It's your money: Health care for Congress and federal employees

[johncoby2]

Members of Congress and federal employees have the best example of a public option for health care. And you, the taxpayers, are paying 72% of the premiums. Here are the benefits:

Sick leave. 4 hours are earned each pay period, approximately 13 days a year. Employees are allowed to roll the unused hours over to the next year. This helps when a extended sick leave for an operation or to provide care for someone in your family is required. Any unused days count toward retirement. It in not unusual to have hundreds of unused hours at retirement. (this is on top of the 3 weeks of vacation provided to all federal employees when they enter the service, and 4 weeks after 5 years, 5 weeks after 20)

http://bayareahouston.blogspot.com/2009/07/its-your-money-health-care-for-congress.html

[sinkingfeeling]

1. The article doesn't really give many details. How much is the average deductible? Do they have a cap

on out-o-pocket expenses? A life-time benefit limit? How much to cover the individual and how much for their dependents?

I work for a state university and have about the same sick leave.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

3. They have a CHOICE of a number of plans subsidized 76% by the taxpayer

They pick whichever one they like best. They can switch plans if they like without worrying about pre-existing conditions. If they hit a lifetime cap in one plan, they could just switch to another.

Remember John Kerry's health plan? All it was was opening up this plan to all Americans. In retrospect, it's looks like that was a good idea. It kept choice, got rid of pre-existing conditions and essentially lifetime caps and would be affordable if everyone got the same subsidized 76% reduction.

[sarge43]

2. Further, it doesn't have a contrast/compare with private companies. n/t

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. They ARE covered by private companies

As far as I am aware, they are covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan, but they do have extra perks, like coverage for life. I don't think that their healthcare is free, I think I have read that they have to contribute BUT the plan is underwritten by taxpayers by 76%. PLUS - check out a few plans and see how cheap they are in comparison to what is offered to the rest of us.

http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/planinfo/index.asp

[sarge43]

5. I'm not arguing the basic point

It's rankest kind of hypocrisy for someone like John McCain to huff and puff about gov't 'socialized' health care when he's been consistently getting it ever since he was zygote.

Everyone in this country should have, must have, affordable health care. A healthy society is a productive society.

Just saying it would have been a more effective article with some other examples.

For the record we federal employees, past and present, pay 76% for these plans, too.

[johncoby2]

6. IT IS a private plan!

You just pay for it.

We have a middleman, Blue Cross, Aetna. For me I pay about $250/month for a family of four. No deductible. $25 co pay for doctor visits. It is all very inexpensive if I need it.

[mmonk]

7. Don't rub it in.