Data problems found with 2 million ObamaCare sign-ups, document shows

More than 2 million people who got health insurance under President Obama's law have data discrepancies that could jeopardize coverage for some, a government document shows. 
About 1 in 4 people who signed up have discrepancies, creating a huge paperwork jam for the feds and exposing some consumers to repayment demands, or possibly even loss of coverage, if they got too generous a subsidy. 
The 7-page slide presentation from the Health and Human Services department was provided to The Associated Press as several congressional committees are actively investigating the discrepancies, most of which involve important details on income, citizenship and immigration status. 
Ensuring that health care benefits are delivered accurately is a top priority for HHS nominee Sylvia Mathews Burwell, whose confirmation as department secretary is before the Senate this week. 
Responding to the document, administration officials expressed confidence that most of the discrepancies can be resolved over the summer. Nonetheless, HHS has set up a system to "turn off" benefits for anyone who is found to be ineligible. 
Julie Bataille, communications coordinator for the health care rollout, said most of the discrepancies appear to be due to outdated information in government files -- and the "vast majority" of cases are being resolved in favor of consumers. The government is making an all-out effort to reach those with discrepancies, which officials have termed "inconsistencies." 
"The fact that a consumer has an inconsistency on their application does not mean there is a problem on their enrollment," said Bataille. "Most of the time what that means is that there is more up-to-date information that they need to provide to us." 
The document provided to AP said that 2.1 million people enrolled through the new health insurance exchanges were "affected by one or more inconsistency" as of the end of April. 
The exchanges offer subsidized private coverage to lower-income and middle-class people with no access to health care on the job. The sliding-scale subsidies are based on income and family size, and are also affected by where a person lives. Because they are structured as tax credits, the Internal Revenue Service can deduct any overpayments from a taxpayer's refund the following year. 
Under the law, only citizens and legal immigrants are entitled to subsidized coverage. 
Updated numbers provided by Bataille indicate that the total number of people affected remains about the same as a month ago. About 1.2 million have discrepancies related to income; 505,000 have issues with immigration data, and 461,000 have conflicts related to citizenship information. 
The law contemplated there would be verification problems with the new program, and provided for a 90-day window to clear up discrepancies. During this time, a consumer's coverage is not affected. 
About 60 percent of all the people with discrepancies are still within that 90-day period, said Bataille. Consumers who get a request for additional information can upload documents electronically or mail them in. The HHS request is supposed to specifically describe any information that the government needs. 
The HHS document provided to AP, dated May 8, describes a laborious effort to try to resolve the data problems, largely requiring hands-on work from a legion of workers employed by government contractor Serco, Inc. 
"Current system access and functionality...limits the ability to resolve outstanding inconsistencies," said the document. "A phased approach is proposed, initially leveraging manual processes." 
Atop the priority list are citizenship and immigration issues, then annual income. 
The House Ways and Means Committee will hold hearings next week on the data issues affecting eligibility for health care benefits. The HHS inspector general is expected to deliver a report to Congress later this summer on how well the administration is doing at preventing inaccurate payments and fraud.

Unions slam Obama EPA rule

Labor unions criticized the Environmental Protection Agency’s new regulations on carbon emissions from power plants on Monday, highlighting growing tensions between the environmentalist and working class arms of the Democratic Party.
Those tensions have come to the forefront as leading Democrats embrace environmentalist policies backed by billionaire political donors that are generally opposed by members of the party’s rank and file base.
Some labor unions, groups generally considered loyally Democratic, rebelled on Monday after the EPA released its new regulations, which studies have suggested will carry hefty economic costs.
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) president Cecil Roberts blasted the proposal, saying it would leave tens of thousands of the union’s members unemployed.
“The proposed rule … will lead to long-term and irreversible job losses for thousands of coal miners, electrical workers, utility workers, boilermakers, railroad workers and others without achieving any significant reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions,” Roberts said in a statement.
According to a UMWA analysis, Roberts said, the rule will cause 75,000 job losses in the coal sector by 2020, rising to 152,000 by 2035.

'Lopsided' deal with enemy for Bergdahl in sharp contrast to inaction on Tahmooressi, say critics

The Obama administration’s extraordinary effort to free Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has some wondering why the president can’t make a simple phone call on behalf of a former Marine being held in a Mexican prison after mistakenly driving across the border with registered guns.
Obama announced Saturday in a dramatic Rose Garden news conference that five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay would be exchanged for Bergdahl, a 28-year-old infantryman held captive for five years by the terrorist group. The swap angered many in the military and on Capitol Hill, because it went against long-standing policy of not bargaining with terrorists.

