Illegal immigrants benefited from up to $750M in ObamaCare subsidies

[Robby999 1,024]

ObamaCare subsidies

Published February 08, 2016

FoxNews.com

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Oct. 27, 2012: A Tea Party member reaches for a pamphlet titled "The Impact of Obamacare", at a "Food for Free Minds Tea Party Rally" in Littleton, New Hampshire . (Reuters)

Illegal immigrants and individuals with unclear legal status wrongly benefited from up to $750 million in ObamaCare subsidies and the government is struggling to recoup the money, according to a new Senate report obtained by Fox News.

The report, produced by Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, examined Affordable Care Act tax credits meant to defray the cost of insurance premiums. It found that as of June 2015, “the Administration awarded approximately $750 million in tax credits on behalf of individuals who were later determined to be ineligible because they failed to verify their citizenship, status as a national, or legal presence.”

The review found the credits went to more than 500,000 people – who are illegal immigrants or whose legal status was unclear due to insufficient records.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed to FoxNews.com on Monday that 471,000 customers with 2015 coverage failed to produce proper documentation on their citizenship or immigration status on time – but stressed that this does not necessarily mean they’re ineligible.

“Lack of verification does not mean an individual is ineligible for financial assistance, but only that a Marketplace did not receive sufficient information to verify eligibility in the time period outlined in the law,” CMS spokesman Aaron Albright said.

The Senate report also accused the administration of lacking a solid plan to get that money back – and predicted that in the end, the IRS will be “unable to fully recoup the funds.”

“The information provided to the Committee by the IRS and HHS reveals a troubling lack of coordination between the two agencies ... and demonstrates that the IRS and HHS neglected to consider how they would recover these wasteful payments,” the report says.

Under the law, the feds can dole out these payments on a temporary basis if a recipient’s legal status is unclear, but are supposed to cut off funding and coverage if the recipient does not later come up with the paperwork. Up to a half-million “ineligible” people, according to the report, applied in this way -- with their credits paid in advance to the insurers. The IRS, though, is supposed to get overpayments back from the individuals themselves.

The Senate report, based on a review launched by committee Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., derisively describes this approach as “pay and chase.”

In other words, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pays credits and subsidies to the insurance companies on behalf of the applicants – and the feds then “chase” after any overpayments to ineligible people once they are discovered.

“This ‘pay and chase’ model has potentially cost taxpayers approximately $750 million,” the report says. The 500,000 individuals in question have been removed from coverage, according to the findings, as the government seeks to get the money back.

The Senate report says the IRS and HHS initially failed to coordinate on a plan for recouping funds, and claimed that a subsequent plan from the IRS to recoup the money is still “ineffective and insufficient.”

In a July letter to Johnson, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen assured that the agency is “committed to identifying and efficiently addressing” improper payments. He reiterated that anyone “not lawfully present” who enrolls for ObamaCare coverage “must repay” the advance premium credit payments, and would be breaking the law if they don’t.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/02/08/senate-report-illegal-immigrants-benefited-from-up-to-750m-in-obamacare-subsidies.html?intcmp=hplnws

Imagine that! It is getting harder by the day to believe that we as a country actually sent a man to the moon!

[Expat1 971]

Nothing wrong with investing in future democrats

[Póg mo 1,749]

From the same article:

but stressed that this does not necessarily mean theyre ineligible.

Lack of verification does not mean an individual is ineligible for financial assistance, but only that a Marketplace did not receive sufficient information to verify eligibility in the time period outlined in the law, CMS spokesman Aaron Albright said.

[Expat1 971]

Well wouldnt be an article if they verified frickin eligibility before cutting the checks. "We dunno" isnt really the right answer

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Well wouldnt be an article if they verified frickin eligibility before cutting the checks. "We dunno" isnt really the right answer

35 Billion (yes with a B, Billion) was spent on uncompensated medical care for the uninsured in 2001 alone. Dunno why we thought it was a good idea to stop that.

[Expat1 971]

35 Billion (yes with a B, Billion) was spent on uncompensated medical care for the uninsured in 2001 alone. Dunno why we thought it was a good idea to stop that.

