Republican lawmakers re-introduced legislation on Monday calling for the creation of a special inspector general to oversee Obamacare.
Illinois U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, the chairman of the House Ways and Means subcommittee, introduced the House version of the bill. Kansas U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
If the bill passes Congress and somehow escapes President Obama’s veto pen, it would establish an Office of the Special Inspector General for Monitoring the Affordable Care Act (SIGMA). The independent watchdog would have the power to investigate and audit the implementation of Obamacare across any federal agency involved in the program.
“In the years since Democrats rammed Obamacare through Congress, our country has already seen the costly consequences of this law: billions of dollars wasted on a failed website and overpayments, millions of Americans kicked off their healthcare plans, and skyrocketing premiums for hardworking families and small businesses,” Roskam said in a statement.
“We need assurance that — until Obamacare is repealed and replaced — there is rigorous oversight in place to prevent more taxpayer dollars from being squandered on this law,” continued Roskam, who introduced a similar bill last year.
“As long as this law is on the books, we need a watchdog, namely a Special Inspector General, to investigate its implementation and ensure our taxpayer dollars are being spent within the letter of the law,” Roberts said in the statement.
Other lawmakers, including Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, Texas U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, Ohio U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, Pennsylvania U.S. Reps. Tom Marino and Tim Murphy, and Oklahoma U.S. Rep. Tom Cole are co-sponsoring the measure.
Most federal agencies have their own office of the inspector general. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which developed and implemented Obamacare, would theoretically be in charge of investigating any issues related to the health care bill that may arise.
But in rare instances, special inspectors general are created to provide oversight to multi-agency initiatives. In 2008, Congress created the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to investigate federal spending in Afghanistan. The independent watchdog has the authority to investigate spending across multiple federal agencies, including the Defense Department, the State Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Another special inspector general was created in 2008 to audit and investigate the $700 billion Troubled-Asset Relief Program (TARP).
“Look, we’ve done a special inspector general as it relates to…TARP. We’ve done one as it relates to Afghanistan reconstruction and Iraq reconstruction. Surely the scope and breadth and depth of the Affordable Care Act is worthy of an inspector general,” Roskam said in an interview last week.
Asked why a special inspector general would be needed to oversee Obamacare, Roskam said that “the lack of ability…on the part of the administration even to give you the information that you need is breathtaking.”
Obamacare opponents and pro-business special interest groups applauded Roskam’s and Roberts’ bill.
“If there’s any government boondoggle that cries out for a special inspector general, it’s Obamacare,” Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform said in a statement.
“When the government starts any new program oversight is expected, but when a government program takes over a fifth of the American economy, taxpayer dollars should have the highest level of protection,” said Brent Garner, vice president of governmental affairs for Americans for Prosperity.
“Small businesses have long been concerned about the law and its implementation, and requiring reports on all aspects of the law will help provide the transparency that small business owners and all taxpayers deserve from their government,” said Kevin Kuhlman, the director of legislative affairs for the National Federation of Independent Business.