One day after the House voted to repeal Obamacare, some lawmakers are turning their attention toward the bureaucracy created by the bill. Reps. Fred Upton, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Cliff Stearns, chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, are investigating the new Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO).
On Thursday, Upton and Stearns sent CCIIO director Jay Angoff a letter with questions about the office’s structure, authority and recent decision to grant waivers throughout several industries, exempting companies from complying with the bill’s requirements.
“Most troubling is that your office is currently responsible for deciding who does not have to comply with the massive new regulations imposed by the PPACA [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act],” said the letter. “Currently your office has approved waivers from the PPACA’s annual limits requirements for 222 applicants.”
It continued: “In a Nov. 30, 2010 meeting with Ranking Minority Member Michael Burgess, you stated that your office had also denied waiver requests. We would appreciate if your office would explain how a decision is made on whether compliance with the PPACA is necessary.”
The letter was also sent to Rep. Henry Waxman, ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and is part of a broader inquiry into the implementation of the health-care bill.