Congress is exempt from Obamacare?

Jarod

Jarod

Well-known member
Contributor
When people like Rand Paul claim that Congress is exempt from Obama care, what do they really mean?

Its like they believe Obamacare is something everyone has to drop there existing insurance program and sign up for.

I'm honestly asking, what do these Republicans mean when they make this argument?
 
'Exempt' is not quite the right word but it does get your attention....their 'exempt' for the same costs the great unwashed will pay.

the statute means that about 11,000 Members and Congressional staff will lose the generous coverage they now have as part of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). Instead they will get the lower-quality, low-choice "Medicaid Plus" of the exchanges. The Members—annual salary: $174,000—and their better paid aides also wouldn't qualify for ObamaCare subsidies. That means they could be exposed to thousands of dollars a year in out-of-pocket insurance costs.

the White House is creating a double standard. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that runs federal benefits will release regulatory details this week, but leaks to the press suggest that Congress will receive extra payments based on the FEHBP defined-contribution formula, which covers about 75% of the cost of the average insurance plan. For 2013, that's about $4,900 for individuals and $10,000 for families.

How OPM will pull this off is worth watching. Is OPM simply going to cut checks, akin to "cashing out" fringe benefits and increasing wages? Or will OPM cover 75% of the cost of the ObamaCare plan the worker chooses—which could well be costlier than what the feds now contribute via current FEHBP plans? In any case the carve-out for Congress creates a two-tier exchange system, one for the great unwashed and another for the politically connected.

This latest White House night at the improv is also illegal. OPM has no authority to pay for insurance plans that lack FEHBP contracts, nor does the Affordable Care Act permit either exchange contributions or a unilateral bump in congressional pay in return for less overall compensation. Those things require appropriations bills passed by Congress and signed by the President.

But the White House rejected a legislative fix because Republicans might insist on other changes, and Mr. Obama feared that Democrats would go along because they're looking out for number one. So the White House is once again rewriting the law unilaterally, much as it did by suspending ObamaCare's employer mandate for a year. For this White House, the law it wrote is a mere suggestion........http://tinyurl.com/mpawn7h
 
NOVA said:
'Exempt' is not quite the right word but it does get your attention....their 'exempt' for the same costs the great unwashed will pay.
Click to expand...


The issue was whether the government would continue to pay an employer's share of its employees health insurance premium as it did before the ACA was enacted. What in the world does that have to do with "the great unwashed?"
 
So if I understand this, as a member of congress part of the compensation was that your healthcare was paid for, like it is for my employee. But the Conservatives are saying that by continuing the same benefit they have had for many years, the President is making them exempt from the law?

Is my employee also exempt?
 
The WSJ article explains is pretty well....I'm not gonna try to do it again just so you can understand it...
 
Dungheap said:
The issue was whether the government would continue to pay an employer's share of its employees health insurance premium as it did before the ACA was enacted. What in the world does that have to do with "the great unwashed?"
Click to expand...

Most employers pay for part of their employees health insurance coverage if they offer coverage. Why shouldn't the govt?
 
I pay 100%, my office employee is getting married, she will no longer need her health insurance because her husband gets healthcare paid by his employer, so I told her to simply give herself a raise by that amount we are no longer paying. Its part of her compensation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top