"If this health reform is so great, why is Congress exempt from it?" That question has had a bit of resonance for me. Last week I happened on an interview of Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York on, of all things, Joe Scarborough. (Posted below) I wrote to Weiner congratulating him on his presentation but also taking him to task for having, I thought, cavalierly glossed over that point.
Here, at last, someone takes the time to answer it:
The coverage isn't unique to Congress. Congress participates in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), along with 2.7 other federal employees.
The FEHBP is a form of managed competition--a way to make sure that private insurers compete on the basis of price and quality through regulation--an idea that was the center piece of the proposed Clinton reform, and that is essentially what is being proposed now in the form of the public option and the insurance exchange.
It's not free. The FEHBP works just like any other employer-based coverage: the employer and the employee both pay a portion of the costs.
(Health Policy Analysis, suggested by TOMMY BEALLE)
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