COMMITTEE on WAYS and MEANS

Congressman Charles Boustany, Jr. MD (R-LA), Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the integrity of the administration of the Affordable Care Act’s Premium Tax Credit. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, in Room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:30 A.M.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) will be the only witness at the hearing. In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only.  However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Subcommittee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing. 

BACKGROUND:

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created tax credits and cost sharing subsidies for certain individuals purchasing health insurance through insurance exchanges.  To ensure that payments only benefit those eligible and are made in the correct amount, the federal government must verify a number of pieces of information, including, identity of the applicant, date of birth, Social Security Number, income, lawful presence in the country, and other data.  As the Congressional Budget Office projects that the federal government will distribute over $1 trillion in subsidies over the next decade, it is critical that adequate measures are in place to protect taxpayers. The hearing will explore the integrity of the premium tax credit verification system, and whether it is vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Boustany said, “In recent years this Subcommittee has examined fraud, waste, and abuse in the execution of existing programs, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. We know that the federal government wastes tens of billions of dollars each year in improper payments – what we don’t know is how much more will be wasted under ObamaCare’s new federal subsidies. We look forward to hearing from GAO and examining what is happening now that the subsidies are going out the door.”

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing will focus on the federal government’s ability protect premium tax credits from fraud, waste, and abuse.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note: Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit written comments for the hearing record must follow the appropriate link on the hearing page of the Committee website and complete the informational forms.  From the Committee homepage, http://waysandmeans.house.gov, select “Hearings.”  Select the hearing for which you would like to submit, and click on the link entitled, “Click here to provide a submission for the record.”  Once you have followed the online instructions, submit all requested information.  ATTACH your submission as a Word document, in compliance with the formatting requirements listed below, by the close of business on August 6, 2014.  Finally, please note that due to the change in House mail policy, the U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-package deliveries to all House Office Buildings.  For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-3625 or (202) 225-5522.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.  As always, submissions will be included in the record according to the discretion of the Committee.  The Committee will not alter the content of your submission, but we reserve the right to format it according to our guidelines.  Any submission provided to the Committee by a witness, any supplementary materials submitted for the printed record, and any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below.  Any submission or supplementary item not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1. All submissions and supplementary materials must be provided in Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages, including attachments. Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased.  All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3. All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.  A supplemental sheet must accompany each submission listing the name, company, address, telephone, and fax numbers of each witness.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities.  If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested).  Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.waysandmeans.house.gov/.