Data
compiled and released Friday by the conservative organization Americans for Tax Reform reveals the amount of federal tax dollars funneled to states to implement Obamacare exchanges at $4.4 billion.
According to ATR, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services distributed the funds to states for a variety of “vague” purposes.
to states for a variety of “vague” purposes.
ATR pulled out grant purposes such as:
- “[P]reparations to demonstrate operational readiness”
- “Provide assistance to hire staff and consultants”
- “Continue and complete current planning and implementation efforts”
- “Secure staff consultants and expert resources and actively engage stakeholders”
- “Marketplace IT system design and development costs including IT consultants and privacy and security consultants”
States that did not end up setting up there own Obamacare exchanges also received money, according to ATR’s research.
Alabama for example, received $9,772,451 in two grants in 2010 and 2011 one for planning the exchange and the other to “support core staff, contracts, and activities around early implementation of the Alabama Health Insurance Exchange.”
Many of the states that did end up creating their own exchanges received more money than those that did not.
ATR’s tax policy director Ryan Ellis told The Daily Caller that it was not clear from CMS’ records what ended up happening to the money provided to states to set up exchanges that in the end decided not establish their own exchange.
“Presumably, [the funding] was to try to get those states to change their mind at an earlier stage of development,” Ellis wrote in an email.
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