General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEvery single American is entitled to the exact same health insurance that their congressman or
Senator has for the same out of pocket cost that they pay.
sagesnow
(2,824 posts)Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)Warpy
(111,256 posts)Maybe then idiots like Chaffetz would stop saying "give up a new I phone" to buy health insurance.
He'd realize that I-phone represents one month's premium on the GOP's open market plan.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-07/chaffetz-americans-time-choose-between-iphone-and-healthcare
Republicans are morons because they've been coddled in Congress for too long. I hope the country is finally waking up to that.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)they can provide, they should resign.
dalton99a
(81,485 posts)SFnomad
(3,473 posts)Senators, Congressmen and most of their staff are required to get their medical coverage via the Health Insurance Exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. They are the only Federal Employees that must use the Health Insurance Exchanges.
They can still get their insurance through Medicare or their spouse's employment, if it's available to them.
They also are treated the same as any other Federal Employee when it comes to how much the Federal Government pays towards that coverage.
Caliman73
(11,738 posts)The problem with "holding congress to the same standards" is that more than 50% of congress members are millionaires. The median net worth of a member of congress in 2013 was 1.08 million. There is a wide range in there with about 24 members being in negative territory for net worth, but again, most of congress is pretty rich and if not when they enter congress, then by the time they leave, they are doing very well.
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2015/01/one-member-of-congress-18-american-households-lawmakers-personal-finances-far-from-average/
So they may have to get the same insurance as the rest of us, but the Federal government, through our tax dollars, subsidizes about 80% of the cost of the member, and 73% for the family members.
Put it this way, my wife and I had our best year of income together as professionals in public service, which we have been in for decades. Together we earned less than the base salary of a first year congress person. Fortunately I have really good insurance, though it costs me over 340 dollars a month to cover my family.
When they talk about "not taking a salary" or "I am going to buy my insurance like everyone else", it is symbolic, or if you are cynical it is just a gimmick. Congress people tend to have more options and better finances than the average household (median income about 58,000 in 2013). Their staffers are probably less fortunate, though I am sure that their salaries are also better than a good chunk of the population. Them being on the ACA was a step down, but did not put them into the same situation as people having to navigate the ACA alone.
BSdetect
(8,998 posts)subterranean
(3,427 posts)If the Republican plan passes, they should be required to use that, and be given a tax credit to buy plans on the individual market. Nothing more. In fact, Democrats should pull a Chuck Grassley and introduce such a bill and dare them to vote it down.