Put Congress on Obamacare

Was it Monday or Tuesday that Speaker Ryan released the years in the making, simmered over a low flame fueled by the heat of Republican passion to create the best health care plan ever? Apparently, their passion was not hot enough, even after six years on the stove. What they came up with is an uncooked mess of leftover ideas seasoned by some of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) key provisions. But worst of all, instead of health care, the plate served by Ryan was just another poorly camouflaged tax break for the rich. Just another day at the wonderful Café Republican; whatever they put on the menu, ain’t really there.

Ever since the Republicans served up their tax plan and called it a health care plan, I keep seeing one meme over and over and for good measure over again. They all boil down to “Demand (via useless and ignored online petitions) that we get the same healthcare plan that Congress gets”. And now it’s time for a brief story. Back during the battles over the ACA, Republican Senator Grassley proposed an amendment that he was certain would be a poison pill for Democrats. The amendment required that every member of Congress and their staff be required to get their health insurance on the exchanges. You know, the exchanges that individuals used to select their health insurance from. The exchanges are the primary mechanism through which the ACA makes it easier to sell individual plans at a lower cost. Unless you got insurance from an employer, you had to buy insurance on your own, and it was very expensive. Democrats, for once, displayed some backbone and left the amendment in. Now, Congress and its staff buy their insurance just like everyone else that uses Obamacare from the Exchange. Sure, since the federal government is their employer, they do not pay 100% of the cost. Just like any other employer that opts for its employees to use the Exchange, the Federal government kicks in a chunk. But I recall that was exactly what my employer did, and most people I know that worked for large companies or socially responsible small ones. By the way, Congressional staffers earn little. Members of Congress and their staff do not get a special health insurance plan; they get Obamacare.

Could you tell me why this irrelevant meme irks me? It is a waste of anger. Don’t be angry AT your representative. Demand they support single payer, which is the only proposal that fixes all the deficiencies with the ACA. Claiming that Congress and its staff get an insurance plan that far exceeds the plans that any other person at the same pay level in the private sector gets is just not true. Only the truth repeated over and over will bring about a universal single payer plan.