News from the Hill: GOP lawmakers continue to investigate aspects of the health law's implementation

Sep 18 2012

House Republican lawmakers are questioning hiring practices at the Department of Health and Human Services as well as how the Internal Revenue Service will enforce provisions of the health law.

The Hill: House GOP Questions HHS Hiring, Pay Practices
Republicans on Capitol Hill are asking why the federal health department has increased its use of special hiring practices in the last five years. In a hearing Friday, a House subcommittee on health cited a July report by government investigators finding 1,461 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees are paid above $155,000 -- more than most federal employees. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) also concluded that HHS has increased its use of "Title 42" hiring practices -- pertaining to the hiring of specialists with special salary requirements -- by 25 percent in the last five years (Viebeck, 9/14).

Fox News: IRS: Agents Will Not Be Involved In Tax Audits, Pursuing Americans Without Health Insurance
The mandate in ObamaCare requiring Americans to buy health insurance is poised to go into full effect as a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling. But the IRS has no plans to get agents involved in enforcing the mandate -- or at least not to the agency's fullest extent. A top IRS official says the agency does not plan to perform audits or penalize those who fail to buy the insurance. President Obama's law overhauling U.S. health care -- passed in 2010 and upheld by the high court this year -- charges most Americans a penalty if they fail to buy insurance starting in 2014 (9/16).

Kaiser Health News also tracked news coverage over the weekend of the Obama administration report -- released Friday -- detailing the reach of the automatic budget cuts put in place by the budget sequester. Many news outlets note that these cuts will take effect on Jan. 2, 2013, unless Congress finds a way to avoid them (9/15).