GOP leaders are requesting the Obama administration tally the amount of money it will spend on subsidies next year following its announcement that benchmark ACA health plan premiums will jump by an average of 25 percent nationwide, The Hill reports.
Despite federal officials insisting 85 percent of individuals enrolled in ACA plans will receive subsidies and not shoulder the hikes, Republican leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said in a letter they are "concerned that the federal taxpayer continues to bear the burden of subsidizing the growing cost of healthcare insurance."
The federal government anticipated paying more toward subsidies next year, though the unpredicted premium hikes may surpass what the government initially budgeted, according to The Hill.
The Congressional Budget Office anticipated ACA subsidies would increase about 5.4 percent every year through the next decade and eventually top $1.1 trillion.
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