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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCongress to get Obamacare exemption
Congress to get Obamacare exemption
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/congress-to-get-obamacare-exemption-report-2013-08-02?dist=tcountdown
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- The White House has approved a deal that will exempt members of Congress and their staff from some of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, Politico reported late Thursday. Under the law, popularly referred to as Obamacare, lawmakers and their aides were required to source health insurance "created" by the law or offered through one of its exchanges, and without the subsidies they currently enjoy, the members of Congress would have faced thousands of dollars in additional premium payments each year, the report said. However, the Office of Personnel Management now plans to rule that the government can continue to make a contribution to the health-care premiums of the lawmakers and their staff, it said, citing unnamed congressional sources and a White House official.
cali
(114,904 posts)to be the Federal Government, just as millions of Americans get part of their premiums paid by their employers. This was a set up by republicans engineered by Senator Grassley.
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)The taxpayers are paying a big chunk of gov't employee premiums.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)pnwmom
(108,925 posts)and they will continue to get subsidies under the ACA.
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)Yes, they will get subsidies now that the WH has stepped in.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)Does that make sense? Aren't we all better off -- doesn't the ACA have a better chance of success over the long run -- if the members of Congress are all stakeholders who aren't being penalized for their support of the bill?
snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)deal with the ACA like the rest of us. If they continue under this
WH change to get the subsidies they were getting, it's better than
anything we have. My parents were both on gov't insurance. I lost
Mom last year so I'm fairly current. Their premiums were less than
I'm paying for Medicare parts A,B,F, and D and it was wonderful
coverage which I am eternally grateful for...just sayin' Congress is
getting a better deal than the rest of us. imho
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)And that wouldn't have increased the likelihood of any of them supporting the bill.
Faux pas
(14,585 posts)responsibilities and we common folk. Whiny wimpy asshats. As far as the Prez enabling them
Safetykitten
(5,162 posts)madokie
(51,076 posts)citing unnamed congressional sources and a White House official.
So I'll wait to see what the official story is before I drag out the outrage
Safetykitten
(5,162 posts)Response to Safetykitten (Reply #13)
Post removed
cali
(114,904 posts)lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)They are "keeping their employer-provided insurance".
snooper2
(30,151 posts)I say no exception for them...
cali
(114,904 posts)snooper2
(30,151 posts)I was going to kick your thread and say thanks for providing more accurate info but now I'll just surf YouTube some more instead
cali
(114,904 posts)I just get so frustrated with people buying into anything that shores up their biases. I'm prone to that to, but I'm aware of that inclination and try to do my due diligence when it comes to stories that fit my confirmation bias.
kenny blankenship
(15,689 posts)Exempting themselves from the shit pile they dumped on everyone else is the cherry on top that completes a PERFECT act of PERFECT CONTEMPT for the public.
cali
(114,904 posts)leftstreet
(36,081 posts)Safetykitten
(5,162 posts)Cyrano
(15,023 posts)"It's a big club. And you ain't in it."
If you've never seen this Carlin clip, watch it and then down a bottle of Xanax with a pitcher of margaritas.
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)and you just stepped in it, got some on your shoes, and tracked up the house with it.
Pavlov dogs we are. Ring our bells and we snarl in anger.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)It's un-Democratic.
NM_Birder
(1,591 posts)good enough for the masses, not the ruling class,...........nor their staff.
sinkingfeeling
(51,279 posts)"....the members of Congress would have faced thousands of dollars in additional premium payments each year, the report said." Let's see there are 535 members of the House and Senate times several thousand dollars each. That would come out to around $2 million a year that the tax payers get to pay instead.
abelenkpe
(9,933 posts)And necessary cuts for all.
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)Oh wait...there is no food stamp budget...was removed from the farm bill.
Safetykitten
(5,162 posts)alittlelark
(18,886 posts)How much deeper does this rabbit hole go?
newfie11
(8,159 posts)Not the kings and queens of congress who should be called jesters.
cali
(114,904 posts)usGovOwesUs3Trillion
(2,022 posts)And curb your self righteous, crabby tone, too.
It is unbecoming of you, and DU.
Thank you
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)the whole contretemps, phony as it is, is almost as much congressional dems fault as it is congressional repukes fault.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)Which they claimed was proof that it had death panels and other insane elements.
They were paying a semantic game, then. And this is basically a redux of the same little game.
And of course, many of the same folks who jump at any opportunity to respond in outrage about something the administration has or has not done, are doing so in this thread ... despite your rather valiant efforts to get them to knock it off.
Congressional Dems should have told GOP members to pass up their government health care, and instead go onto the open insurance market as individuals to prove that the market worked. But the Dems inability to flips this aspect of the PR debate is irrelevant.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)My friend was visiting in France, fell and broke her leg and ankle. Went to doctor, they took ex-rays, they put on a cast, gave her crutches, price she had to pay, equivalent to $36.00. We can not even go to the doctor for a visit for this amount. Guess what, she did not have to wait either like the lies told by RW's.
ceonupe
(597 posts)Built around our for profit health care system.
Our universities , hospitals and education system is heavily influenced by our for profit health care system.
