The Obama administration last year spent more than $77 million on advertising costs to promote Obamacare, which a Republican-controlled White House and Congress are now working to repeal.
According to federal government contracts obtained by the New York Post, the Democratic-leaning public relations firm Weber Shandwick was hired to promote the Affordable Care Act. The Obama administration and Weber Shandwick spent $74.15 million on advertising on July 28, 2016, and another $3.69 million on Sept. 9, 2016.
Of the $77 million of taxpayer money spent, $64 million was used for television, digital, and radio advertisements, $4 million for creative development and production, $5 million for direct response marketing, $2 million for campaign strategy, $1 million for branding, and $1.5 million for encouraging small business enrollment.
Despite efforts by the Obama administration, enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act at the end of 2016 were on track to be lower than the previous year. In addition, only 22 percent of Obamacare enrollees rated their health care plan as good, very good, or excellent in 2017, according to one survey.
"Tens of millions in hard-earned taxpayer funds spent on TV ads won't sell a fundamentally flawed approach to health care," a current White House official told the New York Post.
The Trump administration has planned to pull Obamacare advertisements that have already been scheduled and paid for.
President Trump and Republicans in Congress have announced their intention to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act as soon as possible.
House Republicans unveiled last week a bill to replace Obamacare called the American Health Care Act. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) support the bill, while some conservative groups and lawmakers have come out against it.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) warned on Sunday that House Republicans' Obamacare replacement plan would fail in the Senate and needs significant changes.