House Dems Press GOP To Abandon Their Federal Health Benefits

[ProSense]

House Dems Press GOP To Abandon Their Federal Health Benefits

Brian Beutler

House Democrats are exploiting an embarrassing moment for the GOP earlier this week to highlight the hypocrisy of Republicans' relentless opposition to health care reform.

Four members -- Joe Crowley (NY), Linda Sanchez (CA), Donna Edwards (MD), and Tim Ryan (OH) -- are rounding up signatures for a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Speaker-to-be John Boehner, encouraging them to press their members to refuse their federal health benefits based on the same principles underlying their opposition to health care reform.

"It is amazing that your members would complain about not having health care coverage for a few weeks, even after campaigning to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which will help provide coverage to millions of Americans who find themselves without health insurance for months or even years," the letter reads. "It begs the question: how many members of the Republican conference will be forgoing the employer-subsidized FEHBP coverage and experiencing what so many Americans find themselves forced to face? If your conference wants to deny millions of Americans affordable health care, your members should walk that walk."

It's a new incarnation of a game Democrats played during the fight over the public option. Back then, Republicans opposed the public option as "government health care," and Dems were happy to point out that hypocrisy by asking them to vote to abolish Medicare. (They didn't.)

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[ClassWarrior]

1. K&R for fighting smart.

NGU.

[dkf]

2. Yet the Biggest problems with health care were barely touched by HCR.

Instead of subsidizing exhorbitant health insurance we should have been focusing on bringing down costs. That would have benefited us all. As it is this bill mostly spent a whole lot of money getting the less affluent just to the starting gate of having crappy health insurance.

When I complain about this bill does that mean I'm going to give up my employer subsidized health insurance? I doubt it.

[ClassWarrior]

3. Are you a member of the Congressional GOP?

Or is it just all about you?

:eyes:

NGU.

[dkf]

4. People can see through this argument. It's not a winner.

[Mimosa]

5. K&R

After all, the Repugs don't want to be reliant on the government run socialist healthcare plan.

[azul]

6. Shameless corporatists require exposure.

Hiding behind the big-business media shield while millions of Americans suffer and go bankrupt from lack of or inadequate health insurance.

Dems, and anyone else in congress with a conscience, should forgo their health insurance coverage as an example of solidarity and to shame the sell-out hypocrites.