RGA Continues to Press HHS for Answers

July 23, 2012

The Republican Governors Association released a letter today written by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, Chairman of the RGA, addressing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ letter declining to directly address the 30 questions about the future of Medicaid and Health Insurance Exchanges raised by Republican governors last week.

In fact, as part of the official response to the governors’ very specific questions, the Department stated, “more guidance will be issued in the year and a half before the Medicaid eligibility expansion and exchanges begin.”

A copy of Governor McDonnell’s letter is attached, and an excerpt is below:

On July 10th I wrote a letter on behalf of the 29 republican governors asking 30 specific questions about the implementation of exchanges and the expansion of Medicaid.  The July 13, 2012 letter from Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner was a cordial but vague response from the Obama Administration.  With the challenging and detailed work ahead for our nation to address the issues of health care, the letter was wholly inadequate.  The response was neither substantive nor serious and appeared to be more of a marketing tool than serious problem solving… 

…As you may have seen from the reports from the National Governors Association meeting that I was honored to host in Williamsburg, Virginia, a majority of the nation’s governors are uncertain about the major decisions which must be made on what kinds of exchanges to implement, whether to expand Medicaid, and how the vast new bureaucracies will be paid for and administered in a nation $16 trillion in debt.

Therefore we need specific answers, not general platitude.  If you don’t know the answers, please tell us.  Otherwise, please address the many serious questions we have on these issues, and please answer the NGA staff as well on the issues raised on behalf of ALL the nation’s governors…

… We do not need yet another tour that promotes PPACA but ignores the realities of implementation of a more than 2000 page bill that few read.

I’ve taken the liberty of reattaching our list of questions. Specific, written responses to each question would be most beneficial to governors and our staffs.  Hopefully, your administration is willing and able to cooperate with the nation’s governors by answering each question thoroughly. I look forward to hearing from you.

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