Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Apparently, Obamacare isn't "Foolproof"



So Congressman Cory Gardner decided to opt-out of his employer-provided benefits so that he could be in the same boat as his constituents. Which makes no sense.  Employer-provided benefits are the norm. It's one of the things we consider part of a good compensation package. Now, he's unhappy because the plan he chose is being discontinued because it was incompatible with certain ACA regs.

So let's get this straight--he chose not to have employer-provided benefits, and then he chose, what? A catastrophic insurance plan? Some high-deductible insurance of last resort? Because that is the reasonable way a person provides for themselves and their family?  Of course it isn't. The reason HHS Secretary Sebelius wouldn't give up her federally-provided plan is because that's just foolish*. She gets coverage through her employer, and has no more reason to give up that part of her compensation than a banker or a lawyer or a cop or anybody else with a "good job with paid bennies" would.




If Rep. Gardner wants a nice plan, you know what people with good jobs might do? Opt-in to their employer benefits. He'd get a much better plan which, if fate forbid, something should happen--would actually cover him or his family member without them going broke. Kind of the point of insurance, right? But then along came silly ass Senator Grassley, whose amendment to the ACA forces congresspeople and their staffers on to the health care exchanges. But even still, he could use his employer contribution, except Senator Ron Johnson thinks....

Well, I don't even understand what he thinks. He is filing a lawsuit to make health care less affordable for himself and his staffers? I'm not sure what that's supposed to prove.It certain isn't equal treament with regular folks. That might be okay for him, but just sayin'--sometimes your staffers are the people who do their damnedest to keep you from looking like a smacked ass in public. (Congresscritters have varying levels of success with this.) I sure hope they don't go on strike on him. Not that I'm sure when we will start to notice.

*CORRECTION: Or not, because she recently qualified for Medicare. (She must take such care of her skin, I did not know she was 65!) So yeah, duh. Of course she wouldn't go on the health exchanges. But still--the point of the exchanges was never that they were supposed to replace employer-provided benefits for people who had them.)

2 comments:

Grung_e_Gene said...

Government isn't the problem; Republicans in Government is the problem!

The ACA continues to show that Republicans efforts to sabotage and destroy government are working.

Vixen Strangely said...

Never really know with Republicans whether they are bad at government because they hate it, or hate it because they are bad at it. Either way, weird career choice.

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