New GOP Health Care Changes Would Not Affect Members Of Congress

Republican lawmakers are scrambling to revive their original health care bill. Ya know– the one they couldn’t get members of the Freedom Caucus to get on board with? That one. The entire ordeal was characterized as a total embarrassment, but if we’re going to be honest, the GOP brought it upon themselves. They’re the ones who gave themselves that quick deadline. And while I appreciated their sense of urgency, this isn’t the sort of thing you rush through willy-nilly.

Lawmakers took a few weeks off from the health care talks, but they’re back on the saddle again. They’re currently circulating legislative text– a draft amendment, of sorts– of their latest compromise. According to Jamie Dupree, the amendment would “allow states to get waivers to certain provisions of the Obama health law, like the essential health benefits that would have to be covered in any health insurance plan sold to consumers.”

The legislative text of a deal being worked out among Republicans on new changes to a GOP health overhaul bill would seemingly carve out an exception to any insurance changes that might affect coverage for members of Congress, allowing them to maintain current benefits under the Affordable Care Act, while states would be allowed to reduce the mandated scope of health insurance coverage for consumers.

Yeah.

“Members of Congress are not going to lose essential health benefits or be subject to health status underwriting,” wrote Timothy Jost in his healthaffairs.org blog.

Why did lawmakers feel the need to include this provision? What? It’s good enough for us but not for them?

This is exactly why everyone hates Washington.