Lawmakers negotiating Obamacare exemption for themselves and their aides

reply to post by TruthSeekersRUS


Old news it may be, but that simply doesn't make it okay with me!

Originally posted by jam321
reply to post by sad_eyed_lady

 

Thankful to see others took a few minutes to write their legislators as did I. You elected a government to represent you so you need to tell them where you stand. Not only did my legislators learn my point of view, they know my anger and frustration over this. I guess you could call it political rant therapy.

I use to write, but after a while I realized they kept my letters in file 13.

This is typical of politicians.

edit on 25-4-2013 by jam321 because: (no reason given)

I hear you. The thing is - numbers matters. Phone lines jammed with angry constituents and thousands of angry emails spells lots of loss supports when you vote against them. People remember when election time rolls around. The politician has to weigh that factor.

reply to post by MrInquisitive


Australia has had a Healthcare system in place for many, many years. Everyone contributes, everyone gets treated weather they can afford it or not.

Your proposed system is very similar, from what information I have read/heard about it.

Why are Americans so against doing their part for those of their own creed, who may need help when they become sick.

Or do most americans believe that those less fortunate don't deserve to be made well again?

Originally posted by Ironclad
reply to post by MrInquisitive

 

Australia has had a Healthcare system in place for many, many years. Everyone contributes, everyone gets treated weather they can afford it or not.

Your proposed system is very similar, from what information I have read/heard about it.

Why are Americans so against doing their part for those of their own creed, who may need help when they become sick.

Or do most americans believe that those less fortunate don't deserve to be made well again?

Don't know what to tell you. Seems a lot of 'Murikens have been told horror stories about health care in England and Canada, even though some Americans try to sneak into Canada for health care and smuggle medications bought more cheaply from there.

Also 'Murikens are brainwashed into thinking socialism is a terrible thing, almost as bad as communism, even though various aspects of the US system are socialistic programs.

Then there is the fact that 'Murikens have the worst case of cognitive dissonance of any people in the world. People like the program Medicare for old folks, but don't think other people should also be provided health care at the expense of the government.

We've got this dog-eat-dog society in which people will take insufferable jobs in large part because of the health benefits, and then will be thankful for the crappy health plan it actually is, knowing if they didn't have even this crumb of help, they would be up a creek if they had a major health problem.

Basically our system has been ingrained into us by society as it has come to be structured, and people don't know enough to expect better. And then there is the fact that we are continually scared by our government into fearing one existential threat after another -- whether it be communists, drugged-out hippies, Islamofascists or whatever the scare du jeur is, and thus happy to squander our nation's treasure on pointless defense expenditure, which are essentially corporate welfare and providing goons to help US corporations control the resources of other countries.

The corporate news media is, of course, owned by companies with links to the established health care industry, so you won't see/hear reasoned discussion of how health care is handled in most other western, industrialized nations. And the politicians are bought and paid for by the same interests, so don't expect them to lead us out of the health-care crisis wilderness.

In another example of the US Congress taking care of itself, it is switching funds from the Dept. of Transportation to the FAA in order to avoid furloughs for air traffic controllers because this was causing flight delays for these congress members.

Can't wait to see how congress works around other sequestration-related issues that inconvenience them.

Well once again "in your face" and once again they purity much imply "what are you going to do about it". Sadly the infiltration by the socialist/communist are just prepping us for what happens after the 2014 election when the Dems take the House and retain the Senate, at least there laying out there agenda for all to see.

Enjoy the time we have left, there sure as hell is no one left to fix it and THEY know that, why do you think Obama and his lackies are so forth coming with this in your face info...........they have nothing to fear..........Hey, at least we are talking about it.........right? LOL!

Originally posted by TruthSeekersRUS
This is old news OP.

edit on 25-4-2013 by TruthSeekersRUS because: (no reason given)

owh so we should just shove it under the carpet and forget about it because you say it is old news.

I know that is how tabloid readers brains work , read 1 article and then jump onto the next sensations, but that is not how these matter should be handled thank you very much.

This should be running on front pages and prime time MSM 24/7 until it is dealt with no matter how "old" it is or gets ,if you ask me.

Misleading article.

Misleading article of epic proportions.

Let me explain; to make this as rotten a bill as they could muster, Republicans offered an amendment stating that congressional staffers could no longer accept the health care options provided by their employer. Their employer being the US government using the Federal Employee Health Benefits plan. Doing so would force the congressional staff to either fund their healthcare entirely upon their own or join the healthcare exchanges that the states are setting up. Democrats passed the bill anyway.

