Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi split on staffers’ health coverage

[FarCenter]

The top two Democrats in Congress are split on how to handle their staffers health insurance under Obamacare.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told her entire staff Wednesday morning that they will all have to purchase health insurance through the District of Columbia health exchanges. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is keeping staff in in his leadership office off the exchanges.

A Democratic leadership aide said that Reid followed instructions and guidance from the Office of Personnel Management and the Senate administration “to a T.” Unless otherwise designated by lawmakers, by default personal office staff will go on the exchanges while leadership and committee staff will stay on the federal health care program known as the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). That’s the road Reid took.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/nancy-pelosi-staff-health-exchange-99092.html

[leftstreet]

1. If coverage was within ACA guidelines, why leave it?

[FarCenter]

3. There is a provision in law that members and their staff's use the exchange

Except that members who are covered by their spouse's insurance can avoid the exchange.

This is a new interpretation of the law that allows some staffers to avoid the exchange.

[subterranean]

4. Because a provision in the ACA required them to use the exchanges.

When the bill was being debated, Sen. Chuck Grassley proposed an amendment requiring all Congress members and their staff to get their insurance from the exchanges, thinking he could make Democrats look bad if they voted against it. Instead they called his bluff and agreed to insert the provision, and it became part of the law.

[leftstreet]

8. Oh that's right

I forgot about Grassley

But they did add a provision later that their employer could continue contributing to their plans

[timweidman]

2. shouldnt this be clear cut?

How is it yhat the top 2 dems have such different views as to how to implement this for their staff? Not boding well for the rest of us

[zipplewrath]

6. One is in the majority

I didn't look way into this, but Reid seems to be saying that the staff on the leadership staffs isn't congressional staff, they are federal employees, just like the janitors or the guards. Pelosi, being the minority leader, may not get the same treatment.

[timweidman]

9. wouldnt think their would be a distinction between them.

It wouldnt be rite if that was the case. All fed employees including congress and pous should be on exchanges. If its good for us its good for ALL!

[zipplewrath]

12. Actually none of them should be

People who get their insurance through their employers aren't suppose to be on the exchanges.

I'd rather expand the number of people that get their health insurance through the government, than through private insurance companies.

[angstlessk]

5. I thought employers were DISCOURAGED from drooping their plans and forcing

their employees onto the exchange????????????????

[FarCenter]

7. Congress is supposed to be eating its own dogfood

Eating your own dog food, also called dogfooding, is a slang term used to reference a scenario in which a company (usually, a computer software company) uses its own product to demonstrate the quality and capabilities of the product.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_your_own_dog_food

Too bad that they didn't shift all HHS employees onto the exchange.

[CreekDog]

11. right wing talking point? again?

[Bandit]

10. If employers have more than fifty employees they are REQUIRED to provide insurance.

It is not optional....The federal government definitely has more than fifty employees.