Republicans in the House of Representatives are turning to health insurers to try to find out the answer to a key health care reform law question: How much of a dent has the law made in reducing the number of uninsured?
Earlier this week, the Obama administration announced that 4.2 million people have enrolled in public insurance exchanges — authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — since open enrollment began Oct. 1.
But the administration has not disclosed how many of those 4.2 million were previously uninsured and how many, after enrollment, paid premiums.
To try to get those numbers, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and five other Republican committee members sent letters asking about that information Thursday to health insurers writing coverage in the 36 states where the federal government operates the exchanges.
The numbers on enrollees who were previously uninsured who have paid premiums “will give a much clearer and accurate assessment of the state of the President’s signature health care law,” Rep. Upton said in a statement.