" ... as far the Administration went for Bergdahl, Andrew Tahmooressi is still stuck in a Mexican jail for making a wrong turn and the only thing grabbing the President’s attention so far is an online petition that forces him to respond."- Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

“He wasn't forgotten by his country, because the United States of America does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind,” Obama said.
Although Tahmooressi is not a prisoner of war, he served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, and now suffers post-traumatic stress disorder, according to his mother, Jennifer Tahmooressi. Friends who have visited him in prison say he has been tortured and threatened with rape and death, and they question whether the administration is doing enough to help him.
“This Administration went to unprecedented lengths for Bowe Bergdhal by making a lopsided deal with an untrustworthy partner, even when there other options still on the table that neither involved the Taliban nor prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. “Meanwhile, as far the Administration went for Bergdahl, Andrew Tahmooressi is still stuck in a Mexican jail for making a wrong turn and the only thing grabbing the president’s attention so far is an online petition that forces him to respond."
Mark Podlaski, who served with Tahmooressi in Afghanistan, told Fox News in a phone interview if President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry "can give up five Taliban leaders for a 'traitor' why can't they make a phone call to Mexico to free a Marine who served honorably?
"I've never been this upset with my government.
"Tahmooressi gave his mind and body two times -- referring to his two tours of duty in Afghanistan -- for this country."
Sam Vranicar, who also served with Tahmooressi in Afghanistan and convinced him to go to California to receive treatment for post traumatic stress disorder, echoed his comrades. 
"It's absurd how we can negotiate with terrorists in Afghanistan to get back a deserter soldier, but we can't negotiate with an ally in Mexico to bring home a loyal and honorable combat veteran," Vranicar said. "All the monies spent on preventing and fighting terrorism, many of the lives lost, have been in vain because of this 'deal' Obama made."
Jennifer Tahmooressi declined to comment on any comparison between her son's plight and that of Bergdahl, saying only that she was sure his family is grateful for his return
Hunter, a former Marine, was echoed by a former colleague in the House who served in the Army.
“To hear Obama state that “no American should be left behind” — has he forgotten about Benghazi and Marine SGT Tahmooressi?” blogged former Congressman and retired Col. Allen West.
On Monday, a Fox News journalist asked State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki  why the administration would strike a precedent-shattering deal with the Taliban, yet can’t win Tahmooressi’s freedom from an ally and neighbor.
“I understand the desire to make comparisons, but we wouldn’t compare them,” Psaki said. “This is – was a Marine (sic) who was taken while in combat, and you’re talking about a situation of an individual who the Mexican authorities are accusing of violating the law.”

Mississippi GOP Senate primary race too close to call, Ernst wins in Iowa

Six-term Mississippi GOP Sen. Thad Cochran and Tea Party-backed state Sen. Chris McDaniel were locked overnight in a too-close-to-call race for Cochran’s Senate seat and appear headed for a runoff later this month. 
McDaniel had nudged ahead of Cochran early Wednesday, with 98 percent of the state's precincts reporting. McDaniel garnered 49.6 percent of the vote to Cochran's 48.8 percent.
One candidate would have needed 50 percent of the vote to win outright and avoid the June 24 runoff. The third GOP candidate, Thomas Carey, had 2 percent of the vote.
Mississippi was just one of six states Tuesday holding Senate primaries, with Iowa’s GOP race considered the other closely-contested contest.
The other Senate primary races were in Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. 
Republicans need to win a net six Senate seats this year to take control of the upper chamber.
In Mississippi, the Tea Party-backed McDaniel gave supporters an upbeat speech shortly after midnight at his post-election party.
“Because of your hard work, we sit here tonight leading a 42-year incumbent,” he said. “We will stand victorious. … We will win this fight.”
The 76-year-old Cochran is facing the toughest challenge of his political career against McDaniel, who entered the race deadlocked with the veteran lawmaker.
“It’s been a long night and it’s not over,” said a Cochran campaign staffer. “It looks like a runoff.”
The winner will face former Rep. Travis Childers, who Tuesday night won the state Democratic nomination, and Reform Party candidate Shawn O'Hara in the November election.
In Iowa, state Sen. Joni Ernst won the GOP primary. The 43-year-old Ernst won the nomination over five candidates including challenger Mark Jacobs, who led the race early.
Ernst will face Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in November for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.
All the Republicans seeking the nomination described themselves as deeply conservative, but Ernst managed to stand out in part due to two television ads. One featured her on a farm, talking about her experience castrating hogs, and the other showed her firing a handgun.
Ernst also received endorsements from a variety of groups and individuals, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Rifle Association and Sarah Palin.
The Cochran-McDaniel contest drew top billing, featuring a pillar of the GOP establishment who has helped funnel millions of dollars to his state and a younger state lawmaker who drew backing from Tea Party groups and former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The campaign took a turn toward the sensational when four men, all McDaniel supporters, were arrested and charged with surreptitiously taking photographs of the senator's 72-year-old wife, who suffers from dementia and has long lived in a nursing home.
Police said they wanted to use the photo to further allegations that Cochran was having an inappropriate friendship with a female staffer who accompanied him on numerous overseas trips.
In Montana, Democrat John Walsh won his party's nomination for Senate, and Steve Daines won the GOP primary.
In New Jersey, former Washington policy analyst Jeff Bell won a tight GOP primary, narrowly defeating computer consultant Richard Puzzollo.
The other two Republicans running in the low-budget primary were concrete contractor Brian Goldberg and business professor Murray Sabrin. Bell will in November face incumbent Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, who is considered a heavy favorite.
In New Mexico, former state GOP chairman Allan Weh won the party primary and will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Tom Udall in the fall.
In South Dakota, former Gov. Mike Rounds won the GOP primary and enters the November race as the favored to win the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson. He will face Democrat Rick Weiland, who ran unopposed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.