{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398630", "Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 9.26.16", "2016-09-26", "2016", "2016-09", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Big Insurance BailoutDuring a recent Energy and Commerce hearing, I questioned Andy Slavitt, Acting Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), about CMS\u2019 memo regarding Risk Corridors.\u00a0 The Risk Corridors in Obamacare were protections for insurance companies who lost money in the exchanges.\u00a0 Insurance companies who participated in the exchanges paid certain fees.\u00a0 The theory was those insurance companies who lost money would be reimbursed out of those fees.\u00a0 Projections by the Obama Administration indicated those fees should have been sufficient to pay for any and all losses.\r\nBased on information from the CMS website, in 2014, $362,000,000 was paid in by insurers.\u00a0 However, insurance companies have requested $2,870,000,000 in payments.\u00a0 Therefore, CMS estimates insurers will be paid 12.6% of requested funds, with a shortfall of $2,508,000,000.\r\nNow some big insurance companies are suing to be made whole.\r\nBut Congress has required these payments be budget neutral, meaning CMS could only pay out what it took in from the fees.\u00a0 \r\nCMS\u2019 memo was essentially an invitation to insurers to sue and settle with the federal government for 2015 Risk Corridor payments.\u00a0 But where is the money coming from?\u00a0 \r\nIn my questioning, I asked Acting Administrator Slavitt if CMS takes the position that insurance plans are entitled to be made whole on Risk Corridor payments even though there is no appropriation \u2013 congressional approved money \u2013 to do so.\u00a0 After stumbling, Slavitt said, \u201cYes.\u00a0 It\u2019s an obligation of the federal government.\u201d\r\nMmm?\u00a0 Congress dictates how much government can spend, and both Republicans and Democrats said CMS can only spend as much as was put in.\u00a0 Thus, it is clear the Administration is once again attempting to thwart congressional intent.\r\nIn this case, to bailout big insurance companies.\r\nFurther, I asked if CMS intended to use the Judgement Fund to make Risk Corridor payments to these insurance plans.\u00a0 According to and managed by the U.S. Treasury, the Judgment Fund is a \u201cpermanent, indefinite appropriation\u2026available to pay compromise settlements entered into by the U.S. Department of Justice related to actual or imminent litigation\u2026\u201d\r\nSlavitt would not confirm, but did say that CMS is working with Justice.\r\nI, along with several of my colleagues from the Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell asking for specifics on how they plan to pay for settlements and relay some of our concerns.\u00a0 In the letter, we stated, \u201cIt appears that any such settlements would come from the permanent appropriations for judgments (\u2018Judgment Fund\u2019)\u2026Further, the Administration\u2019s explicit offer to settle these lawsuits appears to be a direct circumvention of the clear Congressional intent to prohibit the expenditure of federal dollars on this program\u2026\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 \r\nIf Justice uses the Judgment Fund \u2013 the same fund the Administration used to pay Iran ransom payments \u2013 to settle these lawsuits, they would be ignoring congressional intent.\r\nThe Risk Corridors program has failed.\r\nThe Administration may bailout big insurance.\r\nWhat part of Obamacare unravels next?\r\n80 Percent Not Helped\r\nI have consistently acknowledged that Obamacare has helped some, but many have been saddled with higher out-of-pocket costs and less choice.\u00a0 Amongst the many negatively impacted, one woman I recently spoke with at the New River Valley Fair told me that Obamacare is killing her family.\u00a0 In order to afford any insurance after Obamacare, she had to agree to pay high co-pays and deductibles. \u00a0These high co-pays and deductibles caused her and her husband to have to sell assets.\u00a0 If the medical conditions continue, she fears being forced to sell her home.\r\nThis is not the bright new future Obama promised when promoting his health care plan.\r\nAccording to a Washington Post Opinion piece titled, If Trump Wins, Blame Obamacare, \u201cOnly 18 percent of Americans believe the Affordable Care Act has helped their families; 80 percent say it has hurt or had no effect.\u201d\u00a0 \r\nNot only was the launch of the website a disaster, but only 17 state-based exchanges were established and four of those have already failed.\u00a0 Additionally, many of the 23 original nonprofit co-ops have crumbled.\r\nThe promises of Obamacare \u2013 you can keep your doctor and your premiums will be lower \u2013 have proven false for many Americans.\r\nAnd now more bad news.\u00a0 Insurance providers are dropping like flies due to substantial losses under Obamacare, resulting in slim pickings of insurance plans for many Americans, particularly rural Americans.\r\nWhat part of Obamacare will unravel next?\r\nIf you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office.\u00a0 You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671.\u00a0 To reach my office via email, please visit my website at\u00a0www.morgangriffith.house.gov.\u00a0 Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.\r\n###", 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": ["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398630"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0290080681443214, "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"}