CAGW Releases October 2015 WasteWatcher

(Washington, D.C.) – Today Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) released its October WasteWatcher, a monthly dispatch to members of the news media, highlighting some of the most prominent fiscal issues affecting American taxpayers.  The stories from its October edition of WasteWatcher are listed in part as follows:

More Obamacare CO-OP Dominos Fall

By Elizabeth Wright

Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs) were created under the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.  They were established as an alternative or compromise to placate several Democratic Senators who wanted to adopt a government-run, or single payer, option for healthcare reform.  The theory was that the nonprofit and member-owned CO-OPs would provide real competition to big healthcare insurance companies.  But like most provisions of Obamacare, they have not worked as intended.  Read the full story here.

Cyber-Security Should Not Take a Back Seat

By Deborah Collier
The federal government spends approximately $80 billion annually on information technology systems.  An April 2, 2014 Government Accountability Office report found that the number of data breaches increased by 143 percent from 10,481 reported incidents in 2009 to 25,566 incidents in 2013.  The federal government must take immediate action to protect vulnerable systems and remediate risk.  Read the full story here.

Improper Payments Burning Medicare While CMS and Congress Fiddle

By Leslie K. Paige

The great umbrage against government waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement expressed by politicians during election cycles give taxpayers hope that something will be done when they get to the nation’s capital.  And there is no shortage of targets once they arrive on Capitol Hill.  Read the full story here.

Government “Shutdowns”: History and Consequences

By Curtis Kalin

During the weeks before fiscal year 2015 ended on September 30, 2015, many in Washington and across the nation braced for the potential of a “government shutdown.”  But, on that last day of FY 2015, Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution that avoided a shutdown and funded the government through December 11.  With the specter of the second government shutdown in three years looming for the holidays, it is helpful to understand how a shutdown works and what the consequences might be.  Read the full story here.

Reconcilable Differences

By William M. Christian

While “irreconcilable differences” is a term often used in divorce proceedings, it might also describe the vast policy chasm on legislative proceedings between an extremely liberal President and an increasingly conservative Congress.  One might think that there should be general consensus on the broad parameters of a GOP “wish list,” but the devil is in the details when it comes to the tactics employed to accomplish important objectives.  Enter “budget reconciliation.” Read the full story here.

CAGW is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.