GOP Slams Fundraising,Other Efforts to Promote Obama Health Law

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans have opened a new line of attack on President Obama's healthcare law, charging that the administration has improperly sought help from the healthcare industry and other outside groups to implement the landmark statute.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for months has been asking foundations, consumer and business groups, insurance companies and others to help enroll uninsured Americans in health insurance this fall, a key goal of the Affordable Care Act. Administration officials say those actions were entirely appropriate.

The effort has included suggestions in several cases to make financial contributions to a nonprofit organization called Enroll America, created in 2010 to support the enrollment push.

The healthcare law provided some money for implementation, including funds to help publicize the new benefits that it provided. Administration officials consider public outreach essential to getting young and healthy consumers to sign up for health coverage next year when it will be guaranteed to all Americans for the first time. If only older, sicker people sign up for insurance, premiums could go up substantially.

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Source: The Los Angeles Times