WASHINGTON – This week, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02) sent Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius two letters regarding serious issues with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation.

On Tuesday, November 19, 2013, Congresswoman Jenkins sent a letter expressing concerns with the Navigator program that was established under the ACA.

“Secretary Sebelius and her department were charged with setting up the Navigator Program, which is designed to certify individuals to help folks enroll in the Federal Health Care Exchange.  I believe her department failed to set up basic safeguards by allowing states to decide whether or not to require criminal background checks of prospective navigators, and by allowing certified navigators to encourage enrollees to provide fraudulent information about their income and health status,” said Congresswoman Jenkins. “This letter asks Secretary Sebelius to implement a basic standard to prevent criminals from becoming Navigators, and include an ethical component to Navigator training.  Additionally, I asked Secretary Sebelius to disclose the names of all Navigators certified by her department.”

On Wednesday, November 20, 2013, Congresswoman Jenkins joined the House Ways and Means Committee Republicans in sending a letter regarding problems with the Exchanges’ income verification system.

“I joined my House Ways and Means Committee colleagues to request more information about reports indicating the Exchanges miscalculated eligibility for federal tax credits, mislead consumers as to how much their plan will cost them, and resulted in duplicate enrollments and applications with missing data,” said Congresswoman Jenkins. “We must have a system in place that can accurately verify eligibility before the tax credits are made available, and the committee does not believe Secretary Sebelius can make that certification today, and may not be able to do so by January 1 either.”

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