Millions of Dollars to Market Obamacare

Obama's sales pitch is coming - and you're paying for it. The Obama administration has inked an $8 million public relations contract to promote the health insurance exchange, which Sen. Max Baucus calls "the single most important provision of the ACA." According to an HHS official, PR firm Weber Shandwick will use "a range of communications tactics, with a emphasis on paid media and digital outreach" to raise public awareness of the exchanges. Politico says they'll be targeting "the young and healthy" for enrollment.

HHS spent even more last year. In 2012, HHS signed a $3.1 million contract with the same company, plus a $20 million contract with another firm, according to The Hill's Healthwatch. The most recent contract includes an option for HHS to spend even more based on Weber Shandwick's performance.

This is just the beginning. In his 2014 budget, President Obama asks for $554 million for "Marketplace-related Consumer Information and Outreach," reports Marilyn Tavenner, candidate for director of CMS, in her 113-page letter to the U.S. Senate's questions about Obamacare implementation.

Stats of the Week: 9 - years of Obamacare implementation (Check out colorful timeline). http://trackometry.com/link.htm?camp=6808&i=18&r=178606&orig=http%3A%2F%2F1.usa.gov%2F11fEG8g

$450 million - Health Insurance Exchange user fees expected to be collected in 2014. http://trackometry.com/link.htm?camp=6808&i=4&r=178606&orig=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F17eY9tP

4.5 - percent higher for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island premiums due to Obamacare (AISHealth, April 22, 2013).

$393.7 million - amount CMS has spent on the federally facilitated exchange and the federal data services hub. http://trackometry.com/link.htm?camp=6808&i=19&r=178606&orig=http%3A%2F%2F1.usa.gov%2F11wQuoo

$59M - 6-year contract awarded by CMS to IDL Solutions in November 2011 to design, build, operate and maintain the Marketplace Data Warehouse and Analytics System (MIDAS) to analyze all data collected from Obama's health insurance exchanges. http://www.hhs.gov/about/smallbusiness/pulsehome/hhspulsev7-27.html

$229 billion - cost of welfare payments between 1970 and 1996 that could be attributed to the breakdown of marriage, per left-leaning Brookings Institute. http://trackometry.com/link.htm?camp=6808&i=21&r=178606&orig=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FZLkOI6

I have never understood why the first post won’t auto-link. Here is a repost for lazy people like me:

http://trackometry.com/link.htm?camp=6808&i=18&r=178606&orig=http%3A%2F%2F1.usa.gov%2F11fEG8g
$450 million - Health Insurance Exchange user fees expected to be collected in 2014. http://trackometry.com/link.htm?camp=6808&i=4&r=178606&orig=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F17eY9tP

4.5 - percent higher for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island premiums due to Obamacare (AISHealth, April 22, 2013).

$59M - 6-year contract awarded by CMS to IDL Solutions in November 2011 to design, build, operate and maintain the Marketplace Data Warehouse and Analytics System (MIDAS) to analyze all data collected from Obama’s health insurance exchanges. http://www.hhs.gov/about/smallbusiness/pulsehome/hhspulsev7-27.html

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.