which would require that require that HHS submit premium information to Congress within 30 days of receiving it.
Update – Benghazi and IRS Investigations
Among the many issues I hear about from concerned residents of Virginia’s Ninth District are the ongoing investigations regarding events surrounding the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) having improperly handled certain applications submitted by “Tea Party” or “Patriot” groups.
Regarding Benghazi, on Thursday, May 8, the House voted to establish a Select Committee to investigate the 2012 terrorist attack that took the lives of four Americans. For more than a year, I have been a cosponsor of the bill introduced by Congressman Frank Wolf (VA-10) to establish a select committee on this matter in an effort to get to the truth of what happened, why the facility’s security was inadequate, who knew what about the attack and when they knew it, etc.
“What happened prior to, during, and after the attack matters,” Eric Nordstrom, the former regional security officer, said before Congress. “It matters to me personally and to my colleagues at State. It matters to the American people and it matters to the friends and families” of those killed in the attack.
But unfortunately, twenty months after the attack took place, we still don’t know the complete truth. In fact, emails came to light recently that reveal changes regarding the Administration’s “media strategy” following the attack. CBS reports, “…the changes suggest Administration officials were interested in sparing the State Department from political criticism in the wake of the attack.”
These emails had not been disclosed to Congress previously, despite several House committees’ ongoing investigations, hearings, interviews, subpoenas, etc.
The Administration not being completely transparent and being hyper-technical in regards to their responses to Congress on the attacks in Benghazi not only violates the trust of the American people, but also undercuts one of Congress’ key responsibilities as intended by the Founding Fathers: oversight.
As I have written in this column before, we cannot tolerate being knowingly and willfully misled by an Administration, be it a Republican, Democrat, or Independent President. The truth is not affiliated with a political party. We must continue seeking that truth, and determine who authorized or acquiesced in the cover-up. It is my hope that the Administration will be more cooperative with the Select Committee as they seek the answers and the truth.
I also wanted to let you know briefly that on Wednesday, May 7, the House of Representatives voted to hold Lois Lerner – former Director of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division – in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify and answer questions about whether she was involved in targeting the applications of conservative groups that were seeking tax-exempt status. This matter will now be sent to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for consideration. Also with my support, the House passed a separate resolution requesting that the Justice Department establish a special council to look into this matter further.
As always, if you have concerns or comments or wish to inquire about legislative issues, feel free to contact my offices. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.
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