Health law provision regarding Hill staffers' health insurance triggers debate, action

Download PDF Copy

Aug 2 2013

Under the law, members of Congress and some of their aides may have to pay more for their health coverage and buy it from new online health insurance marketplaces -- a reality that is triggering strong reactions on Capitol Hill.

Des Moines Register: Congress May Have To Pay For Health Insurance
Members of Congress and many of their aides could soon have to pay thousands of more dollars for their health insurance because of an apparent oversight in the way the Obamacare law was written. The issue is related to language U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley helped insert into the 2010 Affordable Care Act, but the Iowa Republican denied Wednesday that his amendment was the problem (Leys, 7/31).

Politico: President Obama On Hill's ACA Mess: I'm On It
President Barack Obama privately told Democratic senators Wednesday he is now personally involved in resolving a heated dispute over how Obamacare treats Capitol Hill aides and lawmakers, according to senators in the meeting. The president's commitment was delivered at the beginning of Obama's remarks to Senate Democrats during a closed-door session (Bresnahan and Sherman, 8/1).

The Washington Post: Health Care Issue Triggers Hold On OPM Nominee Katherine Archuleta
An issue involving coverage of Capitol Hill staff members under the Affordable Care Act resulted in the ranking Republican on a Senate oversight committee saying Wednesday that he would put a hold on the nominee for federal personnel dire (Yoder, 7/31).

The Hill: Coburn To Block OPM Nominee Over Obamacare Concerns
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) is planning to block a top executive nomination over concerns about how ObamaCare will apply to Capitol Hill. Coburn reportedly announced Wednesday that he would place a hold on Katherine Archuleta, nominated to head the Office of Personnel Management, until the Obama administration clarifies whether the federal government will be permitted to contribute to Hill staffers' premiums (Viebeck, 7/31).

This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.