According to newly released data from Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a grand total of five people have enrolled in the Washington, D.C. Obamacare exchange:
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield: two enrollees from Oct. 1, 2013, through Oct. 30, 2013.
Kaiser Permanente: three enrollees from Oct. 1, 2013, through Oct. 31, 2013.
UnitedHealthcare: no enrollment data from the exchange as of Nov. 4, 2013.
Aetna: no enrollment data as of Oct. 24, 2013.
How much money was taken from American taxpayers to pay for the D.C. exchange?
$133,573,928
That means American taxpayers shelled out $26.7 million for each DC Obamacare enrollee.
Using official federal grant data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the calculations are as follows:
Amount of Grant |
Date Awarded |
Purpose |
$1,000,000 |
Sept. 30, 2010 |
“State planning grant” |
$8,200,716 |
Aug. 12, 2011 |
“continue and complete current planning and implementation efforts” |
$72,985,333 |
Sept. 27, 2012 |
“to provide assistance to hire staff and consultants to manage activities related to the creation and first year of operations for testing and enhancement of the Exchange.” |
$16,969,089 |
June 13, 2013 |
“to develop an IT system that facilitates critical Exchange functions including eligibility, enrollment, and information exchange among individuals, employers, insurance carriers, and state and federal government agencies.” |
$34,418,790 |
Oct. 23, 2013 |
“evaluate the implementation of the District’s consumer assistance programs, build a quality rating system, and support upgrades to the DC Health Link IT system.” |
Total Taxpayer Cost: $133,573,928
Total Enrollees: 5
Taxpayer Cost Per Enrollee: $26,714,785.60