Click on the image above to watch this clip of the hearing.

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02) released the following statement after introducing H.R. 3338 - the Fairness in Failed Federal Exchange Act.

"The American people deserve a reprieve from the failures of the Obama administration and should not be penalized because the White House can't build a functioning website. That's why today I have introduced legislation that will provide a way out of this mess and offer some sanity to the pathetic rollout of this terrible law. The Fairness in Failed Federal Exchange Act will exempt people from the individual mandate penalty and protect them from facing unjust fines and penalties because of this trainwreck."

"This morning we heard testimony on the Energy and Commerce Committee from contractors who put this flawed system into place. They failed to address the growing concerns we all have raised. It is my hope that - when HHS Secretary Sebelius testifies next week - we will receive a better account of how this was allowed to happen. The American people are demanding answers, and I will not rest until this law is repealed and replaced with responsible reforms."

Background on the Fairness in Failed Federal Exchange Act (H.R. 3338)

Last night, President Obama announced a six-week delay for the individual mandate within the Obamacare exchanges, extending the deadline for enrollment without a penalty to March 31, 2014. This is a short term delay for a long term problem. Americans shopping for health coverage are facing major problems on the exchange website, leaving many to give up. One report showed that 47 states have faced frequent error messages, noting these problems may be caused by inadequate server capacity, poor software coding, and system architecture failure. Moreover, insurance companies have reported that the federal exchange is “generating flawed data,” including “duplicate enrollments, spouses reported as children, missing data fields, and suspect eligibility determinations.”

Yet despite these major malfunctions, and structural defects, the administration still plans to levy fines on individuals that unable to obtain coverage. This is unacceptable, especially since the Obama administration announced this summer that it will delay the employer mandate for big business.

That's why Congresswoman Ellmers has introduced the Fairness in Failed Federal Exchanges Act, H.R. 3338. This bill will exempt people from the individual mandate penalty if they have gone without healthcare coverage for one month in 2014, or in a subsequent year, if an individual executes an attestation that the he or she has been unable to enroll in the exchange.

Click here to watch Congresswoman Ellmers' questioning at this morning's hearing in the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Click here to watch Congresswoman Ellmers' floor speech yesterday on the failed Obamacare health exchanges website.

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