GAO report: HHS didn’t violate laws by lobbying against ACA
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not violate certain legal provisions when it reduced public outreach to alert people to healthcare enrollment periods and put out social media posts that blasted Obamacare, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Specifically, HHS published videos of accounts of individuals and business owners who state they were harmed by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, on the agency’s YouTube channel. HHS also posted videos through its Twitter account.
Congressional Democrats had asked GAO to take a look at HHS’s conduct to evaluate if the agency had broken prohibitions for indirect or grassroots lobbying in support of, or in opposition to, pending legislation and using HHS appropriations for unauthorized publicity or propaganda purposes.
“We conclude HHS did not violate the described provisions through the activities in question,” GAO’s report found.
The videos came after President Donald Trump and Republicans sought a repeal of the ACA.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."