Here’s Why Federal Workers Don’t Want Obamacare

Wall St. Cheat Sheet ^ | August 17, 2013 | Meghan Foley

[grundle]

The survey of 2,500 federal employees and retirees found that 92.3 percent of them believe workers and retirees should keep keep their current health insurance and not be forced to purchase coverage through the exchanges. Only 2.9 percent thought the opposite. The preference for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program was even more obvious when survey respondents were asked whether they think federal employees should carry their health insurance into retirement, as is the current policy, or enroll in Medicare; 96.1 percent said the current system should not be changed.

When Congress first passed the health care reform, known colloquially as Obamacare, three years ago, attached was an amendment requiring all lawmakers and their staffs to purchase health care insurance via the online exchanges. This meant lawmakers would lose the generous coverage they were granted under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program – where the government subsidized as much as 75 percent of the premiums.

It was written into the bill in the first place on the theory that if Congress was going to make Americans live under the provisions of Obamacare, those who authored it should, as well. But because the language of the amendment contained no guidance on whether the federal contributions toward their health plans was allowed, Congress began to worry.

However, the Office of Personnel Management, with President Barack Obama’s consent, ruled August 7 that Congress members and staff would continue to receive the federal contributions toward their health insurance costs.

[grundle]

Of course the real reason that federal employees don't want Obamacare is because they're a bunch of elitist hypocrites who don't want to live by the same rules that they want to force everyone else to live by. (I'm only talking about most federal employees - not the five or six who didn't vote for Obama.)

[VRW Conspirator]

...workers and retirees should keep their current health insurance and not be forced to purchase coverage through the exchanges.

And believe that 100% of non-federal government employees should pay for it.

[topspinr]

You’d be surprised how many Fed Emp/retired did not vote Dem.

[Mike Darancette]

Let’s see the Congresscritters wiggle out of having their OPM contributions classified as income by the IRS and the Federal Workers taxed for having a Cadillac health plan.

[4mer Liberal]

Actually, there are many more than you might think. I hear a lot of people trying to paint all Gov’t employees as lazy, entitled, etc. and it ain’t necessarily so. Granted, there are some who are, and I wish we could get rid of them, but in my shop, almost everyone of us are ex-contractor, prior military who can’t stand unions and won’t join. I feel blessed to have the job that I have, not entitled.

[unixfox]

Why would you want to give up something that someone else has to pay for?

Typical liberal mindset.

[SkyPilot]

How correct you are. When I was active duty military, many Federal civilians saw the Democrats as “on their side”, although not a majority. Almost half of the DoD civilian workforce are veterans who served in uniform. Obama and the Democrats have given them 4 years of a pay freeze, along with salary cuts due to pension contribution increases, Heath care premiums going through the roof, no locality pay increase despite inflation, increased mandatory “ training” on PC insanity, and the Eds even take from their own retirement fund when the debt ceiling is reached. The Debt Clock is stuck, and I am convinced it is because their TSP retirement. Funds have been stolen. Yet, their is hope. Many are waking up to the fact that Democrats have betrayed them. The unions as well. Obama is the most anti-worker President in Federal history. He is a Stalinist. I sit back and am watching the carnage.

[Pentagon Leatherneck]

In DoD you have to search to find a progressive until you get up to the appointee level. And maybe we just see, like most Americans, how screwed up Obamacare is and want no part of it. And FYI, we pay a substantial share of the FEHB premium.

TC

[Tonytitan]

I feel blessed to have the job that I have, not entitled.

A public servant with a servant's heart. You, sir, are to be commended.

Care to guess what % of Fed workers are like you?

[ryan71]

These public workers unions should never have been allowed. It's insanity. The idea that unions negotiate salaries and pensions with politicians using taxpayer money is morally and economically corrupt. The politicians have absolutely no concern for the long-term results. Now, after many decades, the payouts have caught up to us. It's ruining cities, states and the country.

[ryan71]

“Many are waking up to the fact that Democrats have betrayed them. The unions as well.”

Yes, but I don’t think the unions have been betrayed by the democrats. They’ve been in bed together, a mutual relationship. It’s been a love affair for a long time. Mathematics has failed the unions. The democrats would love to continue the affair but money is running out.

[SkyPilot]

Also this. I am former military. I worked in the Defense industry as well. The current crop of Republicans are not your Father's Ronald Reagan Republicans either. The current squatters have fiscally raped Defense and voted to EXEMPT entitlement takers. That is fact, and God's honest truth.

[SkyPilot]

Your post is correct regarding State and Local unions, but not Federal. The Federal unions basically have no power, and no politician fears them. State workers retire with an average of 85% of their salary. For the military it is 25%, and for the Federal workers 28%. also, most State workers pad their last year with fictitious overtime, and collect even more that they do not deserve.

[Go Gordon]

Actually, there are many more than you might think. I hear a lot of people trying to paint all Gov’t employees as lazy, entitled, etc. and it ain’t necessarily so. Granted, there are some who are, and I wish we could get rid of them, but in my shop, almost everyone of us are ex-contractor, prior military who can’t stand unions and won’t join. I feel blessed to have the job that I have, not entitled.

I understand your circumstance, but the majority (more than 50%) of all government employees are lazy and/or political hacks just trying to figure out how to scam the system out of the most $ and retirement benefits that they can.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I don’t know where to start...this has me just SEETHING with rage.

Count to 10. Breathe...calm down...relax...it’ll pass.

[ogen hal]

Probably most of us have relatives who are government “workers” at some level. If anecdotal evidence means anything, most of mine are at best drones waiting around until retirement and constantly griping about how little they get. I believe the stereotype has a broad data base.

[ogen hal]

Probably most of us have relatives who are government “workers” at some level. If anecdotal evidence means anything, most of mine are at best drones waiting around until retirement and constantly griping about how little they get. I believe the stereotype has a broad data base.

[ogen hal]

Probably most of us have relatives who are government “workers” at some level. If anecdotal evidence means anything, most of mine are at best drones waiting around until retirement and constantly griping about how little they get. I believe the stereotype has a broad data base.

[ogen hal]

Whoops.

[hattend]

almost everyone of us are ex-contractor, prior military who can’t stand unions and won’t join. I feel blessed to have the job that I have, not entitled.

Dittos! And, BTW, I do pay bimonthly for my health insurance...it's definitely not free.