From Sahil Kapur at Talking Points Memo:
The Affordable Care Act provides for $67 million to hire 105 “Navigators” tasked with helping people learn about their health care options in the law’s insurance exchanges and answer questions like whether they’re eligible for subsidies or qualify for Medicaid.
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Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are now probing whether the Navigators have sufficient training, are protecting patient privacy, have business conflicts of interest, or are being pressured to favor some insurers over others.
In a letter dated Aug, 29, 2013, on committee letterhead, 15 Republicans demand documents and responses to questions about Navigator organizations, their workers, their processes of monitoring and supervising employees, their efforts to “safeguard an individual’s personal and medicinal information,” whether or not they’ve communicated with a health insurer or provider, and “all documentation and communications related to your Navigator grant.”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), ranking Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee wrote back today:
“There is no legitimate predicate for these letters and no evidence of any malfeasance from any of the organizations,” he wrote. “It is an abuse of your oversight authority to launch groundless investigations into civic organizations that are trying to make health reform a success. … I urge you to reconsider these misguided investigations.”
As TPM says, this appears to be a new level of Obamacare obstruction by the Goposaurs -- desperate thuggery, if you ask me. Let us hope it bites them in the ass once the story comes out.
http://editors.talkingpointsmemo.com/...