Obamacare loophole lets foreign diplomats get subsidized benefits

Republican House leaders are looking into an Obamacare loophole that lets foreign diplomats and their families get subsidized health benefits.

“According to the Department of Health and Human Services, foreign diplomats holding ‘A’ or ‘G’ visas are eligible to participate in an array of medical programs administered by the federal government, including participation in Health Insurance Marketplaces governed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA),” wrote chairmen Ed Royce and Dave Camp in a letter to to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.

“The Secretary of Health and Human Services has informed the Committee on Foreign Affairs that, if they meet basic ACA requirements, ‘a foreign diplomat could satisfy the statutory criteria to be eligible for a premium tax credit and cost-sharing reductions.”

The IRS is currently reviewing the letter, the Hill reported, but officials refused to comment on its allegations.

“Many Americans would be surprised to learn that their tax dollars may be subsidizing health coverage for foreign diplomats,” wrote Royce and Camp. “We are seeking to determine how many such individuals participate in these programs and the total cost of such benefits.”

Specifically, Royce and Camp have asked the IRS for the exact number of foreign diplomats who are eligible for tax credits and/or cost-sharing reductions under the Affordable Care Act. They also want to know how many have actually received it and the total cost of this loophole.

At issue is not just the money pouring into this program, though they clearly don’t support it, but the careful secrecy surrounding it.

So far, the congressmen allege that they have been given the runaround on these questions by the State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.

They have given the IRS until Nov. 12 to respond with the answers to their questions.