{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7AC5A579-C4C8-443C-90A6-125584872B5D", "Senators Request Answers from DOJ, HHS on Potential Multimillion Dollar Insurance Company Bailout", "2016-09-27", "2016", "2016-09", "Republican", "House", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u2014Today Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Ben Sasse (R-NE) expressed concern over the participation of the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in a potential multimillion dollar bailout of select insurance companies through the Affordable Care Act\u2019s Risk Corridors Program (RCP). In a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Secretary Sylvia Burwell, and Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, the senators requested an explanation of the availability of funds to settle claims for payment under the RCP.  \u00a0  The letter states: \u201cThe health care law contained three risk mitigation programs, one of which is the temporary Risk Corridor Program.\u00a0 This program was originally intended to be implemented in a budget neutral manner.\u00a0 This intention was confirmed when Congress passed, with Presidential approval, two separate provisions of appropriations law confirming its budget neutrality.\u00a0 It now appears the Administration is preparing to circumvent these actions.\u201d  \u00a0  The letter discusses the use of the judgement fund to resolve claims filed against the government for non-payment under the RCP, concluding that \u201cit would be inappropriate for the Judgement Fund to be used to settle any litigation stemming from the risk corridor program. Accordingly, we write to ascertain specifically how CMS intends to go about seeking \u2018resolution of those claims\u2019 so that federal law is not violated.\u201d  \u00a0  Full text of the letter is available here:\r\n[UntitlSenators Request Answers from DOJ, HHS on Potential Multimillion Dollar Insurance Company Bailouted]...", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7AC5A579-C4C8-443C-90A6-125584872B5D"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.301746116951108, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}