DeWine joins Warren County against Obamacare

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is joining Warren County officials in efforts to recover public funds paid to the federal government in compliance with the Affordable Care Act.

In December, the county commissioners discussed not paying more than $300,000 in fees over the next three years to operate the county's self-funded plan under a transitional re-insurance program established through the law, also known as Obamacare.

They paid the fee for 2015 but sent a letter of protest to Marilyn Tavenner, administrator of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal agency administering the Affordable Care Act.

“Both Warren County and DeWine recently sent letters to the Obama administration warning of litigation if these taxes were not refunded,” according to a press release issued Friday about Monday’s event.

DeWine is joining Warren County Commissioner David Young and County Prosecutor David Fornshell — all Republicans — at a press conference Monday as part of “joint efforts to recover public funds taken by an Obamacare tax improperly assessed against state and local governments,” according to DeWine’s press release.

The re-insurance program is funded through fees levied on health insurance plans. The payments are to fund administrative costs of the law, re-insurance payments to issuers of “non-grandfathered re-insurance-eligible individual market plans,” as well as the federal treasury, according to federal guidelines

Other county officials in Ohio said they would pay the fee without protest.

“Montgomery County is complying with the law and making the required payments,” Cathy Petersen said in an email.

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