Legislation proposed to end federal funding for lawmaker's health insurance

Aug 28 2013

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she will introduce the bill when Congress returns from its five-week break in September.

The Washington Post: Bill Would End Federal Funding For Lawmakers' Health Coverage
A House Republican on Monday proposed a bill that would end federal funding for the health-care premiums of members of Congress and leave lawmakers to fend for themselves after they enter new insurance exchanges forming under Obamacare. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) said she will introduce the legislation after Congress returns from a five-week break in September. "As long as Obamacare remains law, members of Congress should not receive exchange subsidies that are not provided to other Americans," she said in a statement (Hicks, 8/27).

Veterans health care is also drawing attention on Capitol Hill -

The Denver Post: Congress Demands VA Inspector Investigate Aurora Hospital Delays
A Congressional oversight committee is seeking an inspector general's probe into the construction mess and budget overruns at the Veterans Affairs hospital project in Aurora, according to a letter to be released this week. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, chair of the veterans Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and the panel's ranking Democrat, planned to release a letter Tuesday asking the VA's inspector general to launch an investigation (Booth, 8/27).

NBC: Health-Care Costs For Wounded Vets To Increase For Decades To Come
No government agency has calculated fully the lifetime cost of health care for post-9/11 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with life-lasting wounds. But it is certain to be high, with higher survival rates, longer tours of duty and multiple injuries, plus the anticipated cost to the VA of reducing the wait times for medical appointments and reaching veterans in rural areas (Wilde, 8/27).