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| (Photo credit: David Holt London) |
Republicans and Democrats, who can agree on almost nothing else, are conniving to exempt themselves and their staff from Sect. 1312 (d) of the Affordable Care Act that requires them to get their health insurance on the newly created insurance exchanges and pay the same premiums the public will have to pay.
Currently, members of Congress and their staff are covered by plans they chose through the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program, with taxpayers picking up 75% of the tab. The thinking behind the new requirement is that what’s good enough for the public ought to be good enough for Congress.
Sadly, Washington lawmakers don’t agree. They claim that despite their generous salaries (members earn $174,000) they can’t afford Obamacare premiums. What the government deems “affordable” for the rest of us isn’t affordable for them.
For example, in New York City, a family of 3 with household income of $80,000 will be required to pay a whopping $12,784 for the second cheapest silver plan with a $3,000 deductible. This family won’t be eligible for a tax credit. Washington says $12,784 is “affordable” for them. But not for a member of Congress with more than double that income. Under the scheme the lawmakers are pushing, they would have to pay only $3,193 for the same plan.
Nothing in the Affordable Care Act allows this break for members of Congress and their staff. But for weeks, lawmakers from both parties — who can agree on nothing else — have been conspiring to weasel out of paying what the public has to pay. On this one issue, Republicans and Democrats are thick as thieves. They’ve even recruited President Obama to get personally involved. The President has enlisted the help of the Office of Personnel Management. Just to make sure OPM produces a remedy, Republicans in the Senate have put a hold on the nomination of the next Director of the Office of Personnel Management until the issue is resolved.
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