Ted Cruz Wants You To Believe He’s Legally Required To Sign Up For Obamacare. He’s Not.

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/03/25/3638697/ted-cruz-wants-believe-hes-legally-required-sign-obamacare-hes-totally-wrong/

Ted Cruz Wants You To Believe He’s Legally Required To Sign Up For Obamacare. He’s Not.

by Igor Volsky
Posted on March 25, 2015 at 11:50 am Updated: March 25, 2015 at 12:33 pm



Newly-minted presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) admitted that he would grudgingly sign up for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act on Tuesday, just one day after announcing that he intends to repeal “every word of Obamacare” if elected president.

Cruz framed the decision as one of inevitability. After all, a provision of the law requires members of Congress and some of their staff to purchase coverage through the law’s marketplace in DC and since his wife and current coverage provider is giving up her employer-sponsored plan to work on his presidential campaign, the family needed to enroll in a new policy.

snip//

The Affordable Care Act does not compel members of Congress to enroll in DC’s health care exchange; it simply cuts off the government contribution to their insurance plans if they buy their policies elsewhere. “The final rule extends a Government contribution towards health benefits plans for Members of Congress and designated congressional staff so long as the health benefits plans are purchased via the appropriate SHOP as determined by the Director,” a summary of the final rule says. “Nothing in the final rule or the law prevents a Member of Congress or designated congressional staff from declining a Government contribution for him or herself by choosing a different option for their health insurance coverage.”

In other words, Cruz “could purchase coverage in the outside market but would get no subsidy from the FEHBP program,” Tim Jost clarified for ThinkProgress, referring to the acronym for the federal health care program. “It seems like the primary other option he would have is to take advantage of COBRA through his wife, though he’d be forgoing the employer contribution. He could also buy non-group coverage,” Larry Levitt, Senior Vice President at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said. Cruz could also potentially purchased insurance through his presidential campaign’s presumptive health care insurance. In those instances, however, he would have had to give up his employer’s contribution and likely pay more for insurance than he is now being charged under Obamacare.

Despite initially telling CNN’s Dana Bash that Cruz didn’t pursue other alternatives because “Obamacare has wiped out the individual market, leaving Cruz with few options,” his staff is now explaining to reporters that Cruz might skip the DC exchange and sign up for coverage in Texas, through that state’s federal exchange. “As it happens, Cruz appears likely to forego the 75 percent employer contribution he could get as a member of Congress and instead access Obamacare from Texas, which doesn’t have a state exchange,” The Daily Caller reports, adding, “That means Cruz would use HealthCare.gov to get health insurance, at the same time the Supreme Court is considering ruling taxpayer {subsidies} for federal exchange customers illegal.”

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. If a politician threatens to take your healthcare, what will you do?

I wonder...that's all

What will people do?

[randome]

2. And this is the 'genius' who didn't bother with a Presidential exploratory committee.

What. A. Loser.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Everything is a satellite to some other thing.[/center][/font][hr]

[samsingh]

3. another lie from a repug - no surprise

[SamKnause]

4. Cruz is a Republican.

Cruz is a liar.

Republicans lie and cheat to get elected.

Is anyone surprised ???

[BlueCaliDem]

5. Cruz is a true snakeoil salesman. through and through. eom

[Erose999]

9. Was there ever a doubt. Look at him... he's Mr. Haney from Green Acres.

?1381839600

[BlueCaliDem]

10. Hah!

OMG! You're so correct!

[herding cats]

6. His rhetoric will still work with the dyed in the wool haters.

They don't care about truth, or that they're being played. What his rhetoric won't work with are any voters out there who aren't true believers of the Ted Cruz school of thought. So, while this will help strengthen his following in the "we hate anything the Democrats do" sector, it won't win him any votes beyond that pool.

Make no mistake, all this was by design. This little bit of complaining is just a taste of what's to come.

If he gets his way, this presidential election will be all about who is the most extreme in the party. It's going to be interesting to see how the Republicans deal with this Tea Party member running amok on a national level.

[progressoid]

7. Yup. n/t

[world wide wally]

8. E V I L !

[mstinamotorcity2]

11. I always thought it

kind of cold hearted of republicans in office. They have health care subsidized on the backs of the taxpaying citizens they are supposed to represent. But are in objection for the very individual who helps them be healthy, to have health care. In other words I can have it but you can't. It is one reason I never get mad when they want to make Congress earn minimum wage. The whole lot of them work less than the average American and earns 3-4 times as much as the very person paying there wages.

[Tanuki]

12. Reminds me of "Sheriff Mack", the Cliven Bundy

loving, Obamacare hating teabagger who recently set up a.gofundme page to cover his and his wife's medical expenses. He had the gall to claim that he was uninsured because he was self employed and therefore did not have access to a plan, when the truth was that he was in his predicament due to his own stubborn resistance and poor judgment.