Despite her position as the foremost official behind the Affordable Care Act, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius isn’t too keen on the idea of entering into Obamacare’s exchanges, claiming it’s illegal for her to do so.
Sebelius testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the roll out of Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges Wednesday. The HHS Secretary, who oversees the law’s implementation, was grilled by Reps. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Billy Long (R-Mo.) on why she won’t receive coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges, but dodged the question, saying it was illegal.
“Why aren’t you losing your insurance? Why aren’t you losing your health insurance? Why aren’t you in the exchange?” Gardner asked Sebelius. “You’re in charge of this law, correct?”
Sebelius attempted to provide a non-answer, saying she received coverage through her employer — the federal government — and wasn’t eligible for the exchange.
“Why won’t you go into the exchange? You’re a part of this law. You’re literally in charge of this law,” Gardner continued. “Why should you be any different than all of the other Americans out there who are losing their health insurance?”
“If I have affordable coverage in my workplace, I am not eligible to go into the marketplace. That is part of the law,” Sebelius said.
Gardner — who receives coverage through his wife’s employer — and his family received a notice saying their policy had been cancelled. Many within the federal government, though, are allowed to keep their plans offered by their employer.
“We chose to have our own private policy back in Colorado so we could be in the same boat as every one of my constituents. And yet my insurance policy is being cancelled. … Why aren’t you losing your insurance?”
But Gardner’s line of questioning wasn’t lost on his fellow Republicans.
Long went on to grill Sebelius on why she wouldn’t enter into the exchanges if she did, indeed, have the ability to.
“There’s a lot of things striking about the roll out of this, about the Affordable Care Act altogether, but the thing that is most striking to me is that when we have the point person for the roll out here, and you’re not going into the exchange, now I’ve heard you say, and you’ve got some advisers behind you, but I’m asking you today, can you tell the American public if your advisers behind you … that if it is possible for you to go into the exchange like all these millions of Americans that are going into the exchanges, will you commit to forego your government insurance plan that you’re on now and join us in the pool,” Long asked. “Come on in, the water’s fine.”
Sebelius, though, continued with her rhetoric, saying the law prohibits her from doing so and ignoring Long’s hypothetical.
“If you’re wrong, will you? Yes or no?” the Missouri Republican prodded.
But Sebelius never gave a specific answer, only saying she would “look into it.”
According to healthcare.gov, though, Sebelius is legally allowed to forego her government insurance and enter into the exchange. She is not, however, able to receive subsidies.
Watch the two exchanges below.
