White House Refuses to Answer Whether Anyone Will Pay Obamacare Penalty in 2014
MSNBC anchor and NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd drilled into White House Deputy Senior Advisor David Simms on Friday in the wake of the administration’s announcement that they will be exempting some young Americans from having to comport with the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. Simms refused to answer whether anyone will be subject to the penalties associated with noncompliance with the mandate in 2014.
“Is there going to be a single person in 2014 that’s going to pay the penalty?” Todd asked pointedly. “A single uninsured American that is going to end up paying the penalty in 2014 at this point?”
“I can’t talk to you about how many people are going to be subject to the penalty,” Simms replied.
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“If this catastrophic policy proves popular, are you are going keep it in the law for 2015?” Todd followed up.
“I can’t speak to that right now,” Simms replied. “It’s a transitionary policy that applies to folks with cancellations.”
Todd asked how the insurance industry should react to the rapid and regular shifts in policy from the White House. Simms countered by saying that insurance companies are “aggressively” targeting the consumers they need to remain solvent.
“There is always a hardship exemption,” Simms later asserted. “People are now aware that there is a different option that came out of HHS as a result of a letter from the United States Senators who asked for clarification.”
“That clarification was given and we move forward from this point,” he concluded.
Watch the clip below, via MSNBC:
[Photo via screen grab]
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