House Republicans appear to have included a provision that exempts Members of Congress and their staff from their latest health care plan.
The new Republican amendment, introduced Tuesday night, would allow states to waive out of Obamacare’s ban on pre-existing conditions. This means that insurers could once again, under certain circumstances, charge sick people higher premiums than healthy people.
Republican legislators liked this policy well enough to offer it in a new amendment. They do not, however, seem to like it enough to have it apply to themselves and their staff. A spokesperson for Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) who authored this amendment confirmed this was the case: members of Congress and their staff would get the guarantee of keeping these Obamacare regulations. Health law expert Tim Jost flagged me to this particular issue.
https://www.vox.com/2017/4/25/15429982/gop-exemption-ahca-amendment
Repeat after me:
'Republicans really care about the American people'
'Republicans really care about the American people'
'Republicans really care about the American people'
https://www.vox.com/2017/4/25/15429982/gop-exemption-ahca-amendment
Repeat after me:
'Republicans really care about the American people'
'Republicans really care about the American people'
'Republicans really care about the American people'
https://www.vox.com/2017/4/25/15429982/gop-exemption-ahca-amendment
Repeat after me:
'Republicans really care about the American people'
'Republicans really care about the American people'
'Republicans really care about the American people'
People who vote Republican have to be the stupidest people on earth.
what an ignorant thing to say. There are brilliant people from all political spectrum's.
People who vote Republican have to be the stupidest people on earth.
Seriously... can you not read that for yourself? Vox appears to have gotten their reading completely backwards.
The Amendment in question grants the ability of a state to get a waiver to the Obamacare regulations. The quoted text of the law say A WAIVER MAY NOT BE ISSUED to the section of Obamacare that requires Congress to buy insurance through the markets.
Congress and their staffers were exempted from ObamaCare...what's the difference here?
Read the article.
I was similarly confused at first.
Actually they weren't. The Democrats tried to slip an exemption into the law for congress, but relented under pressure. 1312(d)(3)(D) is the section of Obamacare that requires Congress to buy insurance through the exchanges. This section of the amendment ensures that the requirement for Congress to use the exchanges can not be waived.
So nothing changed from when the Democrats were in charge of the health care system?
Congress and their staffers were exempted from ObamaCare...what's the difference here?
His mouth gets ahead of his brain on occasion.
Obamacare didn't exempt Congress. Just the opposite: Congress was specifically required to participate. This happened during the creation of the bill, when right-wing talking heads all stood up and said "if this is so good why doesn't it make us use it huh!? not good enough for us but good enough for the masses?" Then Democrats called the bluff and said "hey yeah let's make Congress participate."
But that doesn't stop right-wingers from repeating this lie to this day.
I read the article and they got it wrong. 1312(d)(3)(D) is the section requiring Congress to buy insurance on the exchanges. This amendment grants waiver privilege to states, but not to Congress.
This new amendment, which would allow states to waive out of key Obamacare protections like the ban on pre-existing conditions or the requirement to cover things like maternity care and mental health services.
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.
This apparently does not sound appealing because the Republican amendment includes the members of Congress and their staff as a protected group who cannot be affected by this amendment.
OH LOL! Nice spin, Deuce! The Democrats didn't call any bluffs, it was their intention to exempt themselves. That section exists in the law specifically because the Republicans called them out.
Read the article.
I was similarly confused at first.
Obamacare didn't exempt Congress. Just the opposite: Congress was specifically required to participate. This happened during the creation of the bill, when right-wing talking heads all stood up and said "if this is so good why doesn't it make us use it huh!? not good enough for us but good enough for the masses?" Then Democrats called the bluff and said "hey yeah let's make Congress participate."
But that doesn't stop right-wingers from repeating this lie to this day.
https://www.vox.com/2017/4/25/15429982/gop-exemption-ahca-amendment
Repeat after me:
'Republicans really care about the American people'
'Republicans really care about the American people'
'Republicans really care about the American people'
If this is being interpreted correctly, this is disappointing always because I do not believe Congress should be able to exempt itself from what is required of everybody else. Personally I don't think Congress should have a separate health plan but let members buy their insurance like everybody else has to.
But before pointing your holier than thou finger at the GOP, remember that Obama and the Democrats also exempted themselves from all provisions of Obamacare when they initially passed it and they had pretty much a super majority in Congress when they did it.
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