GOP Leaders Offer Option To End Provision That Guaranteed Their Coverage In Health Bill

The compromise that conservatives and moderate Republicans worked out this week as a replacement for the federal health law contained a provision that exempted members of Congress and their staffs from losing their guaranteed benefits. That brought jeers from Democrats, and party leaders crafted a bill to get rid of that exemption.

Politico: Ryan Moves To Ax Lawmaker Exemption In Obamacare Repeal Bill

House GOP leaders are moving quickly behind the scenes to iron out a wrinkle in their latest Obamacare repeal legislation: a controversial provision that preserves Obamacare coverage protections for members of Congress and their staffs while allowing states to opt out of them. Late Wednesday night, the House Rules Committee posted the text of a one-page bill that strikes the exemption for lawmakers that caused such a ruckus for Republicans on Wednesday morning. Discovery of the loophole, first reported by Vox, had triggered charges of hypocrisy from Democrats the entire day. (Bade and Bresnahan, 4/27)

The Hill: House GOP Health Bill Changes Exempt Members Of Congress

The new changes to the bill would allow states to apply for waivers for certain ObamaCare provisions, such as a ban on insurers charging premiums based on a customer's health and the requirement that insurers' basic health plans cover certain services, like prescription drugs and mental health. The GOP amendment exempts members of Congress and their staffs to ensure that they will still be protected by those ObamaCare provisions. ... Democrats quickly jumped on the development, arguing that Republicans are willing to take away protections for the general public, but not themselves. (Sullivan, 4/26)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.

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