Posted on 04/25/2013 8:23:59 PM PDT by Sequoyah101
No argument for Obamacare’s repeal can top the simple fact that Members of Congress do not want it to apply to them.
Today’s Politico reports that the House and Senate congressional leadership—both Democrats and Republicans working in cahoots with Obama Administration officials—have been secretly negotiating for months trying to find a way to exempt Members of Congress and their staffs from being forced into Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges.
Beginning on January 1, 2014, these exchanges, to be run by the federal government or the states (under federal rules) will offer federally “qualified” insurance coverage for millions of Americans. Ordinary Americans must either sign up or face a tax penalty. Senator Max Baucus (D–MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has now famously described the Obama’s Administration’s implementation of this process as an oncoming “train wreck,” and Henry Chao, an Administration official involved with the implementation of the law, just hopes that Americans can avoid a “third-world experience.”
According to the Politico story, there are two major reasons why Members of Congress want to exempt themselves and their staffs from the terms and conditions of the law:
They fear higher health care costs. Congressional leaders fear that being forced into the Obamacare exchanges will result in higher health care costs for themselves and their families and their aides. “The problem stems from whether members and aides set to enter the exchanges would have their health insurance premiums subsidized by their employer—in this case the federal government.” This is also true for millions of ordinary Americans. They could also lose their employer-based coverage, and they could also face higher costs. Also contrary to the President’s promises, independent analysts expect health insurance premiums to rise sharply, particularly for younger workers and their families. They fear the impact on Capitol Hill employment. “There is concern in some quarters that the provision requiring lawmakers and staffers to join the exchanges, if it isn’t revised, could lead to a ‘brain drain’ on Capitol Hill, as several sources close to the talks put it.” Given the insane spending and record deficits, it’s hard to imagine how a Capitol Hill “brain drain” could produce even worse government. But ordinary Americans who run businesses are also faced with anxieties, particularly whether they will be able to hire or retain valued employees or reduce full-time workers to part-time employees in order to avoid Obamacare’s mandatory costs.
For veteran Capitol Hill watchers, shenanigans behind closed doors to enable Congress and its staffers to escape Obamacare come as no surprise. After all, the national health care law was fashioned through repulsive backroom dealing (the “Cornhusker Kickback,” the “Louisiana Purchase,” etc.) that set a record for arrogance and contempt of popular opinion. Favored businesses and unions got special exemptions (more than 1,200 waivers) from Obamacare’s insurance rules. So consider today’s Politico revelation just marquee for a rerun of a tiresome old movie: one set of rules for Congress and another set of rules for the rest of us.
If Congress quietly wants to exempt itself from Obamacare, that’s great—so long as it includes the rest of us in that midnight amendment.
It is time for pitchforks if true... past time.
They also quietly repealed the prohibition against their insider trading.
Once upon a time, in an easier going and more free country, we would go for weeks at a time without hearing a single story on congress or the president. Now it is a daily onslaught. The nation is unhinged.
News to me. I thought they had already exempted themselves.
The nation needs an enema! We’re well within our Constitutional rights to stand up and take action against an out of control govt.
Are you sure about that? Nancy Pelosi should be in jail for her insider trading scam. Criminal!
I thought congressional exemption was built into Obamacare from the beginning... along with the exemptions for muslims, unions, and everyone else.
Come to think of it, is there anyone left that is not exempt?
They’ve been granting waivers now for the past 4 years.
Has anyone bothered re-calculating what percentage of the population is left that is not exempt???
Has anyone bothered re-figuring what the non-exempt will have to pay now because so many others will not have to?
At what point does Obamacare classify as a law which re-enacts slavery?
Can’t really blame them, after all they don’t know what’s in it!
This is news? “One law for me, another for thee” is standard among Our Betters.
</sarc>
then how do we begin?
http://www.rollcall.com/news/obama_signs_partial_repeal_of_stock_act-224019-1.html
Looks like they exempted themselves from disclosure of their trading activities. So much for transparency.
Cited “national security concerns”. Right, their security from the outrage of the nation learning how they make $180k a year and come out of their terms multimillionaires.
I believe the study done by some group that audited their stock investment performance used the phrase “Market Crushing Returns on their Investments”
i think the house bill (read it a long time ago, now)exempted these oh so pharisee leavened political hacks, but since they had to adopt the senate bill without reconciliation (due to the extreme pressure exerted by the tea party), they probably couldn’t get their own exemptions back into the bill. and now they all (i.e., the d.c. party) need to get their healthcare taken care of at our expense. hypocrites.
anyway, clearly the only way things will change at the national level is with a new Conservative Party of America.
Pitchforks? ! Hell, its time for hot tar and feathers, followed immediately by torches. Or maybe we can be merciful and just use rifles.
Rope
That makes me wanna run for Congress.
bflr
Well, they passed it so they could find out what was in it.
I guess now that the RATs have had people who can read. tell them what was in it...they didn’t like what they found.
If I vote for you will you give me some insider market tips?
They apparently don’t want to exempt themselves from Obamacare, just exempt themselves from paying for it...
Oh well. then never mind.
Ha!
Scumbags.
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