Blue Cross Blue Shield has asked Congress to protect an Affordable Care Act insurer fund that Republican lawmakers charge is a "bailout" for the healthcare insurance industry, The Hill reports.
A memo sent to lawmakers by Blue Cross Blue Shield and obtained by The Hill states:
"Recently, some are proposing to stop the scheduled 2016 reinsurance payments to health plans, claiming these payments are a 'bailout.' This would result in higher premiums and less choice for consumers."
The Hill says the insurer fund is a "form of life support" for insurers that "saw an influx of 'high-risk' patients after the massive shake-up of the marketplace."
But GOP Sens. Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin say the Obama administration was supposed to give some of the funds to the Treasury Department as a fee and want to know why officials are "prioritizing payments to insurance companies" over the Treasury, according to The Hill.
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