Sen. John Cornyn calls for halt to ACA 'navigator' program citing O'Keefe video
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Tuesday called for axing the Affordable Care Act’s “navigator” program that uses federal dollars to pay for workers to sign people up for health insurance. Cornyn, a vocal opponent of the health insurance law, cited a video by a conservative activist attempting to show fraud by federally funded workers in North Texas.
James O’Keefe, founder of the nonprofit Project Veritas, had investigators use hidden cameras to visit offices of the National Urban League in Dallas and Irving, where federally funded “navigators” worked to sign people up for health insurance under the law known as “Obamacare.” The navigators, who were funded by a $376,000 federal grant, appeared to tell an investigator to lie about his income in order to maximize the amount of federal subsidies he could get.
“Don’t get yourself in trouble by declaring it now,” one worker appeared to tell the investigator about off-the-books income. The video, which some liberal blogs have said was heavily edited, also showed another person telling the investigator to lie about his smoking to keep his premium lower.
The National Urban League in Dallas responded by firing or suspending some of the workers.
Cornyn said in a news release that the navigators’ actions are “yet another broken piece of a deeply flawed system,” and that President Barack Obama should halt the program, which has already been plagued by serious computer problems and insurance cancellations.
Meanwhile, supporters of the health insurance overhaul sought to remind the public that reputable organizations exist to help people buy health coverage through marketplaces set up by the law.
O’Keefe gained notoriety for videos made as part of his stated mission to expose corruption and fraud. Some of his targets include National Public Radio, which O’Keefe sought to show in 2011 provided slanted news coverage; the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, that O’Keefe said in 2009 engaged in behavior that promoted prostitution; and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., whose staff O’Keefe wanted to prove ignored constituent calls.
News reports show that his endeavors have had mixed results. An NPR executive resigned after the Veritas video. But ACORN workers were cleared of wrongdoing following an investigation. Also, O’Keefe pleaded guilty of entering a U.S. government property under false pretenses in the Landrieu case.
The office of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who’s running for governor as a Republican, took the opportunity after the new video’s release to bash the federal health law and the navigators.
“Any program that suggests Americans lie to game the system is a program that is out of control, and out of touch with what taxpayers want and deserve,” Abbott spokesman Jerry Strickland said in a statement.
Affordable Care Act supporter Elizabeth Colvin, director of Insure Central Texas, said that O’Keefe’s video shouldn’t hinder the efforts of her group, which uses “certified application counselors” who do the same job as navigators but who don’t get federal grant money.
“It’s disappointing that people aren’t providing the same high-quality services that we are,” Colvin said.
Sherelyn Roberts, public relations coordinator for the Urban League of Greater Dallas, said that her organization doesn’t condone misleading the public and that some of the people in the video were terminated or suspended.
But the league was also defensive. “We will not sit idly or silently as agenda-driven individuals operating under false pretenses attempt to undermine our efforts to serve those who need it most,” the group’s statement said.
As for O’Keefe, he promised more video would come.
http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/sen-john-cornyn-calls-for-halt-to-aca-navigator-pr/nbqmB/
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