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White House floats Health Care Fix For Congress.....

MMC

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Looks Like Grassley's Provision Caught the Democrats off guard with Obamacare. Now they have to think about going to the health exchanges and their bosses make the decision about how much and when they will pay. (staffers) Like all the rest of us.

Prognosis uncertain for Obama plan to fix health law glitch that impacts coverage for Congress.....

a596e9b47350d41a390f6a70670005e7_original.jpg


It started out a political "gotcha" — an amendment to President Barack Obama's health care law requiring members of Congress and staffers to get the same coverage offered to uninsured Americans. Wednesday, the administration tossed it back in the lap of Congress.

Proposed rules — issued when the halls of Congress are empty for summer recess — say lawmakers' offices should individually decide whether staffers are subject to a health law provision that would require them to switch their insurance from the federal plan to new coverage coming next year under Obama's overhaul.

The potential impact of the provision, authored by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, has been a huge source of anxiety for congressional staffers accustomed to getting their health insurance just like other feds, from the largest employer health care plan in the world.

The proposal does clarify that the government will continue to pay its standard share of premiums, resolving one of the biggest unknowns about the impact of Grassley's amendment. Many had been warning of a Capitol Hill "brain drain" if staffers were suddenly forced to foot the entire cost of their health insurance premiums.

During the drawn-out debate over "Obamacare," Democrats kept insisting that their goal was merely to provide uninsured Americans with the same kinds of coverage and choices that members of Congress have. Grassley, in effect, dared his Democratic counterparts to swallow their rhetoric. A "no" vote on his provision would have undercut the argument that lawmakers supporting the law only wanted regular Americans to enjoy what they themselves had.

Under the amendment, lawmakers themselves and staffers in their personal, or "official," offices would have to exit the federal employee plan and get coverage through new health insurance marketplaces coming under the law. Also known as "exchanges," the marketplaces will offer subsidized private insurance to people who don't have access to a plan on the job.

But the amendment left many key details unclear — including whether the government would keep paying its share of premiums, which works out to around 75 percent.

The Office of Personnel Management, which runs the federal employee health plan, said lawmakers themselves are best equipped to decide which staffers are part of their "official" office. The term was not defined in Grassley's amendment, and the OPM said it turns out that congressional staffers in personal offices often also do part of their work for committees or as leadership aides. Those two categories — committee and leadership staffers — are exempt from Grassley's provision.....snip~

White House floats health care fix for Congress
 
Looks Like Grassley's Provision Caught the Democrats off guard with Obamacare. Now they have to think about going to the health exchanges and their bosses make the decision about how much and when they will pay. (staffers) Like all the rest of us.

Prognosis uncertain for Obama plan to fix health law glitch that impacts coverage for Congress.....

a596e9b47350d41a390f6a70670005e7_original.jpg


It started out a political "gotcha" — an amendment to President Barack Obama's health care law requiring members of Congress and staffers to get the same coverage offered to uninsured Americans. Wednesday, the administration tossed it back in the lap of Congress.

Proposed rules — issued when the halls of Congress are empty for summer recess — say lawmakers' offices should individually decide whether staffers are subject to a health law provision that would require them to switch their insurance from the federal plan to new coverage coming next year under Obama's overhaul.

The potential impact of the provision, authored by Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, has been a huge source of anxiety for congressional staffers accustomed to getting their health insurance just like other feds, from the largest employer health care plan in the world.

The proposal does clarify that the government will continue to pay its standard share of premiums, resolving one of the biggest unknowns about the impact of Grassley's amendment. Many had been warning of a Capitol Hill "brain drain" if staffers were suddenly forced to foot the entire cost of their health insurance premiums.

During the drawn-out debate over "Obamacare," Democrats kept insisting that their goal was merely to provide uninsured Americans with the same kinds of coverage and choices that members of Congress have. Grassley, in effect, dared his Democratic counterparts to swallow their rhetoric. A "no" vote on his provision would have undercut the argument that lawmakers supporting the law only wanted regular Americans to enjoy what they themselves had.

Under the amendment, lawmakers themselves and staffers in their personal, or "official," offices would have to exit the federal employee plan and get coverage through new health insurance marketplaces coming under the law. Also known as "exchanges," the marketplaces will offer subsidized private insurance to people who don't have access to a plan on the job.

But the amendment left many key details unclear — including whether the government would keep paying its share of premiums, which works out to around 75 percent.

The Office of Personnel Management, which runs the federal employee health plan, said lawmakers themselves are best equipped to decide which staffers are part of their "official" office. The term was not defined in Grassley's amendment, and the OPM said it turns out that congressional staffers in personal offices often also do part of their work for committees or as leadership aides. Those two categories — committee and leadership staffers — are exempt from Grassley's provision.....snip~

White House floats health care fix for Congress

The 3000 page obamacare law will end up being 6000 pages.
 
The 3000 page obamacare law will end up being 6000 pages.

Well whats great is seeing how these staffers are sweating if they would have to fit most of the cost to their premiums. So now team Obama will do what he can to get his fellow teammates covered. Which will throw some more confusion into the mix. Then whats that show with him holding Off on Companies with over 50 employees and Politicians with their staffs.

Which again just how will that work if their states don't have exchanges and they are allowed to go thru DC?
 
Well whats great is seeing how these staffers are sweating if they would have to fit most of the cost to their premiums. So now team Obama will do what he can to get his fellow teammates covered. Which will throw some more confusion into the mix. Then whats that show with him holding Off on Companies with over 50 employees and Politicians with their staffs.

Which again just how will that work if their states don't have exchanges and they are allowed to go thru DC?

Every day we get more into a split society, those that work for the government and those that don't.
 
Every day we get more into a split society, those that work for the government and those that don't.

Um, don't those two categories already describe the entire work force? It's not like there's an in between.
 
Over 15,000 pages of regulations have already been written...

Heya AP. :2wave: Well ya have to admit Grassley set the Democrats up with this one. For if they voted no.....they would have undercut their own message that they wanted Americans to have the same coverage they had.

Also it comes at a Perfect time with Obamacare being all on the ropes and costing the Country more than what they thought. He still doesn't know if he can repeal his own Law on just giving Big Corporations and Companies with more than 50 employees that break.

Now he is hoping on that the fact that he can sucker all the young people to pay in order to make his Signature Legislation, work.
 
Um, don't those two categories already describe the entire work force? It's not like there's an in between.

I should have been more explanatory for the slower people in the room. My comment that we are becoming a society of those that work for the government and those that don't is about a two tier system where the government employees are at a higher level in society than the rest of us much like the caste system of India. Since you probably don't know what that means and I don't want to confuse you yet again here is the definition.

Noun 1. caste system - a social structure in which classes are determined by heredity
class structure - the organization of classes within a society
 
Um, don't those two categories already describe the entire work force? It's not like there's an in between.

I think the point maybe that the govt is now constituting a significant percentage of employment opportunities, reflecting bureaucratic bloat and unconstrained growth
 
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