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Two-Hundred Thousand Fail to Show Eligibility for Health Benefits

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Two-Hundred Thousand Fail to Show Eligibility for Health Benefits
May Be Forced to Repay IRS for Financial Assistance Received 

(Washington, D.C.) – This past Friday, September 5, was the deadline for more than 300,000 recipients of benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, to verify their eligibility for those benefits. Due to glitches in the Healthcare.gov website, thousands of people have reportedly been unable to submit the required documentation. While no official government report has been issued, reportedly no more than 100,000 of those informed of discrepancies have responded with the required data. Advocates who have worked with subscribers claim that hundreds of thousands of people who qualify for these benefits will lose them improperly – because of a faulty website and government incompetence. 

Daniel Garza, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative, released the following statement: 

"Hundreds of thousands of people are now at risk of either losing their health benefits or owing the IRS thousands of dollars as a result of Obamacare's continued flaws. This is due directly to decisions of this administration – to force this law through Congress over public opposition, to launch a flawed website that did not work, to pressure people to sign up under the law, and now to insist on verification through a website that still doesn't work. As a result, about 200,000 people may now be forced to pay back the IRS because the system did not allow them to prove eligibility. 

How does it help people to pressure them to sign up – without confirming their eligibility, or having a workable way for them to show it? The result is a predictable mess: people are deeply frustrated and angry, and the taxpayers appear to be on the hook for the cost. This is more incompetence in government, in pursuit of the partisan goal of a political victory. Once again, Hispanics have been used to make the administration look good. It's time for a clear explanation from the White House of what went wrong and when they intend to fix it."

For interviews with a LIBRE representative, please contact: Brian Faughnan, 571-257-3309 or Steven Cruz, 202-578-6173

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