In Case You Missed It: The Senate Health Bill Requires Congress To Give Up It's Health Benefit and Join The Healthcare Exchange The Bill Creates

News Type: Event — Seeded on Mon Nov 23, 2009 12:17 AM EST

Article Source: TIME

politics, democrats, republican, senate, healthcare, healthcare-reform, populist, populism, ben-nelson, joe-liberman, ron-wyden

Seeded by Killfile

There are a couple of aspects of this historic vote that deserve notice here:

1. My favorite provision requires that all members of Congress give up their federally-funded health care benefits and join the health care exchanges that will be set up by this bill. This is brilliant politics, addressing the tide of populist anger and fears of incipient socialism. But it also makes an important substantive point. The future of health care reform in this country will depend on how effectively the exchanges--health insurance super-stores--are working. If members of Congress have to participate in this system, you can bet they'll insist on a array of choices, similar to the system they currently use, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan.

Published to:

Killfile's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Headline Discussion, Left of Center, Media Watch, Open Minded, Political Analysis, Skeptics, US News and Views
Regions: none

What's this?

Who's leading the conversation?

This visualization below allows you to see the impact that each user has on the current conversation. The top row contains the group of users who have had the most impact, the 2nd row the group of users who have had the 2nd most impact (et cetera). Users with similar impact are grouped together, and the average score of the group is shown to the left of the group. The author of the article is also shown on the left, in their corresponding group. Each user's score is based on the number of comments the user has made plus the number of votes their comments have received. The scores are calculated relative one another, so while their absolute value is not particularly important, their relative difference does indicate a larger difference in impact on the conversation.

9.6

{"commentId":10839845,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

Now, I've been hearing Republicans @!$%# and moan and complain that Congress wasn't doing this for months now. So.... if Congress is going to join up with the healthcare exchange, does that mean ya'll support the reform bill now or was that just a lot of bluster and noise and your real problem with the bill is that the Congress-critters that support it have "D"s after their names.

{"commentId":10839845,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"killfile"}

15 votes

#1 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 12:19 AM EST

{"commentId":10841091,"authorDomain":"my-pockets-r-mt"}

my-pockets-r-mt

So your're thinking that the only reason people are against this 2000+page whatever is Congress does not plan to have the same health care?

The problem with the pages it is not REAL reform. There are some good ideas BUT their plan is to tax the heck out of many people, make special deals to pay off congress for a vote, create another entitlement for the rest. They are not driving down the cost. Business as usual for the government. And if anyone believes the price tag they need to look at history.

They are creating taxes and payments to start not for something that won't even go into begin for years. Curious to see how they will funnel the money elsewhere as they have with SS and MED.

{"commentId":10841091,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"my-pockets-r-mt"}

2 votes

#1.1 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 5:34 AM EST

{"commentId":10840328,"authorDomain":"grimcreeper"}

TheGrimCreeper

Even if this is true, which I haven't been able to confirm anywhere else but a Time Magazine liberal blog, it could be yanked out when the two versions of the bill are reconciled. I'm quite skeptical since this blogger cites no chapter or verse where this language can be found. I wouldn't go spreading the word as gospel if I were you, Mr. Seeder.

{"commentId":10840328,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"grimcreeper"}

4 votes

#2 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 1:28 AM EST

{"commentId":10843300,"authorDomain":"acidreflux"}

AdipicAcid

12 SEC. 143. FREEDOM NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN FEDERAL
13 HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAMS.

14 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Notwithstanding any other pro
15 vision of law, on the date of enactment of this Act, all
16 Members of Congress and congressional staff shall enroll
17 in a Federal health insurance program—
18 (1) created under this Act (or an amendment
19 made by this Act); or
20 (2) offered through a Gateway established
21 under this Act (or an amendment made by this Act).
22 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
23 (1) MEMBER OF CONGRESS.—The term ‘‘Mem24
ber of Congress’’ means any member of the House
25 of Representatives or the Senate.
133
O:\BAI\BAI09I50.xml [file 1 of 6] S.L.C.
1 (2) CONGRESSIONAL STAFF.—The term ‘‘con2
gressional staff’’ means all full-time and part-time
3 employees employed by the official office of a Mem4
ber of Congress, whether in Washington, DC or out5
side of Washington, DC.

