April 30,2014

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Hatch: TIGTA Testimony Outlines Unworkable ObamaCare Concerns

WASHINGTON –Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) issued the following statement after Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) J. Russell George testified before the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee on the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) ability to implement the President’s $2.6 trillion health law. In his testimony, George outlined a number of concerns regarding the agency’s role in  properly administering ObamaCare subsidies and protecting sensitive taxpayer information:

“The Treasury IG’s testimony today shows how the law is not only unworkable for the American people, but for the government itself.  Because the administration rushed forward with the exchanges without verifying proper safeguards, sensitive consumer and taxpayer information is now at risk. These concerns are yet another symptom of a flawed law that relies on a bloated, centralized healthcare system.  Unfortunately, the bad news for Americans families keeps piling up with every passing day. “

Hatch has long raised concerns about the IRS’s ability to implement the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare. In September 2013, Hatch introduced the Trust But Verify Act, legislation to delay enrollment for both the federal and state health insurance exchanges until the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) could certify the necessary privacy and data security parameters are in place. Hatch has further expressed concern that the agency does not have sufficient safeguards in place to ensure that the premium subsidies are not doled out to non-eligible individuals.

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