Senator Bill Nelson/ The Shark Tank
By JAVIER MANJARRES It is now in the hands U.S. Senate to take up, or not, the defund Obamacare effort that passed over in the House of Representatives. But the grim reality for Americans is, the chance that the Democratic-controlled Senate vote to defund healthcare law , is almost slim to none.
Since the White House announced that it would exempt members of Congress and their staff from “certain Obamcare provision,” Republican lawmakers, including Senator David Vitter and Representative Ron DeSantis, have both filed bills that would prevent Congress from being exempted from healthcare law.White House quietly announced that Congress Members and their staff would be exempt from certain ObamaCare provisions. Currently, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program picks up a large part of congressional staff’s premiums. That’s a no-no under ObamaCare, and if forced to follow the same rules as everyone else, staff would lose a benefit that is often worth between $5,000 and $11,000.
With the October 1st exchange-enrollment date looming, the Office of Personnel Management simply decreed that the rules that will apply to all other Americans who must enter the ObamaCare exchanges won’t apply to those working for Congress: They’ll get to keep their employer-provided subsidies, which will cover 75 percent of their premiums, largely shielding Congress and their staff from the impact of higher premiums created by ObamaCare.-Forbes
Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
Florida Senator Bill Nelson (D) has recently stated that the Congress “did not exempt themselves from any part” of Obamacare, when he responded to a letter from a concerned constituent, who asking him about whether or not the Congress was exempt from Obamacare. Nelson said this even after the Obama
Members of Congress did not exempt themselves from any part of Affordable Care Act (ACA)-Senator Bill Nelson (D)
Nelson is correct in his assertion, because the Obama administration’s Office of Personnel Managment was responsible for exempting members of Congress and their staff from Obamacare.
Here is the letter Nelson sent to his constituent.
From: <Bill@billnelson.senate.gov> Date: Wed, Sep 18, 2013 at 11:44 AM Subject:RE: Your response from Senator Bill Nelson
To: xxxx
Please do not reply to this e-mail. If you need to send another message to Senator Nelson, please use the form on his Web site: http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm#emailDear Mr. Cassidy:Thank you for contacting me regarding health insurance for members of Congress and their staffs. Members of Congress certainly have good health insurance, but it is not free, it is not exclusive to members, and it is not government insurance.Members of Congress did not exempt themselves from any part of Affordable Care Act (ACA). In fact, members of Congress and their staffs are losing their employer coverage under ACA and instead will be required to purchase one of the exact same plans in the health insurance marketplaces that will cover millions of other Americans beginning in January.Eligible employees will get help paying their premiums just like they did when they were covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program–the program that covers Federal employees, retirees, and their families, but will no longer cover members of Congress and their staffs.I appreciate hearing from you on this issue. It is an honor to serve Florida in the U.S. Senate, and your input helps me better represent you. Please do not hesitate to contact me again.
Sincerely,Bill NelsonP.S. From time to time, I compile electronic news briefs highlighting key issues and hot topics of particular importance to Floridians. If you’d like to receive these e-briefs, visit my Web site and sign up for them at http://billnelson.senate.gov/news/ebriefs.cfm
