Health bill may exempt top Hill staffers

The health care reform bill signed into law by President Barack Obama Tuesday requires members of Congress and their office staffs to buy insurance through the state-run exchanges it creates – but it may exempt staffers who work for congressional committees or for party leaders in the House and Senate.

www.politico.com...

“The American people will be appalled to learn the health care bill exempts leadership and committee staff. This special deal for unelected staff underscores everything the public detests about the arrogance of power in Washington,” Coburn said. “I tried to fix this inequity along with senators Grassley, Burr and Vitter, but Majority Leader [Harry] Reid obstructed our effort.”


Reid spokesman Jim Manley acknowledged that the bill exempts committee staff but argued that leadership staff is not excluded. As for why committee staff is excluded, Manley said that when leaders merged the health care bills from the Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, they took Coburn’s language from the HELP Committee rather than Grassley’s Finance Committee proposal because they feared Grassley’s language was so broad that it would have required “people like legislative counsel, Architect of the Capitol, etc.” to participate in the exchanges, too.

You gotta laugh..... you just gotta!

Heaven forbid that those citizens ("legislative counsel, Architect of the Capitol, etc.” ) would have to be subject to the great American solution.

[edit on 24-3-2010 by Maxmars]

It appears only those that work in Washington D.C. as support for a political position or other positions not related to specific candidates will be exempt.

From what I can tell they are basically viewed as employees of the federal government and will get insurance from the federal government. Much in a way a employee in a private company would get insurance from their company if it is offered. While the non federal employee staffers would be required to go into the exchange.


[edit on 24-3-2010 by Kaploink]

Here a link to another thread about the topic-with another source.

In case you're interested.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

That would lead me to believe that there are now classes of US citizenship.

Federals, and .... what would we call them? Debt serfs, perhaps?

Originally posted by anon72
Here a link to another thread about the topic-with another source.

In case you're interested.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Apologies.

I will request this thread be closed.

MM

As mentioned, there is a thread already posted on this topic.

Please post any further comments and/or questions to the above linked post.

Thank you.

Thread Closed.