Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Friday called on the Department of Health and Human Services to focus on battling the Zika virus in the United States instead of trying to boost Obamacare.
"We see reports that the administration is working on yet another Obamacare advertising campaign, despite warnings that it will do little to change the fundamental weaknesses in the marketplace," the Kentucky Republican told agency Secretary Sylvia Burwell in a letter. "I am particularly concerned that taxpayer resources could be used for these campaigns at a time when there are higher priority public-health needs."
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Friday that transmissions of the Zika virus by mosquitoes were found in a second city, Miami Beach, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued warned pregnant women to not travel to the tourist-friendly area.
The state's Republicans on Capitol Hill are also increasing pressure on House Speaker Paul Ryan to push through a billion-dollar program to help battle the virus.
Partisan squabbling prevented legislators from acting on the aid earlier this summer.
Regarding Obamacare, Aetna Inc. became the latest health insurer to announce that it would stop selling individual Obamacare plans next year. The move affected 11 of the 15 states where Aetna had been participating in the program.
"Nearly every day brings another set of stories about the dysfunction of the Obamacare exchanges and the negative impact on consumers," McConnell said in his letter. "For years, the public has read story after story warning of double-digit premium increases in nearly every corner of the country.
"More recently, we have learned of that Obamacare's onerous rules and poor implementation have caused a number of insurers to withdraw their participation from the exchanges, leading to fewer choices in for consumers in the marketplace.
"Given these trends, it comes as no surprise that enrollment is well below the projections for this point," he said.
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