HAHA! -- ObamaCare accidentally stripped Congress of health coverage

[ericire12]

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/04/12/nyt-obamacare-may-have-accidentally-stripped-congress-of-health-coverage/

In other words, theoretically the law kicks them out of the federal health plan now in order to force them to join insurance exchanges … that don’t exist yet.

From the NYT:

The law apparently bars members of Congress from the federal employees health program, on the assumption that lawmakers should join many of their constituents in getting coverage through new state-based markets known as insurance exchanges.
But the research service found that this provision was written in an imprecise, confusing way, so it is not clear when it takes effect.
The new exchanges do not have to be in operation until 2014. But because of a possible “drafting error,” the report says, Congress did not specify an effective date for the section excluding lawmakers from the existing program.
Under well-established canons of statutory interpretation, the report said, “a law takes effect on the date of its enactment” unless Congress clearly specifies otherwise. And Congress did not specify any other effective date for this part of the health care law. The law was enacted when President Obama signed it three weeks ago.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/us/politics/13health.html?partner=rss&emc=rss


*Are you gonna start reading those bills now!

[crusader rabbit]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA

Wait until they get to the part about "bending over a log" and having to pay a fee for having  "health care" shoved up... 

Wait... 

No....

That was in OUR section of the bill. 

[deepwater]

sounds good, but I'm sure the sneeky bastards have already come up with a loophole or other way of getting around it with reimbursement plans etc.. more than likely added this intentionally to appease those of us that wished it would be. they can easiily point to the law and say.. 'see, we have to follow the same rules you do' while getting away with superior care, paid for by you and I. we can only hope that someone loud enough and with the resources can expose the dirty SOB's when (not if) they do. though I'm sure it would go ignored by most.  well, I guess time will tell...
deepwater.

[Pathfinder]

sounds good, but I'm sure the sneeky bastards have already come up with a loophole or other way of getting around it with reimbursement plans etc.. more than likely added this intentionally to appease those of us that wished it would be. they can easiily point to the law and say.. 'see, we have to follow the same rules you do' while getting away with superior care, paid for by you and I. we can only hope that someone loud enough and with the resources can expose the dirty SOB's when (not if) they do. though I'm sure it would go ignored by most.  well, I guess time will tell...
deepwater.

No, they will just order that no one obey the law, and pretend that the clause does not really exist, until they can fix it in their favor.

[Hazcat]

No, they will just order that no one obey the law, and pretend that the clause does not really exist, until they can fix it in their favor.

BINGO!  And the 'fix' will be attached to some completely non-related bill that will sail right through.

[Sponsor]

[tt11758]

BINGO!  And the 'fix' will be attached to some completely non-related bill that will sail right through.

You mean like taking over student loans in the health care bill?

[ericire12]

UPDATE: Health Coverage Gap For Congress Closed, For Now

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/04/lawmakers_health_coverage_cris.html

(But) a memo issued by the Congressional Research Service earlier this month suggested the law was written in such a way as to possibly require those affected by the change to have to give up their coverage immediately, even before any alternate health plans are actually available.

Now the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees health insurance for the federal work force, says that's not so.

In twin letters to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, OPM Director John Berry said his agency has concluded that the law's requirement that lawmakers and their personal staffs change health insurance "is not effective until the state exchanges... become operational. The provision according has no current effect upon the eligible of Members of Congress or their staffs to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program."