Thread: GOP Health Care Compromise Includes Exemption for Congress

GOP Health Care Compromise Includes Exemption for Congress

Amendment to AHCA includes potential political land mine: carve-out for lawmakers and their staff


Kathryn Blackhurst
April 26, 2017


The crafters of a revised House GOP health care reform package included a carve-out for members of Congress and their staffers — allowing them to retain several popular Obamacare provisions even if their home states opt out of those aspects of the law.

The new proposal to tweak the American Health Care Act, known as the MacArthur Amendment, was circulated Tuesday and allows individual states to withdraw from several provisions of Obamacare if they choose. The amendment is the product of negotiations between leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and the moderate Tuesday group.


It would allow states to remove protections for pre-existing conditions, meaning, if invoked, insurers could charge higher premiums for high-risk patients. But the amendment would shield federal lawmakers and their staff if states exercised the opt-out provision.

“The best evidence yet that the new GOP repeal plan is a disaster for people’s health care is that the GOP exempted members of Congress from living under it,” Leslie Dach, director of the liberal-aligned Protect Our Care Campaign, told The Hill.

The exemption in the MacArthur Amendment was first reported by the left-wing site Vox.

Vox writer Sarah Kliff noted, “If Congressional aides lived in a state that decided to waive these protections, the aides who were sick could be vulnerable to higher premiums than the aides that are healthy. Their benefits package could get skimpier as Obamacare’s essential health benefits requirement may no longer apply either.”The compromise package has already won praise from conservative organizations who vigorously opposed the first iteration of the AHCA, including the Club for Growth.

“Since the AHCA was released, conservatives have done the GOP an enormous favor by pushing for needed changes that will benefit taxpayers, including the immediate repeal of Obamacare’s taxes … this latest agreement would give states the chance to opt out of some of Obamacare’s costliest regulations, opening the way to greater choice and lower insurance premiums,” said Club for Growth president David McIntosh in a prepared statement, “It’s a solution that we’ve supported for weeks, and the time to move forward is now.”

Members of the House Freedom Caucus were cautious to declare victory on the negotiated GOP compromise, but expressed optimism the new plan would advance."We're evaluating this amendment, and we're looking to debate this as a caucus before we make a final decision," Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) told reporters Tuesday."I'm obviously very supportive of Tom MacArthur and his efforts and [House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg] Walden (R-Ore.) and his efforts," Meadows added. "So I can tell you the efforts they have put forth are to be applauded."

House Freedom Caucus member, said, "I would not be the most shocked person in the building if we voted it this week out of the House," adding, "it seems to me it is going in a very good direction."The carve-out for lawmakers and their staff could provide a political hiccup to the amendment that otherwise seems poised to win widespread GOP support.


https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/...tion-congress/

LOL!! I know I saw that. What a bunch of boobs. You can bet that's coming out if it hasn't already been slashed from the amendment. McCarthur said they put that in there to comply with their understanding of Senate Rules to accommodate Reconciliation. I think they're wrong about that. Aren't members of Congress signed up for the federal health insurance program?

Related:

https://www.alipac.us/f9/hard-line-r...macare-346480/

Originally Posted by Judy

LOL!! I know I saw that. What a bunch of boobs. You can bet that's coming out if it hasn't already been slashed from the amendment. McCarthur said they put that in there to comply with their understanding of Senate Rules to accommodate Reconciliation. I think they're wrong about that. Aren't members of Congress signed up for the federal health insurance program?

Not sure about the federal insurance program currently. Their pompous selves always look for ways to exempt themselves from laws they want to make us live with and bear the costs.

YOU ASK:

What kind of health insurance does the president and the congress receive?

WE ANSWER:

The president and the members of the congress are covered using the Federal Employees Health Insurance Program.

The Federal Employees Health Insurance Program features "managed competition", with private insurance providers, labor unions and other employee associations offering the plans. The plans are sold at a fee, and are available not just for the president and members of the congress, but for all federal employees. The program provides over 300 private health care plans that covers the president, senators, congressmen, down to the janitors who clean the White House.

Now, before you react violently that congressmen and the president enjoy "gold-plated" insurance plans using your tax dollars, this is not actually the case. Members of Congress are also charged with their fair share of the premiums, so that they are not all that different from a federally employed janitor.

If a federal employee chooses to get a "good" plan, then they will also pay for this. (But their portion of the premiums could reach as little as 25% of the total premiums.) What is interesting is that some of those in congress opt to be covered under the insurance plans of their spouses - for the reason that these may offer an even more comprehensive cover or that it may be more cost-effective.

This insurance program is similar to other private insurance plans in that, the plans state:

The network of doctors you can see
The prescription medications covered
Which specialists you can go to
Which hospitals you can be specialized
What instances may cause your claim to be rejected

However, they do get an excellent set of benefits by virtue of the fact that government employees form a large pool. This enables federal employees to have wider choices. And, by virtue of the fact that they form a large pool of insureds, there is no waiting periods for most of the plans. That means their insurance protects them immediately.

In addition, the federal government also has its own medical clinic where federal employees can come to get treatment for minor ailments.

The president also has to pay out-of-pocket for any hospital costs, but he usually (along with his family) gets free treatment from an in-house staff.

http://www.insuranceqna.com/health-i...insurance.html