The Trump administration’s decision to suspend ObamaCare advertising is now being reviewed by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Shortly after President Trump took office, the administration stopped outreach efforts for the Affordable Care Act, pulling ads during the last week of open enrollment which ended on Jan. 31.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Washington’s Patty Murray requested an investigation by the HHS watchdog into the decision, according to The Hill.
Health Dept. inspector launches investigation of Trump decision to pull ObamaCare ads https://t.co/JOW6gwMacX pic.twitter.com/y5La1XfJeT
— The Hill (@thehill) March 25, 2017
“We will conduct a fact-finding review of HHS’s decision related to halting (and resuming, as applicable) paid advertisements, email, social media, and other outreach efforts related to Marketplace enrollment in 2017,” HHS Inspector General Daniel Levinson wrote to the lawmakers in a letter dated Thursday.
“Our inquiry will include the timeline, decision-making process, and factors considered by HHS, including any HHS analyses of implications for enrollment and/or expected costs or savings,” he wrote.
Warren was pleased with the HHS decision to move forward with a review.
“President Trump and congressional Republicans have made clear that their priorities include destroying the protection that ACA gives millions of families. HHS’s move to halt outreach for ACA enrollment could contribute to weakening health care marketplaces and raising costs for hard-working people across the country,” she said in a statement.
Murray welcomed the inspector general’s announcement as well and promised to keep Republicans and HHS Secretary Tom Price “accountable for any and all efforts to create Trumpcare by sabotaging our health care system and undermining families’ access to care they need.”
“Secretary Price has a duty to provide the public with accurate and timely information so that they can make decisions about their health care,” Murray said.
The Trump administration decision to pull the ads at the end of January was seen by critics as an effort to decrease ObamaCare enrollment before the deadline. The GOP legislation intended to replace ObamaCare was pulled Friday after it was apparent there would not be enough votes to pass the measure.
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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