There are so many entrenched intrests I don't see it ever changing in the USA.
Follow the money and I'm not just talking about what u pay to the doctor but also what u pay for medical school, undergrad, for profit colleges for the mid level providers and assistants/clerks.
There is so much money it's crazy.
I work in health care IT. Ill tell u this much it's not the single providers or even the 2 provider shops making tons of money. The owner groups of the large practices however wow they make serious bank. Because they have the efficiency and scale to maximize everything. So they are way more profitable than the small shops.
Maybe we should look at ways the government can help bring that scale and effiecency to all and maybe reduce cost
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Would be going to the professionals who do the hard work and nit into executives pockets or for bribery money to Congress. BTW, my friend did not wait in long lines claimed by many.
Control-Z
(15,681 posts)Congress uses exchange but continues to enjoy the same benefits package they've been entitled to. Employer pays part of their premiums. They will not, however, be entitled to any subsidies like the rest of us.
Seems ok to me. I don't remember ever reading or thinking that the ACA would require employers to stop paying a share of their employees' premiums.
leftstreet
(36,081 posts)http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/05/28/2064441/employers-obamacare-cut-wasteful-spending/
9: What is a Cadillac Health Plan?
The PPACA imposes a 40 percent excise tax on Cadillac health insurance plans. This new tax will apply to health plans valued in excess of $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. Those thresholds will grow annually by inflation plus 1 percent. The tax takes effect in 2018.
http://www.cpehr.com/affordable-care-act-obamacare-for-business
BklnDem75
(2,918 posts)Q: Does the health care bill specifically exempt members of Congress and their staffs from its provisions?
A: No. This twisted claim is based on misrepresentations of the House and Senate bills, neither of which exempts lawmakers.
http://www.factcheck.org/2010/01/congress-exempt-from-health-bill/
Q: Is it true that there are bills in Congress that would exempt members and their staffs and families from buying into Obamacare?
A: No. Congress members and staffers will be required to buy insurance through the exchanges on Jan. 1. But reportedly there is concern about whether federal contributions to premiums can continue without a change.
http://www.factcheck.org/2013/05/congress-and-an-exemption-from-obamacare/
An Old Falsehood
Bogus claims about Congress being exempt date back to early 2010, when different health care bills were still being debated. Some Republicans claimed that Americans, except for members of Congress, would be forced into the government-run public option (which wasnt part of the final bill that became law) or state-based exchanges (which are part of the law).
As we said previously, members of Congress get private health insurance through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which actually served as a model for the exchanges. Federal workers pick from among many health plans. The exchanges would operate in the same way like a marketplace for those shopping for private insurance.
But some Republicans pushed the idea that if the exchanges were good enough for other Americans, they should be good enough for Congress. So, an amendment by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa was added to the Senate bill requiring that the federal government offer only health plans that were part of an exchange to members of Congress and their staffs. The laws final language on this, written by Sen. Tom Coburn, says that: the only health plans that the Federal Government may make available to Members of Congress and congressional staff with respect to their service as a Member of Congress or congressional staff shall be health plans that are (I) created under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act); or (II) offered through an Exchange established under this Act.
Response to abelenkpe (Original post)
L0oniX This message was self-deleted by its author.
msongs
(67,199 posts)AlinPA
(15,071 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)I have two problems with this. First, Congress always makes exceptions for themselves. They never have to follow the same rules we do, and second, why are premiums in the ACA more expensive than premiums Congress already has set up? Could it be because the government let the insurance companies help write the freakin law? Business as usual I guess. Nothing too surprising when you think about it. The question is how long are we going to allow them to do business as usual?
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)unless they are unfortunate enough that their governors have decided to reject free Federal money so they can do so. But blame the governors for that, not Obamacare.
What do you mean that the premiums in ACA are more expensive than "premiums Congress already has set up"? I'm not following . . .
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)personal stakeholders in the ACA working out.
AlinPA
(15,071 posts)in America gets government paid premiums.
tritsofme
(17,325 posts)AlinPA
(15,071 posts)tritsofme
(17,325 posts)Punishing staffers and creating a brain drain on the Hill doesn't make any sense.
AlinPA
(15,071 posts)in the parties to pay them all.
tritsofme
(17,325 posts)the same as any other. They don't work for a party or a campaign. Many provide important constituent services. Beat up on the congressmen, sure, but I don't get beating up the staff.
elleng
(130,156 posts)like congressmembers or not, Federal Employees Health Benefits program provides the BEST 'exchanges' in the world, a model for the others,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Employees_Health_Benefits_Program
AlinPA
(15,071 posts)they work for their party. Let their political campaigns pay for it.
elleng
(130,156 posts)I'm a retired Federal employee, still entitled to FEHB due to my husband's coverage, and we as a family always paid premiums, and still do. Our employer, the government, also contributes to our premiums.
congresscritters do not get their health benefits for free. But I understand your point; they DON'T work for us (many of them, anyway.) (Fortunately I'm pretty happy with my Senators and Rep, in Maryland.
AlinPA
(15,071 posts)premiums, even if they make some partial contribution.