Upton, Pitts Once Again Call on HHS to Answer Outstanding Questions on Obamacare Rules

WASHINGTON, DC – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA) today repeated their calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to respond to the numerous outstanding requests from members of Congress, the Republican Governors Association, and the National Association of Medicaid Directors regarding the implementation of President Obama’s health care law. Despite the committee’s request that the administration provide information on health insurance exchange and Medicaid expansion rules by September 3, 2012, HHS has yet to respond.

Upton and Pitts wrote, “In the months since the Supreme Court’s ruling that PPACA’s mandatory expansion of Medicaid was unconstitutional, governors and legislatures have been left to navigate alone the regulatory maze created by the absence of guidance from your Department. Questions from states have been answered with vague and often dismissive responses, creating regulatory uncertainty that has crippled the ability of states and health providers to plan for the future.

“Because of its cost, complexity, infringement on the doctor-patient relationship, and for many other reasons, we continue to believe the best solution is to fully repeal the president’s health care law. The administration’s failure to provide clear guidance and transparency to states and taxpayers only strengthens that resolve. However, without repeal or delay, there are fewer than 15 months until the health care law and its consequential mandates and taxes are fully implemented. The administration may find it more politically convenient to delay announcements about such matters, but states cannot afford such procrastination.”

The members requested HHS promptly respond to all outstanding questions.

Read Upton and Pitts’ full letter to HHS here.

Read Upton and Pitts’ August 20, 2012, letter here.

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