Straight from the PDF of the bill. It was a fairly easy search, too. Of course looking for information you don't agree with could be painful, as it might mean reality doesn't agree with your pet conspiracy theory.

{"commentId":10843300,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"acidreflux"}

4 votes

#2.1 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 10:00 AM EST

{"commentId":10844663,"authorDomain":"my-pockets-r-mt"}

my-pockets-r-mt

Sooo, they "shall enroll" UNLESS there it is amended later once they get it passed and in the meantime make people believe they will have the same insurance.

Yes, I'm a cynic when it comes to those devious butt heads.

{"commentId":10844663,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"my-pockets-r-mt"}

#2.2 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:04 AM EST

{"commentId":10844755,"authorDomain":"killfile"}

Killfile

Yes, My-Pockets, the health care bill says they must enroll unless the text of the bill is changed to say otherwise.

Of course, the healthcare reform legislation is about healthcare reform unless the text of the legislation is changed to make it an appropriations bill for tadpole research in Idaho.

All legislation says ______— unless it's changed to say ________. That's about as meaningless an argument as can be meaningfully mustered.

{"commentId":10844755,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"killfile"}

2 votes

#2.3 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 11:08 AM EST

{"commentId":10846108,"authorDomain":"my-pockets-r-mt"}

my-pockets-r-mt

No agrument, just stating my opinion of what will happen.

{"commentId":10846108,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"my-pockets-r-mt"}

#2.4 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 12:05 PM EST

{"commentId":10840575,"authorDomain":"ispeedtoo"}

Paul Lucero

Yeah is that true?

In what century?

{"commentId":10840575,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"ispeedtoo"}

#3 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 2:12 AM EST

{"commentId":10841443,"authorDomain":"repoman"}

Repoman-1208817

Anyone think this would make it into a final version?

{"commentId":10841443,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"repoman"}

#4 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 7:15 AM EST

{"commentId":10841448,"authorDomain":"eric24"}

Simplistic Reality

I have a hard time believing this is true as well. While it would be nice to see the fat cat politicians use the exact health care system they are proposing for the rest of America as a sign of good faith if you will... I don't think its ever going to happen. They know they wouldn't like it themselves especially when there's is probably the best you can get unlike millions of Americans. Politicians take care of themselves and their own... and more often then not.. above their constituents.

{"commentId":10841448,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"eric24"}

2 votes

#5 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 7:16 AM EST

{"commentId":10842362,"authorDomain":"lostaglia"}

CT Lostaglia

Well so far I've read about 130 pages of the bill...it's huge and VERY hard for even politicians to understand in parts. It could be that this blogger was confused by the language in the proposal. I wouldn't consider anything a fact as of yet. I have no idea why a newsvine seeder would post this and not add the language of the bill he thinks is stating this, though...if I see an amendment to this post that includes the language he is referring to, I'll vote for this post.

{"commentId":10842362,"threadId":"730745","contentId":"3533110","authorDomain":"lostaglia"}

#6 - Mon Nov 23, 2009 9:00 AM EST

{"canLink":false,"threadId":"730745","isPrivate":false}

KILLFILE

Backyard

In Case You Missed It: The Senate Health Bill Requires Congress To Give Up It's Health Benefit and Join The Healthcare Exchange The Bill Creates

Published to:

FUN STUFF:

COMPANY STUFF:

LEGAL STUFF:

KILLFILE

Backyard

In Case You Missed It: The Senate Health Bill **Requires** Congress To Give Up It's Health Benefit and Join The Healthcare Exchange The Bill Creates

Published to:

FUN STUFF:

COMPANY STUFF:

LEGAL STUFF:

In Case You Missed It: The Senate Health Bill Requires Congress To Give Up It's Health Benefit and Join The Healthcare Exchange The Bill Creates