Fast forward to today; in recognizing that the law is about to force their staff off of their employer based health care (while not forcing any other citizens off), congress is trying to rectify the problem.

This is something that none of you would stand for. If there was suddenly a law saying that your employer was forbidden to offer you health care coverage you would throw a fit. You know you would. I know I would.

So no, there's no 'exemption' to Obamacare that these lawmakers are looking for. They want their health coverage (which is the exact same coverage that millions of federal employees have) and feel it would be unfair to themselves and their staff to cover the entire cost of their health care themselves.

Originally posted by links234
Misleading article.

Misleading article of epic proportions.

Let me explain; to make this as rotten a bill as they could muster, Republicans offered an amendment stating that congressional staffers could no longer accept the health care options provided by their employer. Their employer being the US government using the Federal Employee Health Benefits plan. Doing so would force the congressional staff to either fund their healthcare entirely upon their own or join the healthcare exchanges that the states are setting up. Democrats passed the bill anyway.

Fast forward to today; in recognizing that the law is about to force their staff off of their employer based health care (while not forcing any other citizens off), congress is trying to rectify the problem.

This is something that none of you would stand for. If there was suddenly a law saying that your employer was forbidden to offer you health care coverage you would throw a fit. You know you would. I know I would.

So no, there's no 'exemption' to Obamacare that these lawmakers are looking for. They want their health coverage (which is the exact same coverage that millions of federal employees have) and feel it would be unfair to themselves and their staff to cover the entire cost of their health care themselves.

Pray tell, what legislation was passed and signed by Obama that allowed for this situation that the Republicans supposedly made? Since Obama could veto it and the Democrats have a majority in the Senate, how was such a bill allowed to pass in the first place???

You say to make "this bill" rotten, well what bill are you talking about?

Don't tell me this article and thread are misleading without providing evidence of your claim, please. Just saying something is so, do isn't make it the case.

reply to post by MrInquisitive


The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the "Obamacare" bill. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced an amendment in an effort to make the bill not worth passing. The wording is as such:

Members of congress and their congressional staff must use their employer contribution to purchase coverage through a state-based exchange.

Like I said earlier, the amendment essentially bars the congressional staff from using the same benefits that every other federal employee has. The Democratic controlled congress believed that OPM (Office of Personnel Management) would see the contradiction in the law and not enforce it. However, just to be sure, they're now considering getting rid of the provision all-together to simplify things.

reply to post by links234


Well I actually like this amendment in that it forces Congress and its minions to use the same system it is foisting on people who don't have health coverage provided by their employers.

But don't amendments to legislation still get voted on? OF COURSE! Proposed amendments are turned down all the time.

If the Democrats voted for this amendment, along with the Republicans who proposed it, thinking that some government agency wouldn't enforce it, then I still blame the Democrats. They could have voted against this amendment, but chose not to.

And to be clear: I have no use what so ever for the Republican Party of the last 20-30 years. I'm from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. However, it is clear that the Democratic Party is now completely in the pockets of big money too, and don't care a whit about their regular constituents.

@links234, are you also going to defend the Democrats voting with the Republican to fix the sequestration problem for the FAA, which now allows the congress members and rich folks who fly all the time, to be able to fly once again without those dreadful hour-long extra waits that were caused by FAA furloughs for traffic controllers? In fact, in the Senate this was evidently passed by unanimous consent, so every last one of the Senators is to blame for this double standard in sharing the hurt of the sequestration.

What the Congress is doing with this proposed exemption to Obamacare is just another example of their creating a two-tiered system: one for them, and the rich and power; the other for everybody else.

reply to post by MrInquisitive


A lot of amendments aren't as cut and dry as everyone votes on them and then they're added to the bill.

As to the FAA thing...does it frustrate me that congress had to be personally affected by it before doing something about it? Yes. I still think the sequestration was stupid and shouldn't have been passed in the first place.

The problem with Democrats is their willingness to compromise, even when they shouldn't.

A friend has a pretty large self-owned business and he always tells me about he's being screwed by Obamacare. Its a little funny but obviously sad.

But don't worry folks! Obama tells you he wants to help you! lmao.

reply to post by sealing


And you believe this because the government says so??? OK hope you get to keep enjoying the healthcare you have now, but don't count on it. The Great Obama Care will force many employers to drop the insurance that they now offer and join in with the government plans. That is unless you are one of the chosen few who are above this it seems.