GOP frustrated with HHS over O-Care documents

House Republicans say they’re frustrated with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after a request for information about seven ObamaCare exchanges went mostly unanswered this summer.

GOP leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee complained in a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell that her staff provided only a small number of documents despite “accommodations” from the panel.

“The documents prioritized for immediate production by the committee nearly two months ago … have not yet been provided,” the lawmakers wrote Monday. “HHS has produced no other documents responsive to the committee’s request.”

The Republicans are seeking information about troubled state-based insurance exchanges and how much federal money they consumed prior to this year.

Their complaint to HHS is part of a wider back-and-forth between the department and congressional Republicans over documents related to ObamaCare’s rollout.

GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate have requested hundreds of thousands of documents in at least a dozen investigations of the healthcare law. Though Republicans disagree, HHS says it has cooperated in each case.

“We have been responsive to the Committee’s requests regarding state based health exchanges, and are committed to continuing to work with them. To date, HHS has hosted briefings for the Committee and has produced documents for their review,” said Ben Wakana, a spokesman for HHS, in response to the letter.

Republicans set a new deadline of Sept. 19 for HHS to provide more information.

—This post was updated at 8:20 p.m.