GOP lawmakers believe over $1 billion spent to promote Obamacare -- By Susan Crabtree, The Washington Examiner

Republicans are demanding greater transparency on how much the administration spent to promote and implement Obamacare -- and hitting back at President Obama's claim that he “didn't make a hard sell.”

The new effort comes after Obama's claim that the administration met its goal of enrolling more than 7 million people without spending billions.

“We didn't make a hard sell,” Obama said. “We didn't have billions of dollars to spend on commercials like our critics did.”

But both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill estimate the administration has spent roughly $4 to 5 billion to get the Affordable Care Act running, including hundreds of millions to build and repair healthcare.gov.

Some Republicans point to outside estimates suggesting the administration spent more than $1 billion alone on promotional efforts -- including outreach, marketing and advertising -- to boost enrollment in the federal exchanges.

Critics say the administration is refusing to detail how money is being spent.

“Taxpayers deserve answers, yet the Obama administration continues to evade questions about the true cost of implementing the Affordable Care Act,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., the ranking member on the panel that funds the Health and Human Services Department.

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