Obamacare Navigators Allegedly Encouraged Income Fraud [Video]
Some Obamacare navigators were caught on video allegedly encouraging applicants to conceal income to thereby qualify for lower health insurance premiums.
These allegations were the result of another undercover investigation by controversial muckraker James O’Keefe and his Project Veritas crew.
According to Forbes.com, in an article published well before the troubled rollout of the law, navigators help consumers enroll in a health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. “The job of the Navigator will be to direct you through the morass and sign you up for the insurance most appropriate for your needs. If you find the process too difficult or are uncertain of your options, Navigators will be available to help you.
Although O’Keefe has his share of detractors for his particular brand of journalism, his team has also exposed the corrupt ACORN organization, voter fraud, and revealed that some anti-gun journalists declined to post gun-free zone signs outside their own homes. His group also exposed potential abuses in the so-called Obamaphone program.
After the first video surfaced, the Urban League of Greater Dallas took disciplinary action against several staffers allegedly depicted in the video. In a statement, the organization said that it “does not condone, nor would we ever sanction, misleading the public or any individual who seeks our assistance about any issue, and particularly in this case, an issue as critical as health care.” It also suggested that conversations on the tape were taken out of context and called for the release of the unedited, raw footage.
Distinct from and unrelated to the interaction depicted in the video, federal law does not require background checks for navigators, but states can establish more stringent requirements. National Review Online explains that “While Texas and some other states have passed requirements of their own, the absence of such checks at the federal level was acknowledged by HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius last week. She was asked by Texas senator John Cornyn if ‘a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual unbeknownst to them.’ ‘It’s possible,’ was Secretary Sebelius’s less-than-comforting reply.”
Watch the videos and draw your own conclusions as to whether the alleged navigators provided appropriate Obamacare advice to O’Keefe’s undercover operatives.
