Obamacare Navigators tell applicants to LIE about their income and smoking habits to get a better deal, report reveals
House committee reports that some Navigators were advising consumers to lie about their income in order to qualify for subsidies
Other volunteer health care helpers told Americans to deny their smoking habits so their rates would go down
Navigator groups had no contingency plan for dealing with the failed launch of healthcare.gov, leaving them unable to help their own customers
A secret training manual for Navigators is soaked in Obamacare irony, advising helpers to keep their promises and stick to their deadlines
By DAVID MARTOSKO
DailyMailUK
17 December 2013
Two documents released Monday about the Obamacare ‘Navigators’ couldn’t be more different: A congressional report slammed the health insurance helpers for encouraging fraud, while the organization’s own training manual encouraged workers to ‘be candid, open, and honest’ and ‘build trust’ with Americans seeking health care policies.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released its scathing indictment of the Navigator program in conjunction with a Texas field hearing. Investigators found that volunteers tasked with enrolling Obamacare customers were encouraging applicants to lie in order to get government subsidies and favorable premiums.
‘Navigators from the Urban League of Dallas were captured on video,’ committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa reported, ‘encouraging applicants to lie on their health insurance application so the applicants could qualify for tax subsidies.’
‘Navigators were also recorded advising an applicant to lie about her smoking habits to obtain a lower monthly premium,’ the report added.
In addition to advice reminiscent of Google’s ‘Don’t be evil’ rule, the Navigator training manual, provided a stark contrast with the Obama administration’s performance since healthcare.gov’s Oct. 1 rollout.
‘Only offer consumers something that you are sure you can give them,’ the manual insists. ‘Don’t promise timelines you are not sure you can fulfill. Stick to deadlines … and never make promises you cannot keep. If situations change, let consumers know as soon as possible.’
The Rest…HERE
