Why does obamacare exempt the president and congress

The remainder is paid by their employer: the U. The employer contribution is a standard part of employer-provided health care plans in the United States—affecting a majority of Americans. OPM does note that Congress failed to remove the provision of law outlining the employer contribution. OPM argues that Congress, in designing the Affordable Care Act had the opportunity to nix the employer contribution, but it did not.

OPM, as a result, must issue regulations consistent with the law. ACA in conjunction with current law 5 U. The result? Congress must purchase insurance on exchanges per ACA and must provide the employer contribution per 5 U. The irony: Congress is treated as a unique entity, not because it is exempted from the Affordable Care Act, but because it is the only large employer forced onto its Exchanges. Senator David Vitter R-LA has sought a legislative solution to the OPM regulation , clarifying the law to be consistent with what he sees as a fair bargain.

Essentially, the Amendment expands the group required to purchase insurance on the Exchanges while removing a key benefit: the employer contribution. What is most remarkable is that the Vitter Amendment is loosely based on Sen. The Vitter Amendment can have serious, negative effects on government—particularly the federal workforce. First, the bill affects higher paid, more experienced Congressional staff. These individuals serve on Congressional staffs because of a call to public service, the appeal of benefits, or the excitement of the work—often despite higher paying job opportunities in the private sector.

Are their salaries above average? The Commonwealth Fund. Health care sharing ministries: what are the risks to consumers and insurance markets? Updated August 8, Kaiser Family Foundation. Coverage at work: the share of nonelderly Americans with employer-based insurance rose modestly in recent years, but has declined markedly over the long term.

Updated February 1, Office of Personnel Management. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. June 5, Gathering your health coverage documentation for the tax filing season. Updated February 18, Read the Affordable Care Act. Congressional Research Service. Health benefits for members of congress and designated congressional staff: in brief.

Updated January 13, DC Health Link. Fiscal year health benefit exchange performance metrics. April 29, Enrollment Summary as of July 11, DC health insurance marketplace: history and news of the state's exchange.

Updated May 19, Small business health care tax credit. October 8, Department of Health and Human Services. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury expand access to quality, affordable health coverage through health reimbursement arrangements. Updated June 13, Federal Register. Federal employees health benefits program: members of congress and congressional staff. Updated October 2, Roll Call.

Grassley frustrated by fight over his healthcare amendment. Updated September 26, State-based exchanges. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. Trump should unilaterally undo Obama's illegal exemption, requiring members of Congress to live under the law it forced onto the American people.

Facing the reality of double-digit premium increases, Congress may feel pressure to come back to the negotiating table and follow through on years of promises to finally end the Obamacare nightmare. Visit our sister site: The Heritage Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Problem Indicative of the lawlessness of the Obama administration, Congress actually pleaded behind closed doors for the president to grant them a special exemption.

A Heritage Foundation legal memo explained at the time : "One such provision is Section d 3 D , which reads: 'Notwithstanding any other provision of law