Vance Announces Removal of 750,000 ACA Enrollees

Vice President JD Vance announced Tuesday that the Trump administration is removing more than 750,000 people from Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, citing ineligible enrollees and, in some cases, individuals who do not exist. Speaking at a White House news conference alongside Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Vance estimated the removals would save the government about $2.2 billion. He said the affected enrollees either did not meet eligibility requirements or were not real people. An additional 419,000 to 440,000 enrollees will undergo further verification of their residency and income eligibility before any final determination, Vance said. The action represents about 4 percent of the roughly 19 million Americans who obtain coverage through the marketplaces established by the 2010 health law. Administration officials put the total number of affected accounts at approximately 760,000. The enforcement effort is directed through the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which Vance leads, with CMS using its enrollment records to identify accounts and agents for removal or review.