Congressional candidates attack “taxpayer-funded health care for life”

[Greenbeard]

The NYT reported yesterday on a novel line of attack some Democratic Congressional candidates are using.

Since Obamacare requires members of Congress to choose from the same health insurance plans every other American has access to, candidates who support repeal are effectively supporting giving Congress back its special health benefits reserved only for federal employees. I wouldn't have thought of using that but it'll be interesting to see how it plays.

Democrats Use Health Law to Assail Republicans

WASHINGTON — A little-noticed provision of the new health care law is causing big headaches for some members of Congress in this year’s elections. And it is likely to cause even bigger headaches for lawmakers next year.

The provision, written into the law at the behest of a Republican senator, says members of Congress must get their health benefits through new insurance exchanges being established in every state.

Republicans have voted repeatedly to repeal the whole law. Now, in a barrage of television ads, Democrats are roasting those Republicans, saying they voted to give themselves “taxpayer-funded health care for life.”

The accuracy of the commercials, judged even by the loose standards that often apply to political advertising, is open to question.

Democrats say the commercials are accurate. Under the law, they say, members of Congress would be removed from the federal program that provides health insurance to most federal employees and retirees. Repealing the law, they say, would restore that coverage.

Members of Congress and retired members are eligible for insurance coverage under the same system as other federal employees. This system, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, covers eight million federal workers, retirees and dependents.

The 2010 health care law says that the only health plans available to members of Congress, as a benefit of their employment, are health plans created under the law or offered through insurance exchanges.

The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, an arm of the Library of Congress, says this section of the law implies that members of Congress “will no longer be eligible to enroll” in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

 

[OODA_Loop]

Yep this will swing it for Obama now.

The debate is O-vah

 

[Greenbeard]

These are House candidates.