Chairman Arrington Statement on GAO Report Finding Fraud in Obamacare Premium Tax Credit
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) released the following statement reacting to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found rampant fraud in the Obamacare subsidy program:
"A bombshell GAO report has exposed the rampant fraud plaguing Democrats’ expanded Obamacare subsidies, which have effectively no eligibility checks, anti-fraud controls, or other basic program integrity measures in place, resulting in billions of wasted tax dollars and increased health care costs.
"The details are shocking. There were tens of thousands of cases where fraudsters used phony information, no information, or duplicative information to siphon federal resources from these COVID-era, expanded Obamacare subsidies.
"It was Democrats who created this shoddy subsidy program with no financial controls, no income cap, and no guardrails against the most blatant fraud, including the approval of subsidies for thousands of dead people.
"It was Democrats who shut the government down for a record 43 days with the demand of making this program permanent at a cost to taxpayers of over $400 billion.
"Now, Democrats have the audacity to demand Republicans extend these fraud-ridden subsidies.
"There is absolutely no justification for perpetuating these subsidies or the failed government-controlled Obamacare system Democrats are artificially propping up. Instead, Republicans should continue to implement reforms that lower costs, expand affordable options, and protect American taxpayers."
- According to the GAO report, imposters using falsified identities, documents, and Social Security numbers managed to obtain these Democrat-backed COVID subsidies.
- Tens of thousands of subsidy payments went to deceased individuals.
- In one GAO-documented case, a single Social Security number was used across more than 125 different policies, totaling over 71 years of fraudulently subsidized Obamacare coverage.
