House Republicans Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Kevin Brady (R-Texas) Wednesday subpoenaed U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew and three Internal Revenue Service officials for documents related to cost sharing reductions under the Affordable Care Act, according to The Hill.
Cost sharing reductions are payments given to people with incomes below a specific threshold who have chosen silver health plans on the federal exchange. They discount out-of-pocket deductibles, coinsurance and copayments.
Reps. Upton and Brady have repeatedly requested the information, according to the report. However, the administration has denied these requests because the documents are currently the subject of a lawsuit, House v. Burwell, according to the report. This lawsuit alleges paying cost sharing reductions with a congressional appropriation is unconstitutional. The Obama Administration argues appropriation is not necessary because the payments are mandatory spending under the ACA, according to the report.
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