Blunt Rochester Calls for Azar, Verma to Release Withheld ACA Marketing and Outreach Data in Advance of House Vote
Washington,
May 16, 2019
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Kyle Morse
(202-695-0494)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, called for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to release all Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketing and outreach studies and data. Based on testimony from the Get America Covered CEO, Joshua Peck, and emails made public from CMS leadership, there are public records that acknowledge the existence of ACA marketing and outreach data that proves funding spent on advertising was cost-effective and increased enrollment rates. Any concealed study or data would directly conflict with the Administration’s assertion that there were no studies conducted and that “no correlation has been seen between Obamacare advertising and either new enrollment or effectuated enrollment.” Fifty days ago, Blunt Rochester led her Energy and Commerce Democratic colleagues, including Chairman Frank Pallone and Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo, in sending an initial letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma calling for the release of studies, briefing presentations, and data sets, including econometric models and individual-level experiments, regarding the effectiveness of marketing and outreach efforts for the ACA. Today, the House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 987, which includes Blunt Rochester’s bill, the MORE Health Education Act. This bill would reverse the 90% funding cut from CMS on ACA outreach and marketing. The MORE Health Education Act was also included in the Labor, Health, Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies spending bill, which advanced out of the House Appropriations Committee last week. The House of Representatives will also vote on the Blunt Rochester amendment to H.R.987 that will force HHS and CMS to release marketing and outreach data within 30 days of enactment.
Text of the letter below:
The Honorable Alex Azar Secretary U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20201
The Honorable Seema Verma Administrator Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21244
Dear Secretary Azar and Administrator Verma:
On March 27, 2019, I led a letter, signed by 30 members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, including Chairman Frank Pallone, formally requesting that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publicly disclose any and all documents, studies, and underlying data related to the effectiveness of marketing and outreach efforts for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). To date, my office has not received a response to this request from HHS or CMS. Further, it does not appear that HHS or CMS has disclosed any of the requested documents either to the public or to the congressional committees of jurisdiction. HHS and CMS had over 50 days to respond to this request and provide these crucial documents to the public and/or Congress. The refusal to comply demonstrates an unwillingness to embrace the level of transparency the American people expect from their federal government. There are significant indicators to suggest that your agencies are withholding crucial information that could help Congress develop effective policy to reach our common goal of quality and affordable health insurance for all Americans. Worse, those same indicators suggest HHS and CMS are authorizing policy changes that are contradicted by third-party analyses launched by the agencies themselves. While estimates vary, it is clear that marketing and outreach efforts created by the ACA could significantly improve the lives of tens of thousands of Americans. Many of these Americans are simply unaware of the health insurance and financial assistance options available to them; HHS and CMS have the power and obligation to assist the public in understanding these options. Yet, both of these agencies abandoned that responsibility by cutting the funding for efforts to help Americans make better, informed decisions. Congress and the American people deserve an evidence-based rationale for decisions that have life-or-death consequences. Consequently, I hereby request HHS and CMS to release the documents requested in my March 27, 2019, letter within 30 days of the date of this letter and without further delay.
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