Submitted by: Debbie Beatty
Debbie sent a letter to Rep Joe Heck protesting Congress being exempted from being subjected to Obamacare. This is his reply:
August
7,
2013
Dear
Ms.
Beatty,
Thank
you
for
contacting
me to
share
your concerns
regarding
federal
employees and
Members
of
Congress purchasing
health
insurance
plans
through
health
insurance
exchanges.
I
understand
and
share
your
strong
concerns
with
the
Patient
Protection
and
Affordable
Care
Act
(PPACA;
P.L.
111-148),
and
please
know
that
I
will
continue
working
to
eliminate
the burdensome
requirements
of
this
law
and
restore
the
federal
government
to
its
proper
place
in
our
health
care
system. PPACA
requires
all
citizens
to
obtain
health
insurance,
whether
through
their
employer
or
as
an
individual.
To
assist
individuals
in
purchasing
a
policy,
the
health
exchanges
will
offer
choices
of
private
insurance.
The
exchanges
were
not
meant
to
take
the
place
of
employer-provided
coverage. Please
let
me
assure
you
– Members
of
Congress
and
their
staff
are
not
exempt
from
the
health
care
law,
nor
should
they
be.
Congress
must
abide
by
the
laws
it
enacts.
Currently, Members
of
Congress
and
congressional
staff
may
choose
to
participate
in
the
Federal
Employee
Health
Benefits
(FEHB)
Plan,
which
offers
federal
employees
the
option
of
purchasing
health
insurance
coverage.
FEHB
operates
similarly
to
employer-sponsored
plans
enjoyed
by
millions
of
private
sector
employees,
and
both
Members
of
Congress
and
congressional
staff
alike
pay
a
monthly
premium
for
their
coverage.
While
PPACA allows
other
federal
employees
to
continue
their
coverage
through
FEHB, new
provisions
enacted
by PPACA
will
force
Members
and
staff
off
of
their
existing
plans
into
plans
purchased
through
a
health
insurance
exchange,
thus
taking
the
place
of
the
employer-provided
insurance.
As
a
result
of
this
change,
it
was
uncertain
whether
or
not
the federal government
could
legally
continue
to
contribute
to
employee premiums
for
plans
purchased
through
an
exchange,
rather
than
through
FEHB.
On
August
2,
2013,
the
Office
of
Personnel
Management
(OPM)
issued
a
ruling
which
states
that
the federal government
can
continue
making
a
contribution
to
the
health
care
premiums.
OPM's
decision
is
a
clarification
–
it
is
not
a
change
in
policy, nor
is
it
an
exemption
from
the
health
care
law.
Just
like
all
Americans,
Members
of
Congress
and
their
staff
are
subject
to
all
of
the
law's
requirements,
including
the
mandate
to
purchase
health
coverage.
I
understand
the
negative
perception
surrounding
the
recent
OPM
ruling,
and I
share
your
frustrations
and
concerns
with
the
health
care
law.
Though
I
was
not
a
representative
when
the
law
passed
during
the
111th
Congress,
one
of
the
primary
reasons
I
ran
to
represent
Nevada's
Third
District
was
to
repeal
and
replace
this
law
with
true,
patient-centered
health
reform
for
those
without
access
to
care.
I
strongly
agree
that
this
law
- the
largest
governmental
intrusion
into
our
health
care
system
in
history – is
seriously
flawed
and
will
have
negative
consequences
for
individuals,
families,
and
businesses
alike. PPACA
must
be
addressed
by
instituting
patient-centered
reforms
instead
that
protect
the
critical
relationship
between
patients
and
their
doctors,
allowing
patients
to
make
decisions
that
best
fit
their
needs.
Please
be
assured
that,
as
a
member
of
the
House
Doctors
Caucus,
I
will
continue
working
in
the
113th
Congress
to
address
the
flawed
health
care
law
and
fix
the
shortcomings
of
our
nation's
health
care
system.
Again,
I
appreciate
your
thoughts
and
concerns
and
it
is
an
honor
to
serve
you
in
Congress.
Your
suggestions
are
always
welcome,
and
if
ever
I
may
be
of
assistance,
please
do
not
hesitate
to
contact
me.
|
Sincerely,
DR. JOE HECK Member of Congress |
|
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