38 billion isnt uncompensated

[ready4ONE 5,400]

38 billion isnt uncompensated

The number was thirty five billion in uncompensated medical care in just 2001. Uncompensated. I don't think that I follow the logic of your response.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

The number was thirty five billion in uncompensated medical care in just 2001. Uncompensated. I don't think that I follow the logic of your response.

Becuse nothing is free, someone paid for it. I know socialist think free stuff just happens but it does not

[Expat1 971]

35 Billion (yes with a B, Billion) was spent on uncompensated medical care for the uninsured in 2001 alone. Dunno why we thought it was a good idea to stop that.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in April that the annual cost of subsidies will rise to $23 billion next year and $95 billion in 2024. Dunno why you're pretending we ever stopped paying for freeloaders, we are just paying it through a different account. That's before the first Dr bill goes out too.

Wonder if those same freeloaders are gonna pay those out of pocket costs? LOL

The number was thirty five billion in uncompensated medical care in just 2001. Uncompensated. I don't think that I follow the logic of your response.

LOL if it was paid it wasn't uncompensated. Do you live in one of those hippie dope smoking states or something?

Becuse nothing is free, someone paid for it. I know socialist think free stuff just happens but it does not

You're talking to a lib. Try using cartoons or phonics.

Edited February 11, 2016 by Expat1

[lostinblue 1,989]

Becuse nothing is free, someone paid for it. I know socialist think free stuff just happens but it does not

[lostinblue 1,989]

35 Billion (yes with a B, Billion) was spent on uncompensated medical care for the uninsured in 2001 alone. Dunno why we thought it was a good idea to stop that.

You ship the undocumented Democrats back to their home country .. Let their native country pay for their uncompensated medical care.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

You ship the undocumented Democrats back to their home country .. Let their native country pay for their uncompensated medical care.

If the Federal Government doesn't have enough money and resources to do that it seems unlikely that I personally do. I know, Herr Trump is going to get that done, build a wall to keep them out afterwards, and send the bill to the countries responsible.

[lostinblue 1,989]

If the Federal Government doesn't have enough money and resources to do that it seems unlikely that I personally do. I know, Herr Trump is going to get that done, build a wall to keep them out afterwards, and send the bill to the countries responsible.

We have enough money and resources ...Just have to have the will . Send them all back and put America back to work.

[Expat1 971]

If the Federal Government doesn't have enough money and resources to do that it seems unlikely that I personally do. I know, Herr Trump is going to get that done, build a wall to keep them out afterwards, and send the bill to the countries responsible.

Simple answer: Say no. Pay or don't play. I realize that this concept is completely foreign to a lib but that's how life works and eventually the freeloaders will catch on and problem solved, no wall, no bill to pay for a wall. If there is no benefit they won't come and squat on our soil.

Our problem is the double standard that we apply to freeloaders that is not applied to working, paying citizens and we actually do not have to provide healthcare, schooling, or anything else to people who are in our country illegally.

It's past time to screen them at every single public and private counter they walk up to expecting a free ride.

We also need to slap businesses who employ them with much heavier fines and just leave the illegals alone. Eventually, when they walk up to a business counter the answer will be no as well. They'll leave and they won't come back.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Expat1

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Simple answer: Say no. Pay or don't play. I realize that this concept is completely foreign to a lib but that's how life works and eventually the freeloaders will catch on and problem solved, no wall, no bill to pay for a wall. If there is no benefit they won't come and squat on our soil.

Our problem is the double standard that we apply to freeloaders that is not applied to working, paying citizens and we actually do not have to provide healthcare, schooling, or anything else to people who are in our country illegally.

It's past time to screen them at every single public and private counter they walk up to expecting a free ride.

We also need to slap businesses who employ them with much heavier fines and just leave the illegals alone. Eventually, when they walk up to a business counter the answer will be no as well. They'll leave and they won't come back.

I pay and I play, and at any time feel free to stop trying to pidgin hole me with the lib moniker. It just makes it look like a personal attack, except to the crack team of moderators, to anyone else reading your comments.

I don't see a lot of value in demonizing illegal immigrants. Only your last paragraph makes sense as a practical means of getting most illegals to leave voluntarily. Forced round ups and removal is not practical, nor humane.