HHS Secretary Azar Issues Statement on Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the following statement by Secretary Alex Azar on the Affordable Care Act:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued the Exchange Program Integrity Final Rule, which implements policies aimed at protecting taxpayer dollars by ensuring that Exchange enrollees are accurately determined eligible for premium subsidies.

"Being good stewards of taxpayer dollars and faithfully implementing the law are among the most important duties HHS has, and that's what we're doing with this rule. The rule is part of much broader efforts at CMS, under Administrator Verma, to improve program integrity and reduce improper payments.

"In addition, when an exchange plan covers abortions for which public funding is prohibited by federal law, this rule requires that customers receive separate bills for that abortion coverage and for the rest of their insurance.

"Providing these separate bills is an essential step in implementing the Affordable Care Act's bar on tax credits going toward coverage of abortions for which public funding is prohibited.

"The separate billing requirement fulfills Congress' intent and reflects President Trump's strong commitment to preventing taxpayer funding of abortion coverage."

Read CMS's press release here: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-announces-enhanced-program-integrity-efforts-exchange